Jersey Boys @ State Theatre 6/23/11
Oh what a night (at Jersey Boys). No wonder this is such a popular musical, especially in our Rock and Roll Hall of Fame city (this is the attendance-record-breaking show’s second time round in Cleveland). It’s just plain fun and a perfect way to celebrate summer. This saga of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons — four blue-collar kids from Newark who become a top pop quartet — features Matt Bailey (Tommy DeVito), Joseph Leo Bwarie (Frankie Valli), Steve Gouveia (Nick Massi), and Quinn Vanantwerp (Bob Gaudio).
The songs (a satisfying plentitude) were golden and the near sell-out crowd adored them. The exceptionally strong cast seemed at ease, making the songs seem freshly created on the spot. Watching four bouncy gals (one sporting a ’60s styled ponytail) sitting in front us made me ask myself (especially when we applauded or the spotlights turned on us), “Were we just watching the show or are we in it too?” But it was cool to feel part of it all, cheering as the “boys” sang and struggled their way to a life as performers instead of to a life in jail. Time flew by as we hummed along (quietly quietly) to hits such as “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Sherry,” “My Boyfriend’s Back,” and “Walk Like a Man.”
Note on the joy: It also seemed like high-school reunion night after the show, especially when one guy driving a vintage car stopped in the street to give a shout-out to an old pal. Boys again, if only for a few minutes.
Jersey Boys runs through Sun 7/17 in the State Theatre at Playhouse Square.
Laura Kennelly is a freelance arts journalist, a member of the Music Critics Association of North America, and an associate editor of BACH, a scholarly journal devoted to J. S. Bach and his circle.
Listening to and learning more about music has been a life-long passion. She knows there’s no better place to do that than the Cleveland area.
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