"Jersey Boys" Tour---SF Reviews

[jimnysf]

Posted: 12/11/06 at 6:53am

From the San Francisco Chronicle....



REVIEW
Nostalgia carries 'Jersey Boys' for a while, but show has more than just memories
Robert Hurwitt, Chronicle Theater Critic

Monday, December 11, 2006

Jersey Boys: Musical. Book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice. Music by Bob Gaudio. Lyrics by Bob Crewe. Directed by Des McAnuff. (Through Feb. 11. Curran Theatre, 445 Geary St., San Francisco. Two hours, 30 minutes. Tickets $30-$90. Call [phone] or visit www.shnsf.com).



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Who loves you, pretty baby? The opening honky-tonk piano bars of "Oh What a Night" promise immediate gratification for the nostalgia hungry crowd at the Curran Theatre. But it isn't until a half-hour later that the first bona fide hit slams into the audience -- and even then, the song's intro vamps softly behind the dialogue in a cunningly elongated tease until ...
"Sher-ree-ee-ee -- ee-ya, bay-a-bee!" The faultless doo-wop harmonies of the Four Seasons and the soaring falsetto of Frankie Valli burst upon the house with an impact no less thrilling for all its impressively calculated effect. "Jersey Boys" may be subtitled ""The Story of Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons," but by the time we get to hear their first hit, enough story has been presented that we're somewhat invested in the characters and long overdue to have our nostalgic socks rocked. Director Des McAnuff and the authors build upon the impact by delivering a one-two-three combination of greatest hits: "Sherry," followed by "Big Girls Don't Cry" and "Walk Like a Man."

It isn't every musical that gets stopped by three prolonged ovations midway through the first act. There was an even more prolonged one in the second act Sunday. But, truth to tell, "Jersey" loses some of its energy and appeal after the intermission. The passage of time within the story is no kinder to the narrative than it is to its subjects.

It couldn't be more direct from New York, where the split-narrator musical bio of the Four Seasons opened a year ago, won the Tony award for best musical and is still running quite successfully. "Jersey" opened Sunday at the Curran to kick off its national tour in the Best of Broadway season.

It is and it isn't a jukebox musical. Sure, it's packed with hits made famous by Valli and/or the Four Seasons -- "Sherry," their breakout number one hit single, "Big Girls Don't Cry," "Walk Like a Man," "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" -- most written by composer Bob Gaudio and lyricist Bob Crewe; some by others ("Let's Hang On," "Working My Way Back to You," both by Denny Randell and Sandy Linzer). And other songs as well. Among the show's 33 numbers -- some excerpted in medleys; many complete -- are what were big numbers for other groups (for those who want to play name-the-artist) , such as Gaudio's "Short Shorts" (written when he was 15), "Earth Angel," "My Boyfriend's Back" and older standards such as "I Can't Give You Anything But Love."

All of which could make for a fine memory-lane concert, depending on one's taste in nostalgia and the skill of the cover artists. Some of the covers here, such as "My Boyfriend's Back," won't take any prizes. But the principal ones are handled very well for the most part. Christopher Kale Jones, who plays Valli like a man who only comes fully alive when he sings, has a fine, clear and potent falsetto. It's not always as pitch-perfect as Valli's, or as John Lloyd Young's on the Broadway cast recording, but Jones sells almost every song with skill, energy and charisma.

Tall, charmingly awkward and increasingly sure Erich Bergen is a beguiling Gaudio, the group's prime songwriter (with producer Crewe, played with campy tough-love savvy by John Altieri). Deven May and Michael Ingersoll fill out the original Seasons, and their many previous groups before they hit it big, with dynamic charm. The other groups and the instrumentals are expertly handled under Ron Melrose's musical direction and the conducting of Andrew Wilder. But what separates "Jersey" from the popsical pack is the book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice. As developed with director McAnuff -- the guiding hand behind the smash success of "The Who's Tommy" in the early '90s -- "Jersey" tells the story of the group not from one perspective but four. That's one for each Season.

The germination of the group, its spring, is told by May as Tommy DeVito, the New Jersey hustler who put together the string of groups that eventually became the Four Seasons -- between heists and stints in jail -- brought a teenage Valli into the fold and was eventually talked into adding Gaudio to the group. The summer of its greatest success, 14 Top Ten hits between 1962 and '67, is related by Gaudio (Bergen), with charming anecdotes on the genesis of some of the songs and the establishment of the lifelong oral contract he and Valli have stuck with ever since.

