Onstage: Review: Jersey Boys

The 2006 Tony Award winner, Jersey Boys, might not be profound, but it sure is entertaining. Cincinnati audiences at the Aronoff Center will eat it up during the hit show’s three-week run.

While “jukebox musicals” built on Pop tunes (like Mamma Mia) get a lot of justified criticism, this is a good one. Songs by The Four Seasons and lead singer Frankie Valli, chart-toppers from the 1960s and 1970s, are memorable, and here are performed by guys who look and sound like the originals.

Truth to tell, the “originals” came and went — in and out of jail, bad relationships and ego-driven decisions — so despite rotating personnel and bad blood, the group du jour were always solid performers. But Jersey Boys never gets too tragic; it’s the story of four guys who came together musically because other choices — blue-collar jobs or crime — were less appealing. By and large, they liked each other, and they really could sing.

The four lead performances on tour have the moves and re-create the sound impeccably. Christopher Kale Jones, as Valli, can hit all the high notes; Andrew Rannells plays ambitious Bob Gaudio, the introspective songwriter; Steve Gouveia is deep-voiced, plain-spoken Nick Massi; and Erik Bates plays Tommy DeVito, the organizer whose selfish behavior nearly sinks the ship. The storytelling is simple: Each guy narrates a “season,” and together they offer a balanced look at how it came down.

Of course, the music carries Jersey Boys along — from early hits like “Sherry” and “Big Girls Don’t Cry” to Valli’s solo breakout, “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” — presented with Technicolor efficiency on Klara Zieglerova’s set, enhanced by Michael Clark’s pop-art projections and occasional video (such as screaming teenage girls watching The Ed Sullivan Show).

When all is said and done, you feel as if you’ve gotten to know four talented guys who have flawed human sides but whose unerring sense of entertainment wins out.

Critic’s Pick

This article appears in May 28 – Jun 3, 2008.