Jersey Boys Walks Like A Hit!
October 15th, 2007Chicago Tribune Theater Critic Chris Jones says Jersey Boys is a show that walks like a hit, acts like the big man in town and deserves to stay. This one gets the big things right.
It doesn’t mess with the sound—such Gaudio-penned hits as “Sherry,” “Walk Like a Man,” and “Rag Doll” are delivered with arrangements that precisely mirror the original recordings. It doesn’t shy away from narrative grit—mobsters, hookers, other examples of the Jersey flora and fauna. After all, nobody wants to hear the sweet-smelling story of a band from the suburbs. It weaves an overly familiar struggle-boom-bust-maturity narrative into a story that somehow taps into the universals of every flawed, ordinary life.
Yet, most important of all, this show also is staged with an innate sense of the exhilaration of being a pre-digital kid following your favorite group. McAnuff’s production isn’t subtle. But it brilliantly revs up a collection of scenes set in recording studios and venues into a thrilling sequence of cathartic triumphs and heartbreaks. On Sunday night’s opening in Chicago, the audience was on its feet at least three times, including once before intermission.
Read the full review on the Chicago Tribune website.
Saw Jersey Boys in Chicago on Friday night with my girlfriends, and was just in love with the show. It has renewed my interest in Frankie Valli and the four seasons. Those good old days of innocent times and feel good tunes had us dancing in our seats.The house was really rocking!! You gotta to see it!
Thanks to all the cast for giving us such a good time while visiting in Chicago.
Comment by Denise Dickie — October 15, 2007 @ 5:20 pm