Just Jersey

For a night of unabashed singing and swaying, Jersey Boys: The Story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, is a satisfyingly good time.

I knew the music and had heard rave reviews from New York, but I wanted to witness the successful musical for myself and learn the true story behind the pop phenomenon.

To get the night started off right, my group headed to Ed's Easy Diner, which was conveniently and quite coincidentally located right across from the theatre.

After a traditional, American burger, shake, and fries, we headed into the very nice venue, The Prince Edward Theatre. With the luxury of our own private box we could look out over the full house and not have to shy away from singing along.

We watched one woman in the front row remain standing the entire duration of the show, dancing to every song.

Winner of the Best Musical Tony Award in 2006, the Broadway hit follows the story of a group of kids who grew up on the wrong side of the tracks.

Their blue-collar lives take a turn for the better as Tommy Devito, perfectly played by Glann Carter, encourages them all to abandon their day jobs and form a band.

Fostering the creative growth of Frankie Valli (Ryan Molloy), and combing forces with the songwriter Bob Gaudio (Steven Ashfield), Devito takes them from under the street lamps of Belleville to the big stage.

The band struggles as they evolve with different names and different styles, but they soon emerge from their identity crisis and into stardom as The Four Seasons.

The amazing Molloy sings every song beautifully, making you almost convinced it's the real thing. The musical features songs like “Sherry,” “Big Girls Don't Cry,” and “Oh What A Night,” in a way that's much better than listening to those classic radio stations.

Touring around the country with multiple hit singles, the group's past begins to catch up with them as Devito gets deep in debt. Old habits seem to die hard and his gambling compulsions only worsen with time and money.