December 24, 2013

Jersey Boys Philly Review Roundup–Fabulous at Forrest Theatre!

December 24th, 2013

Critics all over the Philadelphia area are raving about the return of JERSEY BOYS! Check out review roundup below:

Dante J.J. Bevilaqua, DailyLocal.com: This isn’t a show of scenic grandeur; there is a gray contraption of metal that has circular stairs and catwalks. Small set pieces glide off and on and coming down from the fly rails are an assortment of video screens. It is, however, the best of the three road tours that have hit Philadelphia with enhanced projections and marvelous sound.

But it is the music people will go for, and it is delivered with high fidelity, from novelty numbers to classic smash hits. Tommaso Antico superbly mimics Valli’s soaring falsetto.

Nicolas Dromard is excellent as the go-getting, reckless spendthrift Tommy DeVito who finds himself edged out of his own band, and there is fine support from Jason Kappus as the educated Bob Gaudio and Brandon Andrus as the hilariously finicky bass player, Nick Massi.

None of the Jersey Girls have significant parts, but the trio of female players — Kaleigh Cronin, Marlana Dunn and Rachel Schur — do the best that anyone can with the one-note characters of Frankie’s long-suffering wife, daughter and mistress.

Howard Shapiro, NewsWorks.org: sat mesmerized the other night by the seamless affirmation of the American dream called “Jersey Boys” – and this was my third outing with the show.

The national tour cast, settled into the Forrest Theatre for an extended run, has a tremendous chemistry. The show itself pops, from the first scenes in which these Jersey Boys are scrappy kids on North Jersey streets to the last, after life has taken them to astounding peaks and delivered some outrageous blows.

Bob Shryock, NJ.com: And after a lengthy standing ovation that capped the nostalgic evening, it occurs that any attempt to severely pan this production, save the possible overplay of harsh language, would be pure folly. So this intrepid reviewer can only report, “Heck of a show.”

As informing as it is to learn the history of one of the most celebrated, yet flawed, musical groups, since four-part harmony infiltrated in the early 1950s, it is absolutely therapeutic to hear the reincarnation of their peerless music.

1 Comment »

  1. My fiance and I saw Jersey Boys at the Forrest Theater in Philly yesterday. It was FABULOUS! The entire cast was SO GREAT. I take my hat off to every member of the cast for a performance very well done! Much success as your tour continues!

    Comment by Dorothy — January 6, 2014 @ 2:48 pm

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