WithoutATrace: I'm just the opposite of you, I HATED WIW and LOVED Jersey Boys.
You asked about the book. It's a classic rags-to-riches-to-rags-to-riches story. Maybe because you're young, you cannot relate to the eternal struggle of career v family and the realization that, no matter how much you try, you can't have it all. Each of the four boy's stories is compelling in its own way, how they came to be in the group, how each of them contributed to the success of the group, and why each of them eventually left. I won't spoil it, but there are moments that are truly heartbreaking when you hear the personal sacrifices that were made in the name of achieving 'fame and fortune'.
On the other hand, WIW was, for me, a crashing bore. I lost interest somewhere during the first act, and by the second act, I was thinking more about where to have dinner than what was happening on stage. The songs in WIW are truly dreadful, ALW's signature 4 notes repeated over and over and over until your brain turns to mush. I've seen Jersey Boys four times and will probably see it four more but I would never waste my time or money on another ALW show.
'Our whole family shouts. It comes from us livin' so close to the railroad tracks'
