Jersey Boys – The Palazzo Resort Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas

Writer: Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice

Music: Bob Gaudio

Lyrics: Bob Crewe

Director: Des McAnuff

Reviewer: Ruth Lovett

The Public Reviews Rating:

Housed in the Jersey Boys Theatre, Las Vegas is treated to the fabulous sounds of the Four Seasons. A show that has taken the UK and the USA by storm has a regular home in glitzy Las Vegas. Housed in the glamorous Palazzo Jersey Boys tells the story of how the Four Seasons came to be through the eyes of each member of the group. This inevitably leads to different views of the same events and takes the audience from humble beginnings under s street lamp in Jersey right through to the present day.

Labelled a Jukebox musical this show does indeed contain many of the Four Seasons’ greatest hits such as ‘Sherry’, ‘Oh What a Night’, ‘Can’t Take my Eyes Off You’, ‘Walk Like a Man’, ‘Big Girls Don’t Cry’ and many more. Even as a fan of the Four Seasons this show always reminds me of the sheer number of hits this group had and the show contains only a selection of these hits.

The creative genius of Gaudio (Peter Saide) really lift the group from playing small clubs and poorly attended gigs to becoming members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Valli’s voice (played by Travis Cloer) is the Unique Selling Point but the contributions of Nick Massi (Jeff Leibow), the harmony genius and the tenacity of Tommy DeVito (Deven May) should not be underestimated. Yes, the actions of DeVito do cause problems for the group and very nearly cause it to fold however without DeVito, arguably the Four Seasons may never has come together and become such favourites in the music world.

For me this show is a winner. Yes some people are uncomfortable with the swearing in the show however I find this added to the authenticity of the piece and is not designed to shock or offend. The show moves between desperation, crime, love, unhappiness, and long periods of being away from friends and family to tragedy and commitment to friends and family. It’s an action packed couple of hours that moves along at great speed.

Perhaps we are somewhat spoiled in London with such a strong cast for Jersey Boys, in particular the vocal delights of Ryan Molloy as Frankie as although good, for me Cloer wasn’t the strongest Valli I have seen but Saide as Gaudio was a delight, catching Gaudio’s dislike of the spotlight beautifully and convincingly.

The strength of this show is the quality of music throughout. Also, unlike some other jukebox musicals, this one has a go back story that not everyone will be aware of. Also, the music is worked to the show rather than using the show as an excuse to simply play a band’s greatest hits. The quality of Jersey Boys shines through and is sure to be around for a long time to come. Pure, unadulterated fun and long may it continue to delight audiences all over the world and in this lovely theatre in the heart of Las Vegas.

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