That's the first act, riding high on the energy of the group's rise to the top, of the charts at any rate -- even if there are problems at home, between Valli and his wife (a sharp and tuneful Jackie Seiden) and growing divisions within the group. Bassist and the Seasons' main orchestrator Nick Massi (Ingersoll) takes over for the autumn of the group's dissolution after the intermission. Jones' Valli wraps things up in the winter section, as Valli works with a new backup Four Seasons and solo, and suffers personal setbacks such as the death of a daughter.

It isn't exactly "Rashomon." The different perspectives of the narrators don't so much change the import of the story as reflect on the group's internal tensions and who should credit for what. Ultimately, for all its attempts at turning the Seasons into working-class heroes, troubled artists and emblems of Jersey pride, the story of kids on the corner singing doo-wop has been told often enough before. And the specifics of these particular artists' lives -- their affairs, ties to the mob (a nice capo portrait by Joseph Siravo) and personal hang-ups -- are not inherently dramatic.

It's McAnuff's staging, together with the performers' personal appeal, that infuses "Jersey" with what seems to be an unstoppable energy, at least for the duration of the first act. Working on a remarkably versatile set (by Klara Zieglerova) of flying chain-link fences, prison catwalks, sound stages and bandstands -- upholstered with the Roy Lichtenstein-like pop cartoon images of Michael Clark's projections -- McAnuff develops the tale at what seems like a relaxed but speedy lope.

He only stops to rest in concert mode, where the energy of Howell Binkley's lights and Sergio Trujillo's cleverly evolving rock-group choreography takes over. Which is why "Jersey" is more exciting with the still-fresh songs of the first act than the triter ballads later on.



Chronicle Review

Updated On: 12/11/06 at 06:53 AM

[AugustBurns2]

Posted: 12/11/06 at 1:38pm

What a spot on review!

I saw the show last Saturday night standing in the cancellation line - glad I did it because it was the last night of $50 tickets! I was able to sit in Row F in the orchestra, next to other people from the cancellation line. The man sitting to my right saw the show at La Jolla and couldn't wait for his lady friend to see the show too. I asked him how the shows/performances differed. He said that they made some changes from that production to the current Broadway, but it still is thrilling.

The four leads were outstanding! They were a joy to watch. I was really impressed with Christopher Kale Jones and Devon May. I went in knowing what I knew from the CD, but I found this story to be so riveting. Though I am always a sucker for the rags-to-riches true stories. Like Bob Crewe kept talking about -the stars were aligned.

I loved the staging too - so fast pace! I didn't know about the screens that came down - so funny. It reminded me of Des McAnuff's previous hits of Tommy and How to Succeed.

Oh! The head of Dodger Theatricals was at the performance that I went to as well! So easy to spot with his beard and baseball cap that I know from the Tony Awards. I pointed him out to the couple that I sat next to.

[mpw607]

Posted: 12/11/06 at 2:12pm

A good review. The only thing that puzzles me is the reviewers' opinion that the energy level drops in Act 2. I can't say that I felt that about the Broadway production. I've always said that if I had to use just one word to describe the appeal of Jersey Boys it would be "energy".

[jimnysf]

Posted: 12/11/06 at 3:28pm

Contra Costa Times Review;

THEATER REVIEW

'Jersey Boys' a heartwarming triumph

By Pat Craig
CONTRA COSTA TIMES

The standing ovation that followed the San Francisco opening night of the groundbreaking musical, "Jersey Boys" Sunday was spontaneous, heartfelt and well-deserved.

It was immediately apparent this ovation was worlds different from the usual obligatory standing O's that follow most big-ticket shows. Those usually reflect more a self-congratulatory mood from an audience trying to assure itself that spending and arm and a leg for a good seat had been a cagey investment.

This time, though, the outpouring didn't start anywhere near the wallet -- it emerged from the hairs on the back of your neck standing on end, and tears pricking at the corners of your eyes. What the audience had just seen was an astounding musical comedy; a true story of Shakespearean proportion that made poetry of the blue collar American Dream.

