Jersey Boys – Trafalgar Theatre

L-R Declan Egan, Luke Suri, Peter Nash and Karl James Wilson in Jersey Boys at the Trafalgar Theatre, London. Picture: Marc Brenner

Jersey Boys continues at the Trafalgar Theatre, London, booking until 28 January 2024.

Star rating: five stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

You can apply the maxim that if ‘it ain’t broke then don’t fix it’ to a lot of things, a creative case in point being the much-respected, now re-cast Tony, Grammy and Olivier Award-winning Jersey Boys, which was the first major musical to play the Grade II listed and extensively restored Trafalgar Theatre – and very nice the auditorium now looks. Based on the book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, with music by Bob Gaudio and lyrics by Bob Crewe, this show is still at the top of its game.

It’s many decades now since Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons were recording hit after hit and selling millions of records when vinyl was king, so it’s both testament to the creative time behind this global success but also the power of word of mouth among the British ticket-buying public that long queues still form outside this theatre every day and night – the public know a good thing when they hear it, many coming back for another listen.  

That doesn’t make it a perfect production though – if this was a Frankie Vallie (born Francesco Stephen Castelluccio) autobiography you were reading, you would probably flip forward a few pages, the initial 40 minutes being somewhat ponderous and over-embellished – as we learn about the band members’ tough upbringings, some shady connections and being born on the wrong side of the tracks, before going on to record the soundtracks of that generations’ lives. For much of Act I this vibrant, hugely enjoyable production is really one big musical tease. What it’s doing, of course, is keeping its main musical powder dry, but when that explodes, with hits like ‘Sherry’, Big Girls Don’t Cry’, ‘Beggin’ and ‘Stay’, the crowd-pleasing effect is gloriously contagious.

Luke Suri as Frankie Valli, with a young Sinatra-esque snarl and impressively authentic Valli falsetto range, leads from the front and there’s fabulous support from Karl James Wilson as Nick Massi (both are continuing in their roles). Joining the cast are Peter Nash as gambler and bad boy Tommy De Vito and Declan Egan as the legendary Bob Gaudio (lyricist and show’s composer). Jersey Boys isn’t just about the music, far from it, as it also holds up a musical mirror to humanity, warts and all. Always lost in the glamorous image of success, is the price people pay. Valli’s young daughter reportedly died from a drug overdose at the age of 22 and you just know he would have swopped all his fame and fortune to have had her back – Suri absolutely nailing the tragedy of that dreadful personal loss.

There are some genuinely funny lines, but obviously it’s the lyrics that really linger, those are still instantly recognisable many years later, like the spine-tingling ‘My Eyes Adored You’. Written by Bob Crewe and Kenny Nolan, it was originally recorded by The Four Seasons in early 1974 and the recording was allegedly sold to Frankie Valli for $4,000. The single was Valli’s first No. 1 hit on Billboard’s Hot 100 in the USA.

Like most of the numbers in this production, that song still stands the test of time and will do for many more decades. Watching Jersey Boys is not a totally guaranteed 100% rose-tinted glasses experience though – the reality is, if you’re not an avid fan of this band’s back catalogue, you’re just not going to love every number.

Isn’t that the real test of a great production though? You may not adore every tune, but the whole experience can still be wonderfully entertaining. Mind you, even I would draw the line at a Dire Straits-based musical!

 Derek Smith