Susan Granger’s review of “Jersey Boys” (August Wilson Theater)
The jukebox musical genre expands with “Jersey Boys,” a tuneful chronicle of the rise and fall of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons.
Back in the ’60s, set against the hardscrabble streets of Belleville, a working-class Italian neighborhood in North Jersey, swaggering guitarist Tommy DeVito (Christian Huff) and a “silent” bassist Nick Massi (J. Robert Spencer) decided to form a band. They added Frankie Valli (John Lloyd Young) with his angelic falsetto and prolific songwriter Bob Gaudio (Daniel Reichard) and – eight or nine name changes – “put Jersey on the map.”
Librettists Marshall Brickman (co-writer of “Annie Hall”) and Rick Elise tell their story, from their sojourns in jail (“the Rahway Academy of the Arts,” as they refer to the slammer) to their camaraderie, offset by their marital and money squabbles. Director Des McAnuff makes the most of their musical songbook, including catchy show-stoppers like “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Walk Like a Man,” “Sherry” and “Working My Way Back To You.”
The set by Klara Zieglerova, pop-art projections of Michael Clark, the jazzy lighting of Howell Binkley, choreography of Sergio Trujillo and the period-perfect costumes of Jeff Goldstein add to the fast-paced fun.
Scuttlebutt has it that John Lloyd Young’s powerful upper register is enhanced by two warbling cast members (Michael Longoria, Sara Schmidt) who, standing in the wings, sing along, occasionally hitting the high notes for him. Longoria understudies Young and doubles as little Joe Pesce. Schmidt is a soprano. Actually the multiple-voice technique was pioneered on the original Four Seasons records and is an integral part of the show. As the Four Seasons put it, “Oh, what a night!”