Jersey Boys 8/12 matinee review

[almostxfamous]

Posted: 8/12/06 at 9:48pm

Well, after a long wait, I finally got to see this show, and it didn't disappoint. We've had these tickets for about 5 months, and they were great seats(Center Orch - Row D). Christian Hoff was out, and on in his place was Matthew Scott. Initially, I was a little disappointed, but happy that the rest were in. The audience was absolutely fantastic, as Daniel Reichard pointed out to me later.

In order...

Matthew Scott - Absolutely PHENOMENAL. I completely forgot about Christian when he came onstage. I know a lot of people say the whole 'You couldn't tell he was an understudy', but you really couldn't. My mom had no idea who was the understudy for the first 15 minutes, because he looked so comfortable up there. His voice absolutely spot on, and his chemistry with the rest of the cast was fantastic. I don't know how many times he's been on, but he was absolute perfection.

Daniel Reichard - Wow. He was fantastic. His voice is so rich and has a warmth that I absolutely love. His comedic timing is impeccable. The faces he made when he would deliver a funny line were priceless. I loved the scenes with just him and John. Fantastic.

J. Robert Spencer - Something about this man warms my heart. He has such an endearing quality to him. He has such quiet confidence, and is a fantastic performer. The entire scene where he was yelling at Tommy about the towels was hilarious.

John Lloyd Young - What is there to say about him that hasn't been said? His growth as a character is flawless. His interactions, mainly with Matthew and Daniel, were fantastic. In the beginning, he completely gave in to anything Tommy wanted, and grew tremendously, as he showed in the first scene in Act II. I adored the scene with him and Bob when they make 'the Jersey contract'. He was also phenomenal in the first scene with Mary and Francine, and then in the whole scene encircling 'Fallen Angel'. Didn't disappoint whatsoever.

I really don't think I could take running up and down those steps constantly, especially like Matthew did in telling his part of the story. What's great about this show is you don't have to be an Italian from Jersey who loves The Four Seasons(which I am, oddly enough) to appreciate the genius of this show. As John has said, it does read like a play. The only songs used that encircle the plot are 'December 1963(Oh, What A Night)', 'Beggin', and 'Fallen Angel'. It was absolutely fantastic. At the stagedoor, the cast couldn't have been nicer. Each lead stayed and autographed every single playbill. It was a show that didn't disappoint.

Ah, kudos to you if you read all of that. Just thought I'd throw in my thoughts.
Updated On: 8/12/06 at 09:48 PM

[mijofly19]

Posted: 8/12/06 at 9:52pm

Glad you had a good time. I think that's the first time Christian has been out. Dominic Nolfi covers Bob & Frankie, but not Tommy, so he's never been on.

[southernjerseygirl]

Posted: 8/12/06 at 9:55pm

great review....just makes me that more excited to see the show the end of August. i'm over the initial disappointment that Daniel will be on vacation and am just as happy about seeing his understudy (which should be Dominic, no?).

[mijofly19]

Posted: 8/12/06 at 9:57pm

Dominic should be covering Daniel. I've only seen the show once, and Dom was on as Bob. He was great, you shouldn't be dissapointed.

[almostxfamous]

Posted: 8/12/06 at 9:58pm

I thought Dominic had been on because when they did Broadway Bares, he was there for Christian. Ah, whatever. I'll edit it.

[NJgirl]

Posted: 8/12/06 at 10:02pm

Matthew Scott also covers Bob...I saw him the 2nd time he went on for Daniel back in April.
Updated On: 8/12/06 at 10:02 PM

[mijofly19]

Posted: 8/12/06 at 10:04pm

Sorry, forgot about Matthew. I saw Dom as Bob back in January.

[almostxfamous]

Posted: 8/12/06 at 10:06pm

Whoever Matthew was on for, he was probably fantastic. I walked out of that theatre with major Matthew Scott love.

