Some of the shows were performed in costume, most likely due to proximity (Billy Elliot, In the Heights), 3pm matinees (Jersey Boys, The Fantasticks), no matinees (Chicago) and being in rehearsals (Ragtime, White Christmas, Fela!).

The audience appreciated all the shows as they were announced, especially the popular ones like Jersey Boys, which featured a performance by the “Jersey Girls” who sang “Walk Like a Man”.  I had to say, it was a nice change, though I’m sure that there were people who wanted the guys instead.

There seemed to be less people in attendance than last year, most likely due to the US Open.  At the end, when the confetti fell, you could tell that it was just tossed off the roofs of the buildings because they came down in clumps.

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Rating: 5 out of 5 masks

I’m back!  And full of tryptophan (I love turkey).

One good thing about the current economic climate: Shows that were once unavailable to the general public the day of the show are now available.  Especially the decent seats.

Jersey Boys tells the story of The Four Seasons and how they went from just four guys from New Jersey to become one of the most popular singing groups of all time and how success drove them apart.  It’s a textbook jukebox musical, which is a musical made up of pre-written and sung songs not necessarily made for the stage at the time they were recorded strung together by a plot.

Image from www.tdf.org

There’s not much of a set, as you have to use your imagination to imagine the scene.  It basically consists of a metal catwalk above the stage with two sets of staircases.  There’s a screen that takes up the entire upstage wall where various lighting and/or images are shown to help with the scenes.  The lighting was pretty good.  I liked the projections the best because of the images they used to illustrate the songs that were going to be performed.

Image from http://images.quickblogcast.com/

I liked the plot, which highlighted the journey of The Four Seasons.  I liked how the songs were actually used to move the story along, rather than just placed in the storyline for no reason.  I really loved the songs, mostly because I heard it growing up and hearing them brought me back to my youth.  I thought that the actors really sounded like The Four Seasons, especially the one portraying Frankie Valli.  Later on I realized that there were two Frankie Vallis, though one performs 6 shows and the other one does the other 2.  It makes sense, since Frankie sings on such a high register (I think that’s what it’s called) that it would be hard to maintain 8 shows a week.

I would definitely recommend this show to everyone teens and up.  There’s some cursing that some parents may not find suitable for their kids.  I think anyone who grew up in the 60s and 70s not listening to disco and punk would absolutely love this show.  I should know, the performance I went to were attended mostly by senior citizens.

Running time: 2 hours, 30 minutes w/intermission