Jersey Boys: It's A Whopper

Walking out of the LaSalle Bank Theatre after the opening of Jersey Boys, I was floating on cloud nine. Not only because of the magnitude of the piece, but playing up the street, Wicked is in its second year with no end in sight, Jersey Boys will surely be here for months if not years to come, as well as the best production of Altar Boyz ever mounted and the highly anticipated return of Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom Of The Opera is already nearly sold out for its four month run.  Finally, Chicago is not only the greatest theatre town for original productions, but it is surely a strong third behind New York and London as a destination theatre city.   

Jersey Boys, which for those of you have been under a rock for the past two years, traces the life stories of Frankie Valli, Bob Gaudio, Nick Massi and Tommy DeVito who become The Four Seasons which in total sold more than 175 million records.

Jersey Boys is a hit, pure and simple. My opinion as far as a review goes, pro or con, would not make a bit of a difference to people who want see the show.  Jersey Boys in Chicago represents something bigger.  It means steady work for the dozens of actors, musicians and crew; it means Broadway In Chicago knows what type of production works for long term stability in this market and most importantly it means the local economy, including restaurants and hotels will be swarmed with the crowds to see the 2006 Tony winner for Best Musical.

Again, as seems to be the current trend, the Chicago cast of Jersey Boys steadily surpasses the New York company and moreover, a star is surely born in the form of Jarrod Spector who makes his Frankie Valli shine just as bright as the actual man he portrays for two and a half hours.  Des McAnuff, who is one of the best directors in the business surely ups the anti in this production. As does  Ron  Melrose with his flawless  Musical Direction (as well as his vocal and incidental musical arrangements) . 

With thirty songs in the production, including the Four Seasons five #1 hits as well as one of the best lit shows ever produced (kudos to Howell Binkley) , Jersey Boys delivers on every emotional level, including quite the tear jerker when Mr. Valli learns his daughter has died from a drug overdose.  Jersey Boys proves you don't have to be blood bothers to be a family.  Family is who we pick as our friends as well, and these four boys who have picked each other as friends have all the up and downs as any family has, if not more.  Unlike a lot of "families", these four friends they have endless love and respect  not only for what they have created together musically but for each other.  Isn't that what a family should be?

Tickets are currently on sale through April 13, 2008.  For more information visit www.BroadwayInChicago.com and www.JerseyBoys.com     Jersey Boys is playing at the LaSalle Bank Theatre, 18 W. Monroe St., Chicago.  For groups please call (312) 977-1710.

Photo: Michael Ingersoll, Jarrod Spector, Drew Gehling and Jeremy Kushnier (by Joan Marcus)