Jersey Boys Fan Thread

I'll be there 2mrw nite and again on Monday thru work.
I'll find it interesting to see the reaction of the first preview audience as i was at the frirst preview of 'Mama Mia' 11 years ago at the same theatre and everyone was being negative about that before the curtain went up! The audience were stunned into a party mood that continues today. One never knows does one.
The twice ive seen the show in San Francisco the audience were so with the show that by the finale they were dancing in the ailes- literally! 'Jersey Boys' ends with a terrific number-Who Loves You! -that just leaves you in a great mood knowing you've seen a great show and not just a cheap juke box compilation.

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Thanks for that 'Daily Telegraph' page MP.

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The publicity machine with kick in well and true now. Whats the point in blasting a show in the publics face before it goes into performances when they want to see it as soon as they read about it or see it on TV. I have 3 seats for 2mrw and could have given them away 10 times over!

Im sure most people know already but just incase- seats for all the previews are at £40, £30, £20. So for the 2 weeks of previews its a great chance to see the show at such low prices. Most shows will normally only take £2 or £3 of normal ticket prices.

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Updated On: 2/27/08 at 08:10 AM

I have been counting down the days till tomorrow night. I too became mildly obsessed with the show after seeing it on Broadway, and just hope the British audiences will appreciate it.

My only wish was that John Lloyd Young & Christian Hoff came over. This is not a negative comment about the UK cast, merely an observation from a fan of the Broadway production. I'm hoping the cast here will prove me wrong!

I'll be there next Tuesday and cant wait. It was propably one of the best nights I had on Broadway and i hope it's gonna be the same here.

I laughed when people on previous threads have said that people in the UK wont get it as Frank Valli & the Four Seasons are not that well known in this country. All i can say is those people are obviously too young. Damn!! am i showing my age again?

how was the first preview?! im going next month!

I was at the first preview too and I really enjoyed it. The cast worked brilliantly together especially Ryan Molloy as Frankie and Glenn Carter as Tommy DeVito but to me it was the story that engrossed me and worked really well with the songs.

Judging from the audience reaction, I think this is going to be a hit in London especially when the reviews come out.

BTW Wicked, where were you sitting if i may ask? I was in the front row with my Mum and little brother.

The audience was brilliant and seems to know all the songs judging from the people in my row unlike me who only knew one or two songs. One of the weird things about sitting in the front row was that there was no orchestra pit which I was expecting.

It was quite high and so I had to creek my neck from time to time to see the action that happened at the back of the stage, I only paid £30 each for seats but I think they should offered as day seats as they wouldn't be worth £60.

The company I work for is handling the merch for JB and I managed to speak to my boss who saw the dres rehearsal yesterday and gave it the thumbs up.

@Wickedboy2
I was also sitting in Row L. Quite unexpectedly, my sister and I found that were sitting next to Bob Gaudio and his wife!An icebreaking moment arrived as we settled in, so I quipped along the lines "seeing you I know we've got the best seats" and had a little chat. Just very brief and light as I didn't want to be intrusive. As you would expect he was most courteous. And then next to Bob was an unknown and then Des McAnuff.

Judging by the audience reaction the show will be a big hit here too. The introductory stuff about New Jersey (the landfill site joke) seemed to go right over the audience's head but otherwise the jokes seem to have crossed the Atlantic pretty well. No standing ovations during the show but the most rapturous applause was given to Sherry etc; Dawn (Go Away) ( less known in the UK but my alltime fave); Can't Take my Eyes Off You; and the finale, where of course we at last threw away our reserve and did the standing O.

I liked all the leads though I don't think Ryan Molloy is in the same league as JLY or Jarrod Spector.His singing in the ballads was excellent but in the uptempo numbers he seem to lack initial attack and his voice was rather subdued in the mix. Whether that was nerves or a fault on the sound console I don't know. I'm sure he'll be a great success over the run.

The role of Tommy is crucial to the play -indeed I think it's my favourite. I think Glenn Carter is an excellent choice and of all the cast I'd say he has the greatest charisma. I thought he needed to be a bit more bombastic at the beginning ("We put Joisey on the map!) and initially his diction didn't seem quite right. So I'm relieved to hear that might be attributable to a cold. He's got the icebreaker role and maybe he was just a little nervous too. I'm sure he'll achieve perfection during the previews.

Stephen Ashfield is a charming Bob Gaudio. He's got a nice voice too.

I thought Philip Bulcock did very well making a lot out of the role of the group's mystery man. Again he's got real presence, well up to his Broadway counterpart.

Overall the audience really loved it and the word of mouth is no doubt clicking in. I passed several people on mobiles spreading the news.

PS those asterisks in Philip B's name are nothing to do with me. It's just the website being ultra cautious about "offensive" words!

Updated On: 2/29/08 at 09:38 AM

My review is up on the RZ blog (linked below). The show is solid as it stands and will get better, but I'm still not convinced that the UK crowds are going to come running for this en masse. Likewise, my money is on the show running strictly through word of mouth...I don't think the critics are going to dig it.

Speaking to the production guys after they mentioned that there was a mic problem on Thursday that wasnt there for the dress on Wedsenday. The Prince Edward has always been a bugger for the sound guys. Give a few more perfs and they'll be on top of it.

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