Theatre / Musical
Review: Jersey Boys, Hippodrome
After being stood up on a date, an enraged Karen storms up to mob guy Henry Hill and yells, “You got some nerve standing me up. Who the hell do you think you are, Frankie Valli or some kinda big shot!?”
As it stands, Jersey Boys has more than one link to Scorsese’s 1990 classic Goodfellas.
It’s no secret that the 2005 jukebox musical is a smash. It has toured the world, had successful runs in the West End, on Broadway and is now enjoying yet another UK tour.
is needed now More than ever
Pics: Brinkhoff & Mögenburg
This documentary-style musical doesn’t play fast and loose with the genre. It isn’t a shameless attempt to string some hits together and think about narrative afterwards. It has, at its heart, a rags-to-riches tale that centres on the evolution of 60s rockers The Four Seasons – told from the perspective of four narrators, those selfsame boys from New Jersey.
Like Goodfellas, Jersey Boys is an episodic, direct-address rollercoaster that captures – moment to moment, via a street corner, a studio, a gig and various homes – the trials and tribulations of reaching for the spotlight and what being in that spotlight does for you personally and professionally.
As lineups go, if you’re looking for lookalikes of Frankie Valli, Tommy Devito, Bob Gaudio and Nick Massi, you might be disappointed. However, close your eyes for a second and thanks to the world-class skill of Michael Watson, Peter Nash, Declan Egan and Lewis Griffiths, any hesitations you may have would quickly be put to bed. They inhabit their characters and bring to the show an authenticity and precision that adds to the class of an already slick and finely tuned production.
The songs, whether performed under a street lamp, in a studio or on a sound stage, are electrifying. There would be little point telling their story if they weren’t.
It’s the book, however, that stands Jersey Boys head and shoulders above the rest of an already crowded field of jukebox musicals. Whilst some of the mob business is glossed over a little, there are some genuinely moving and beautifully played moments along the way as families disintegrate as a price for the fame the boys worked so hard for.
Jersey Boys is a blast. It will surprise you (especially Joe Pesci’s involvement), move you and – more than anything else – fill your head with some of the best earworms around.
Jersey Boys continues at the Hippodrome until Saturday, Nov 17. For more info and to book tickets, visit www.atgtickets.com/shows/jersey-boys/bristol-hippodrome
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