What's the Story of Jersey Boys?
Jersey Boys is a musical biography of the Four Seasons—the rise, the tough times and personal clashes, and the ultimate triumph of a group of friends whose music became symbolic of a generation. Far from a mere tribute concert (though it does include numbers from the popular Four Seasons songbook), Jersey Boys gets to the heart of the relationships at the center of the group—with a special focus on frontman Frankie Valli, the small kid with the big falsetto. In addition to following the quartet’s coming of age as performers, the core of the show is how an allegiance to a code of honor learned in the streets of their native New Jersey got them through a multitude of challenges: gambling debts, Mafia threats and family disasters. Jersey Boys is a glimpse at the people behind a sound that has managed to endure for over four decades in the hearts of the public.
What is Jersey Boys Like?
Upbeat, slickly produced and fast-paced, Jersey Boys appeals to diehard fans of the Four Seasons and audience members less familiar with the group’s extensive catalogue of hits. Unlike most jukebox musicals, the show boasts heavy emphasis on storytelling, which adds to its universal appeal.
Is Jersey Boys Good for Kids?
Although Jersey Boys snaps along at a pace easy for younger audiences to follow, it is not really a show for young children: they won’t get the heavy nostalgia factor, and parents may find themselves cringing at sexual innuendo (“Oh, What a Night!” indeed), infidelity, the (offstage) death of a child, enough swearing to make a truck driver on the Jersey Turnpike blush and other behavior you might expect from four tough guys touring from sold-out concert to sold-out concert.