"Jersey Boys," German final, fun

So, two nights ago, Emma and I tried to see The Pajama Game, but it turned out they weren't doing student rush. Instead, we walked back downtown, watched American's Next Top Model and went to Cafe Reggio for coffee, which was much fun.

I went back uptown yesterday after doing some German work to try The Pajama Game and got the same answer, so I went to the August Wilson Theatre, where Jersey Boys, the musical based on the story of the Four Seasons, is playing, to try to do student rush for that. I waited in line for about an hour while doing some German workbook stuff and ended up getting a front row ticket on the extreme side, which was fun.

In between the rush and the show, I ate at McDonald's, shopped in Triton Gallery (a great place on W. 45th Street that has a ton of theatre posters), and had some green tea in Starbucks while doing a little bit more German work. Finally, the time for the show came.

I didn't really go in expecting all that much. After all, it's a jukebox musical just like every other, and, to some extent, it really does have the same limitations that other jukebox musicals have. This one works a lot like a Behind the Music special. Most of the songs are sung as performances within the plot, so it's barely a musical really. Despite the fact that I absolutely thought it was a great show, I can't help but feel that these jukebox musicals just really don't belong on Broadway, but rather in some place that typically houses shows like these, somewhere like Las Vegas or Atlantic City, places where revue shows are standard fare. I thought the same thing about Lennon earlier in the season, which I also liked.

That said, the cast was absoultely amazing, headed by John Lloyd Young as Frankie Valli. He absolutely has the most gorgeous voice I've heard on stage this year. I've heard rumors that some of his high notes are double by offstage voices, but, even if that's the case, his voice is still amazing. All of the Four Seasons actors, J. Robert Spencer, John Lloyd Young, Daniel Reichard, and Christian Hoff, pictured in order at left, did a great job, and they sounded amazingly like the original recordings of the Four Seasons.

The best asset of the show are the familiar songs that you really can't help but enjoy: "Sherry," "Big Girls Don't Cry," "Walk Like a Man," "Oh What A Night," "Dawn (Go Away)," 'Bye Bye Baby," "Cant' Take My Eyes Off You," "Working My Way Back to You," and "Rag Doll," among others.

The design of the show was simple, with chain-link fence a major element of the set. There were also some nice neon signs for the places the group was performing in and some interesting Roy Lictenstein-esque projections that didn't quite fit in but were interesting nonetheless.

Overall, the show was great and very entertaining. As far as jukebox musicals go, it was probably the best I've seen (though I still have a soft spot for Lennon, I recognize its flaws). The plot moves along effectively and remains interesting. Most of the dialogue manages to skirt around the typical pitfalls of jukebox shows, and John Lloyd Young is really worth the price of admission alone. Still, as much as I loved it, I still don't think Broadway is the right place for this show.