And then, just as you thought you had the tears under control, the real guys came out on stage -- the princes from the lands of Jersey and York, now white-haired, mostly -- fellas whose amazing story had just unfolded on the stage in front of us. There were the remaining Four Seasons, Frankie Valli, Bob Gaudio and Tommy DeVito, and Bob Crewe, a musical production genius who helped create the Four Seasons' sound, and co-wrote (often with Gaudio) many of the Seasons' hits.

It was a remarkably moving conclusion to a stunning opening night that proved, from the second the show started, that "Jersey Boys" deserved every Tony Award it won and set a remarkably high standard for any writers thinking of venturing into the much reviled, "juke box musical" jungle.

But as much as you admire the brilliant script created by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, "Jersey Boys" is a juke box musical, you can bet your sock-hop soul on that. With a tuneful lineup that includes, "Earth Angel," "Sherry," "Big Girls Don't Cry," "My Eyes Adored You," and "Walk Like a Man," among dozens of others, it couldn't be anything but a jukebox musical (you should be so lucky to have a juke box crammed with that many hits).

But thanks to Brickman and Elice, who were able to corral a remarkable story into compelling play, "Jersey Boys" transcends the form majestically to create a story so captivating, it could play well without a note of music (as Elice said, at one point, "if this had been about guys who made tires instead of music, the story would have been the same, only without as many songs").

It is the story of loyalty, brotherhood, deception, deceit, passion, romance, success, failure, ambition, dreams, and all the other human condiments Shakespeare used to spice his cannon. But this is not a tale of ancient royalty and war, but an American story, mostly about the kids of immigrants, who, willingly or unwillingly, found themselves in the service of mid-20th century American royalty -- mob bosses who were willing to do favors for the singing boys if they'd do favors in return.

Sometimes the boys got caught doing favors. Sometimes they went to prison. Sometimes, like in the case of DeVito, they were banished to Vegas so the bosses could keep an eye on them. Sometimes, unusual characters popped up -- like when Joe Pesci (the actor) introduced Gaudio to the rest of the Seasons to be, or when Gaudio and Valli met and established a partnership (which included paying back DeVito's near million-dollar mob debt) on the basis of a "New Jersey Contract," a handshake.

The story is as complex as it is engaging, sometimes with several versions of the same incident told by different members of the group. But the piece is always entertaining and energetic, with director Des McAnuff giving the show a screaming pace that slows only to let the audience marvel at how spectacularly well the actors playing the Seasons -- Erich Bergen (as Gaudio), Michael Ingersoll, Christopher Kale Jones (who had Valli's falsetto down pat) and Deven May -- capture the authentic Seasonal sound.


Review

[kaibranch]

Posted: 12/11/06 at 6:54pm

I was there opening night and loved the show [once again!]. I walked in and saw Frankie Valli in the audience. People were talking with him, but I was too shy to go up to him. It was fun seeing the cast up there with the originals at the end. I had so much fun! Those guys are all amazing.

Another review: http://www.insidebayarea.com/entertainment/ci_4820006

I think they'll all be posted at the JB Blog.

[jimnysf]

Posted: 12/11/06 at 8:38pm

Talking Broadway review is up. It's a rave!

"...has come roaring into the Curran Theatre with four amazing singers who knock the socks off the audience...Four astounding singers cast a spell over the audience with their precise movements and thematic resonance. Though many biographical musicals have clunky books, Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice's book is excellent...Christopher Kale Jones is fantastic as Frankie Valli, delivering a dynamite portrayal of the famous singer. He has an impressive angelic voice that resonates with the most impact. Deven May (original Bat Boy) as Tommy DeVito dominates the first act with his great Jersey accent that is straight out of "The Sopranos." He plays the brash, wise-guy type to perfection. Michael Ingersoll as Nick Massi, who defines himself as the "Ringo" of the band, has a direct and straightforward presence. Erich Bergen gives a striking portrayal of Bob Gaudio, the writer of some of The Four Seasons' greatest hits. Jones nails Valli's swooning voice with self-confidence while May, Bergen and Ingersoll thrust up the sound with wonderful harmonies...Sergio Trujillo's choreography is outstanding. When the four singers stand at the microphones and sing The Four Seasons' greatest hits, it brings down the house...."

Link to full review below.


Bravura Performances in Jersey Boys

[neddyfrank2]

Posted: 12/11/06 at 8:54pm

It was fun seeing the cast up there with the originals at the end.

What?

[kaibranch]

Posted: 12/11/06 at 10:26pm

Sorry, that wasn't very clear. The original four seasons joined the cast on stage after bows.

