Thespi-honest #1: Jersey Boys

I am a certified theatre nerd. Ask me about almost any show and I guarantee I can give you some facts or opinions about it. With all of this knowledge and memory I’m going to deep dive into every show I’ve seen specifically in NYC and maybe adding some memorable tours and other performances. First up we have…

Jersey Boys

Where: August Wilson Theatre

When: August 2011

Favorite song: Can’t Take My Eyes off of You

I was 17 years old when I went to NYC for the first time with my family. By that point, the theatre nerdom had really taken off. I was absolutely obsessed! The first day in the city was mainly spent walking around Times Square and all I wanted to do was stay there forever looking at the theatre marquis’. I was told as the resident theatre connoisseur that I could pick the shows for the weekend. I wanted to see Catch Me if You Can so badly because Aaron Tveit, hello! After our dinner, we walked to the Neil Simon theatre, and to my horror, I realized that the show already started! Noticing another theater across the street we decided to try our luck at Jersey Boys. We got tickets in the last row of the balcony. I had already seen the show on tour, but the music was great!

Besides Mamma Mia, it was the only jukebox show I knew at the time. I think Jersey Boys was one of the first shows to tell the story of the band or artist using their own songs. The book writers, Rick Elice and Marshall Brickman, seamlessly weaved their music into the plot of the show. This set a precedent for shows that came after like Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Motown, On Your Feet!, The Cher Show, etc. The actor playing Frankie Valli, Jarrod Spector was one of the main differences I remember between the tour and Broadway. Not only was his voice incredible, but his dramatic scenes had gravitas and I thought he was a standout. Going into the musical I wasn’t sure I would recognize any of the music, but this music is extremely recognizable. I also loved that in this show they emphasized instrumentation. The band is seen during the majority of the show, and when the horn section comes out it gives the whole orchestrations a big full sound. Overall, it was a great first Broadway show.