Before Jersey Shore put the state of New Jersey on the map, there was a talented group of boys from the Garden State known as The Four Seasons. Jersey Boys, which is playing now at the Citi Emerson Colonial Theater through March 3, tells the often funny, sometimes sad and always entertainingly theatrical tale of how Frankie Valli (played by Nick Cosgrove) and The Four Seasons worked to become one of the most successful pop bands of the 1960’s later inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The Four Seasons cast is comprised of: Bob Gaudio, played by Miles Jacoby; Tommy DeVito, played by John Gardiner; and Nick Massi, played by Michael Lomenda.
Success didn’t come easy to these blue-collar kids as you will discover during the show’s two-and-a-half hour performance. Throughout their career they wrote their own songs and eventually sold 175 million records worldwide before turning 30-years-old. Actor John Gardiner, who plays the part of Tommy DeVito, starts the show with a comical narration that has the audience rooting for these four Italian-American kids as they listen to the musical tale of their many successes and failures.
The original Tony, Grammy and Olivier award-winning performance, which debuted on Broadway in 2005, gives an inside look at the complications they encounter as a band, from deciding on a name for the group (initially The Four Lovers) and dealing with Tommy’s gambling debt to managing the impact that their success had on their relationships. Nick Cosgrove’s performance of Frankie Valli was impeccable, reaching pitches that otherwise only Valli himself could achieve.
You will absolutely love the 33 hit songs they perform throughout the show (which include five #1 hits and 11 songs that made Billboard’s top 10), including “Sherry,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Earth Angel,” “Walk Like a Man,” “Working My Way Back to You,” and our all-time favorite, “December 1963 (Oh, What a Night).” We also loved that local Miles Jacoby, who plays Bob Gaudio, is originally from Boston! The show is running now through March 3, 2013 at the Citi Emerson Colonial Theater, 106 Boylston Street, Boston. Tickets can be purchased from Boston.Broadway.com.