[EugLoven]

Posted: 12/11/06 at 10:42pm

I was at Opening last night too!

Loved it. House exploded about 100 times, especially at the end when the original (remaining) Four Seasons came on-stage.
Also met the cast and Des briefly afterward.

Unsurprisingly, this company hits the nail on the head just as well as the Broadway cast. Erich Bergen (the tall one), as Bob Gaudio, stands out the most of the 4 gentlemen. Just superb.

BroadwayWorld.com review coming soon.

[jimnysf]

Posted: 12/12/06 at 6:12am

From the San Francisco Examiner....

3 and a half stars

Jersey Boys’ — oh what a night

Leslie Katz, The Examiner
Dec 12, 2006 3:00 AM (10 mins ago)


SAN FRANCISCO - Toward the end of the Tony Award-winning musical “Jersey Boys,” as Frankie Valli sums up his life with the Four Seasons, the good times and the bad, he says, “All there was, was the music — that was the best.”


The quote nicely applies to the actual show, an enjoyable history lesson telling the story of how some kids from a rough neighborhood in Jersey became one of the best-selling pop acts of the 1960s.

Even the characters in “Jersey Boys” themselves say that the group didn’t appeal to prominent people with worldly aspirations. Unlike the Beatles, the Four Seasons weren’t trying to save the world; they were playing songs for working folks who had dark circles under their eyes.

Therein lies another of the joys of “Jersey Boys,” which opened its national tour Sunday night at the Curran Theatre in San Francisco. In addition to its roster of hit songs (anyone who listened to the radio in the ‘60s and ‘70s easily will know most of the insanely catchy tunes), the show reaches a real emotional tone, allowing each of the four guys in the group to tell his version of the story. It’s an excellent device, a clever structure put in place by first-time book writers Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, who pack in historical details, everything from the guys’ stints behind bars or their extramarital affairs to the inspiration behind the songs.

And each member of the group has a chance to shine: Valli, the siren-voiced lead singer, Bob Gaudio, the craftsman who penned the tunes, Tommy DeVito, the fast-talking businessman who started things off for the group, and support man Nick Massi, the self-admitted Ringo of the foursome.

Yet it’s the songs themselves that fuel the production, a fast-paced, compact affair — happily, there aren’t too many bells and whistles — directed by Des McAnuff. Gaudio had a real knack for coming up with hummable melodies; producer Bob Crewe supplied the equally memorable lyrics to songs such as “Sherry,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry” and “Walk Like a Man” — the group’s first three hits, which all went to No. 1 on the pop charts.

The actors playing the Four Seasons sing with enthusiasm: Erich Bergen as Gaudio, Michael Ingersoll as Nick, Deven May as Tommy and Christopher Kale Jones as Valli.

Not particularly going for an exact imitation of Valli’s distinctive falsetto, Jones nonetheless has a knockout voice. Not only does he sound fantastic on all of the Four Seasons’ huge songs, he nearly brings the house on the early numbers during the period before the fellows became the Four Seasons, before they were singing their own songs. When Frankie sings “I Can’t Give You Anything But Love” and “I’m in the Mood for Love,” people stop to listen.

Interestingly, the Four Seasons songs don’t kick in to “Jersey Boys” for about 40 minutes , by which time the opening night crowd (the real Frankie Valli was in attendance) went wild upon hearing the familiar strains of “Sherry.” Yet it didn’t feel like a long haul to get to the good stuff. From start to finish, “Jersey Boys” flows with fun, drama and pop sensibilities.


Theater review

Jersey Boys ***½

Presented by Best of Broadway

Where: Curran Theatre, 445 Geary St., San Francisco


SF Examiner

[EugLoven]

Posted: 12/15/06 at 5:21am

BROADWAYWORLD.COM REVIEW:

Those Darn Boys from Jersey, I'm Tellin' Ya!
https://www.broadwayworld.com/viewcolumn.cfm?colid=14418

[xxnewgirlxx]

Posted: 12/28/06 at 12:05pm

I saw the production last week (Dec. 21) and was so happy with it. The cast was wonderful, especially Erich Bergen, who had a great take on the character of Bob Gaudio. He took him from an awkward, nervous teenager to a confident, savvy businessman flawlessly.

I am still struck by the simple perfection of the performance of "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You". It's such a satisfying moment in theater.