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Picture
Jersey Boys
The Cliffs Pavilion, Southend on Sea
17th-28th July 2018
✭✭✭✭☆ 4/5
We last saw the Jersey Boys UK Tour in Southend in 2015 and we loved it!  This was the first UK tour, with the West End show still running at the time.  Now, after 9 years, the show has left its residence at the Piccadilly Theatre, taking to life on the road which began in January this year and, judging by the packed Cliffs Pavilion last night, it certainly hasn't lost its popularity. 

The show, penned by long time friends and poker buddies, Marshall Brickman, a film writer and theatrical executive, Rick Elice, tells the story of how the Four Seasons group were formed.  From their home town of New Jersey they begun as a threesome and as one of the band members, Tommy DeVito, tells us, in that neck of the woods, growing up you either “joined the mob, joined the army or became a superstar.”  And let's face it, New Jersey does have a great track record of producing stars - Bruce Springsteen, Jon Bon Jovi, Debbie Harry and perhaps its biggest star, Frank Sinatra, to name but a few.

Throughout the show, each member of the group narrates his version of events which leads them to finding the young 16 year old Frankie Valli and the eventual formation of the band.  All this, of course, notwithstanding the complications and implications of them constantly being in trouble with the law, getting involved with the mob.   

We are teased in Act 1 with snippets of songs from the boys, which is slightly frustrating but in all honesty if we heard them all in full, it would be an awfully long night.   However, before the first act closes we get to hear full versions of Sherry, Big Girls Don’t Cry and Walk Like a Man which have even more meaning when you realise each song's back story.

In Act 2 we learn the reasons behind the band’s demise and see Frankie going it alone whilst also suffering the pain of divorce and family issues.  He also takes it upon himself to bail out band member, Tommy, out from the huge debts which he accumulated whilst living the high life during their most popular years. 

Michael Watson gives an outstanding performance as Frankie, showing off those amazing falsetto vocals that Valli is famous for.  Lewis Griffiths, who we last saw at the Cliffs Pavilion playing the role of Johnny Castle in Dirty Dancing, does a great job in making Nick Massi his own with that unbelievably deep voice providing the lowest range of the group's vocal harmonies; and, it would seem, he is clearly a hit with the ladies in the audience! 

Simon Bailey plays Tommy DeVito, the small time crook who can’t keep himself out of trouble, and completing the group's dynamic is Bob Gaudio, endearingly played by Declan Egan.   Together these guys produce a sound that, if you close your eyes, is as true as if the Four Seasons were right there in front of you.  Their performance will give you goosebumps and they really raise the energy of the show with their amazing sound.  

There are so many songs in this show that you may not even realise were written and sung by The Four Seasons.   Go on, admit it - who thought the Bay City Rollers were the original singers of Bye Bye Baby?  Silhouettes, Earth Angel, Sherry, Big Girls Don't Cry, Walk Like A Man, My Eyes Adored You, Beggin', Can't Take My Eyes Off You, Who Loves You - they're all there, plus many more and the guys sound so great you just want them to stay on stage and sing the whole back catalogue. 

There's quite a lot of dialogue to absorb during this show and, at times, I felt that this was perhaps a little rushed in places.  I also thought that the sound levels could have been a tad higher on this particular performance.  That said, I think it's fair to say that the audience really come alive when the boys are in full Four Seasons mode and rocking out those wonderful harmonies.

Hearing these songs again, it makes you realise what an amazing achievement The Four Seasons and Frankie Valli made at a time when The Beatles and Rolling Stones were taking over the music scene not just in the UK but also in the States.  They may not have had the kudos that those bands had but their unique style of music gave them whole generations of fans.  The music is testament to their longevity in the music industry and the reason why their music still lives on today.  

In fact, there are a multitude of reasons why Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons remain so popular; simply put, they made damn good records.  So get 'workin' your way back' to the Cliffs Pavilion and I guarantee you won’t be able to stop humming those unforgettable tunes.

Tickets available from www.southendtheatres.org.uk or call the Box Office on 01702 351135

CHECK OUT OUR INTERVIEW WITH MICHAEL WATSON AND LEWIS GRIFFITHS BELOW!

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