December 30, 2005

Jersey Boys Among Diva Talk’s Best of 2005!

December 30th, 2005

In this week’s Diva Talk column, Andrew Gans provides a “best of” list that includes favorite musical performances on the theatrical and cabaret stages that opened in 2005. Included in Gans’ list is Jersey Boys! Here’s what he says about the smash hit musical:

    Just when it seemed the jukebox musical had taken its last breath, along comes Jersey Boys, the hit new musical at the newly renamed August Wilson Theatre. Jersey Boys proves that the jukebox form can work when a credible, entertaining book — one that builds to exciting moments — is fashioned around the tunes, especially when the tunes are as catchy as “Oh What a Night,” “My Eyes Adored You,” “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” and “Working My Way Back to You.” Such is the case with Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice’s Jersey Boys, which tells of the sensational rise of the sixties pop group Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons. Admittedly, it takes a little while for the musical to kick into gear, but once The Four Seasons begin singing “Sherry,” the musical — directed with style by Des McAnuff — takes hold of the audience and never lets go. Jersey Boys also boasts a terrific cast, with especially strong performances from Broadway newcomer John Lloyd Young as Frankie Valli and the equally impressive Daniel Reichard as Bob Gaudio.

4 Comments »

  1. How could you leave out Christian Huff AKA Tommy DeVito!!! He is fabulous, and carries the whole first act.
    The show is great, and the entire group is outstanding. I hope they take away all of the Tony Awards this year! They deserve it!

    Comment by JoAnn — January 4, 2006 @ 12:31 am

  2. It also surpised me that the columnists didn’t mention Hoff! He’s truly incredible in Act One, & great through the rest of the show, too.

    Comment by Administrator — January 4, 2006 @ 9:22 am

  3. Christian Hoff is great but Daniel Reichard is awesome. His song, “Cry for Me”, is so beautiful and I’m surprised there is not more buzz about him.

    Comment by Ann — January 6, 2006 @ 8:43 pm

  4. They are all so talented! They did a fabulous job finding this cast.

    Comment by JoAnn — January 6, 2006 @ 10:47 pm

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