[almostxfamous]

Posted: 8/13/06 at 12:36am

bump

[SakeDad]

Posted: 8/13/06 at 12:42am

We just saw it tonight and it was FABULOUS! Matthew was on for Christian and I didn't feel I missed a thing. We were in Orch E center and everyone around us had a wonderful time and really loved the show. You could even feel the energy from the balcony sometimes.
Every last performer kept their energy and characters going the entire show, I was impressed how easily they slipt from one to the other all the while moving set pieces on and off at a very quick pace. There was more than once that I would see them RUN off stage for a quick change or to get to the next entrance. They WORK!!!! They absolutely earned the standing ovation and the full admiration of the audience tonight. Keep up the wonderful show guys!

[kaibranch]

Posted: 8/13/06 at 12:48am

Thanks for the review! I always wondered how Matthew Scott is as one of the Boys. I would like to see him, but I'd miss Christian Hoff!

Steve Gouveia, Dominic Nolfi, and Matthew Scott all cover for Bob.

[almostxfamous]

Posted: 8/13/06 at 12:51am

I completely agree. I don't feel like the show lost anything with Matthew on. He was fantastic. The set changes were ridiculous. Those steps would kill me! The entire cast does so much, and had their energy up to the last second. An incredibly hardworking team. The applause after 'Sherry', 'Walk Like A Man', 'Can't Take My Eyes Off of You', and 'Fallen Angel' had to go on for a couple of minutes. A great audience always helps.

I initially missed Christian, but once Matthew walked onstage and cracked a smile, I completely forgot about it.
Updated On: 8/13/06 at 12:51 AM

[bwayondabrain]

Posted: 8/13/06 at 7:36am

great review!
just makes me wish my family and i could get tickets sometime this year...
:P

[SCBWannabe]

Posted: 8/13/06 at 8:22am

When I saw the show on Wednesday at the matinee I thought Christian sounded a little hoarse. I wonder if that is why he missed because he caught a bug? He was still as nice as can be at the stage door....taking pictures and signing autographs. They are a very friendly cast for being in the hottest show on Broadway.

[TennesseeTwang]

Posted: 8/13/06 at 10:47am

Who plays the roles that were handled by Titus Burgess?

[mijofly19]

Posted: 8/13/06 at 11:01am

Kris Coleman. They have more info about him on the Jersey Boys website:

http://www.jerseyboysbroadway.com/

[almostxfamous]

Posted: 8/13/06 at 11:20am

I really didn't even know Titus wasn't in the show anymore. I don't think I realized it until after the show, haha.

And after looking in my playbill, both Matthew Scott and Dominic Nolfi swing Frankie, Bob, and Tommy. Does anyone know if this was Christian's first time out or not, and if Matthew has ever been on for Frankie?

[rebels]

Posted: 8/13/06 at 11:29am

Wow! Great review of yesterday's matinee!

Here's an interview with Matthew Scott:
http://jerseyboysblog.com/?p=593



Jersey Boys Blog

[almostxfamous]

Posted: 8/13/06 at 11:39am

Thanks for the link!

Put Matthew Scott in a Sondheim show.

[jerseyboyslover]

Posted: 8/13/06 at 12:45pm

I really didn't even know Titus wasn't in the show anymore. I don't think I realized it until after the show, haha.

And after looking in my playbill, both Matthew Scott and Dominic Nolfi swing Frankie, Bob, and Tommy. Does anyone know if this was Christian's first time out or not, and if Matthew has ever been on for Frankie?

Christian has been out two other times. Not sure who covered the first time (it was one of the older guys, maybe John Leone)...and then he was out another time that JLY was also out, and Matt went on for Tommy and Dominic was on for Frankie.

[almostxfamous]

Posted: 8/13/06 at 1:13pm

Aha, thanks for clearing that up. Well, even so, for only going on, what, once before this? Completely captivating. And the audience was so great to him, and you could tell he really appreciated it. Ah, a fantastic day.