After 8 years in the West End, Jersey Boys is still a perfect night out. As soon as the lights go down you are taken on a whirlwind journey through the life and times of one of the greatest bands of all time: Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons.JERSEY BOYS follows the story of The Four Seasons through each one of the original band member’s eyes. Whilst their songs are known all around the world, the boys rose to fame in a time before the internet and it’s intrusion into celebrity life; before this musical relatively nothing was known about their personal stories. As a result the show is much more than a Jukebox musical, providing an insight into the lives of these four men, their struggle to ‘make it’ in the music industry and the pitfalls along the way; of course their songs perfectly compliment the story including the hits: December 1963 (Oh What A Night), Can’t Take My Eyes Off You, Sherry, Walk Like A Man, Bye Bye Baby, Big Girls Don’t Cry and many more.
The show has recently had a cast change and the energy the new performers bring is a breath of fresh air
The show has recently had a cast change and the energy the new performers bring is a breath of fresh air. Although centred on the 4 members of the band, this is truly an ensemble show. Each member of the company play multiple roles with ease and lend a hand with seamless transitions making the action flow smoothly from scene to scene.
The 4 members of the band work beautifully together and its hard to believe they have only been playing as a group for a matter of months. Simon Bailey entirely convinces as the street-wise Tommy DeVito, every inch the seasoned professional relishing his role in the story. Matt Hunt as Nick Massi is a wonderful actor with a rich base singing voice, a rarity in the modern musical. At this performance I saw Dayle Hodge as Frankie Valli and I was so glad that I did. His flawless falsetto makes him the perfect choice for the role and his chemistry with Declan Egan as Bob Gaudio put a believable partnership at the heart of one of the worlds biggest success stories.
Shows that have been running for years lose some of their sheen over time, but JERSEY BOYS is so wonderfully directed that you could pause the show at any point and every picture would tell a beautiful story.
Alan Ayckbourn's HOW THE OTHER HALF LOVES is a very good play. A comedy of manners, we are presented with an upper middle class couple, The Fosters, a lower middle class couple, The Phillips and the Featherstones, a timid couple that sit somewhere in between. Much of the action concerns the interplay of these couples and their social differences in how they deal with their wives and the wives of others when rumours of marital dalliances abound.