The Jersey Boys Musical national tour currently performing at Hershey Theatre through March 03, 2013. David N. Dunkle reviewed the musical at PennLive.com. Here is the review:
Although billed as a “jukebox musical,” the show offers relatively few complete songs by the Four Seasons, a pop group out of New Jersey that scored a string of memorable hits during the 1960s. Many of their memorable hits are truncated or split into two or more parts in favor of “Rashomon”-style exposition about the group’s undeniably interesting back story.
It’s an interesting tale of a band’s rise to fame, as it evolved from the so-so Four Lovers into the high-flying Four Seasons, but eases into repetitiveness as each original member takes his turn telling his version of the group’s highs and lows. Forward momentum is maintained through a narrational gimmick that divides the show into four “seasons.”
There’s no real depth here, though there are some heartfelt moments, as when Valli mourns the death of his daughter. Many scenes resemble a seres of greetings-from-the-shore postcards featuring the group’s highs and lows. The standout in the early going is Colby Foytik’s charming portrayal of Tommy DeVito, a fast-talking, quick-tempered Jerseyite who was the driving force behind the group’s formation.
All in all, “Jersey Boys” is a mixed bag that sometimes drags a little but manages to charm audiences anyway. The relationships may be thinly sketched at times, and the downsizing of some classic songs is a bit troubling, but when the lights stay on this is an award-winning show with a good heart that always seems to draw a crowd.
Read the complete review {Via PennLive Blog}
Jersey Boys performances in Hershey Pennsylvania through Sunday, March 03, 2013. Buy Jersey Boys Hershey Theatre Tickets Online at discounted prices, SAVE $10 when you spend $350+ by using code AFF$10.
