Jersey Boys Thrills Tampa!
February 16th, 2008John Fleming, Times Performing Arts Critic says that more than a few tears of joy will be shed during Jersey Boys. There is something deeply affecting about men harmonizing, from the Four Freshmen to the Beach Boys to the Four Tops. It was the essence of 1960s American pop music, exhilarating in its freedom and nostalgic at the same time, all those guys singing on street corners. No one did it better than Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, at least in the context of a brilliant musical that gives the group a humanity that was not apparent when it was cranking out Top 40 hits.
Jersey Boys certainly has the hits, and crank them out it does, from the Seasons’ first No. 1 record, “Sherry,” to latter-day gems like “Who Loves You.” But what really makes the musical tick is the book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, which has high drama and a strong sense of place in blue-collar New Jersey.
In addition to praising the four actors playing The Four Seasons (Eric Bates, Steve Gouveia, Christopher Kale Jones, and Andrew Rannells), Fleming gives a thumbs-up to director Des McAnuff, Jess Goldstein’s costumes, Howell Binkley’s lighting, and Sergeio Trujillo’s “cool choreography.” Fleming also notes that that the unsung stars of Jersey Boys are music director Ron Melrose and orchestrator Steve Orich. The arrangements have been punched up to give the songs tremendous power!
Read the full review on SPTimes.com.
Oh, what a night! We just returned from seeing JB in Tampa this evening. CKJ is wonderful as Frankie – what a beautiful, melodic voice. The four guys were great. The show was spectacular. There is such consistency among all the casts – the quality of the performances are superior. It is fun to see the different touches (nuances) each performer brings to his/her part.
Went with my daugher, son-in-law, Sammy, Jacob, our Jersey Boys family member, Helen Ratcliffe and her friend, Elaine.
A great night! IE
Comment by Irene Eizen — February 17, 2008 @ 12:20 am