Jersey Boys (2005 Original Broadway Cast Recording) [CAST RECORDING]

SIMPLY WONDERFUL,

November 8, 2005

By	Robert F. Powers "show maniac" (Quincy, Ma USA) - See all my reviews

I am simply astounded by this incredible CD. Pitch perfect renditions of 4 Seasons hits such as "Sherry' 'Walk Like a Man' 'Big Girls Don't Cry' 'My Eyes Adored You' 'Rag Doll' and more and the 4 Seasons led by the incredible falsetto of John Lloyd Young as Frankie Valli is simply wonderful. It re-creates an era when teens, quarters in hand, played these songs on jukeboxes all across the country. Those teens have now grown and moved on but this joyful album brings back fond memories of a group whose only aim was to entertain and lift the spirits.



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Although it squarely falls in the "jukebox musical" category, Jersey Boys doesn¹t try to integrate its songs in an artificial plotline. The show tells the story of the early-1960s group the Four Seasons, and the musical numbers tend to be introduced in context, as when songwriter Bob Gaudio comes up with a tune, or the quartet performs a show. This allows Jersey Boys to flow better than some of ill-fated peers, and the actors can shine without having to bend backward to accommodate an inane book. The show's most (only) daring move is to start with a hip-hop-tinged French-language version of "December 1963 (Oh, What a Night)," an actual hit in France in 2000. After that it's all VH1-biopic territory, but it's done with so much flair, taste and energy that the ride's a fun one. The Four Seasons had enough hits ("Sherry," "Big Girls Don't Cry," "Rag Doll," etc.) to easily fill an evening at the theater, so it's left to the cast to do right by them. And it does, particularly John Lloyd Young as the band¹s star lead, Frankie Valli. Young hits all the falsetto notes and brings real freshness to the part. His "Can¹t Take My Eyes Off You," a second-act peak, is signed, sealed and delivered with a star's acumen. --Elisabeth Vincentelli