I love the theatre, and a great musical really is an exhilarating and magical experience from start to finish, Jersey Boys was absolutely electric & uplifted the entire audience with outstanding vocal & visual performances from the whole cast.
Set in the 1960s Jersey Boys is the real life events, and stories, of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, adapted to a musical, telling the events leading up to and following the journey of the formation of the group consisting of Frankie Valli, Tommy Devito, Bob Gaudio & Nick Massi.
Interestingly Bob Gaudio, who wrote his first hit at age 15 “Who wears short shorts”, before going on to become a founding member of the group, is both the composer for the musical, and currently co-producing the Jersey Boys Film with Nick Jonas as Frankie Valli.
The show transports the audience back to the era it all happened in the 1960s, with outstanding and captivating performances revolving around the four stars of the show, Tommy (Dalton Wood) the driving force behind the formation, Nick (Lewis Griffiths), Bob (Blair Gibson) & of course Frankie Valli (Michael Pickering/Luke Suri). The scene is authentically set and you believe you are experiencing the unique sound created when the four stars performed together.
Due to unforeseen circumstances Michael Pickering was replaced by Luke Suri in the second half, both actors performed the role of Frankie Valli with such striking resemblance clearly both perfect to play the role!
The entire cast of JB performed and delivered a seamless performance from start to finish, visual effects and some audience footage from the era delivered an atmosphere and feeling of how fan mania felt.
The show included many huge hits including Big Girls don’t cry, Walk like a man, Working my way back to you, Can’t take my eyes off you, ‘Beggin to name but a few this is a show that appeals not only to the target audience but to everyone, with the feel good factor raising the entire audience to their feet dancing and clapping with a roaring standing ovation!
JB is a must see for all theatre goers and theatre newbies and if you are looking for great entertainment on a night out this is the one. I highly recommend this and with the Alex celebrating its 120th birthday there’s no better time to experience the magic brought to life in the theatre and see for yourself the passion & inspiration of live performances.
Jersey Boys Live at The Alexandra, Birmingham Tue 7 Dec 2021 – Sat 1 Jan 2022.
Tickets here: https://www.atgtickets.com/shows/jersey-boys/the-alexandra-theatre-birmingham/
Review by Rachael Warner for Grapevine Birmingham