Review written in March 2008. In fact it ran for nine years with a transfer to the Piccadilly Theatre.

Much anticipated in London is Jersey Boys. the musical based on the lives of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. Before it opened it was selling well to October and is already guaranteed a successful run in London. As a musical it is unpretentious and has a genuine quality that some of the confections created around music hits of the 1960s do not achieve, despite their success.

The story of their background from blue collar workers of New Jersey, some with a record for small time crime to stardom is very different. The thing is that the real story of these New Jersey boys is interesting enough to form the book of a musical without resorting to unlikely story lines designed to “fit” existing lyrics. The downside of this approach is just that, the songs don’t advance the plot in the musical tradition and you may be left asking what is the difference between this show and an excellent tribute concert?

The performances are of the first order. The British singer/actor/dancers have worked to achieve a fantastic sound and an authentic look. Ryan Molloy seems to have captured Frankie Valli’s amazing falsettos and vocal range and it is a real pleasure to see him onstage singing those classic hits like “Rag Doll” and “Sherry”. Glenn Carter who plays Tommy DeVito has a brilliant voice and his singing of “Earth Angel” is a triumph.

The choreographic moves are like the original but of course now seem a tad dated and will make us smile rather than wanting to join in to imitate them, but the foot tapping songs seem as fresh as they were in the 1960s. The repertoire is so extensive that, despite Britain being in the grip of Beatlemania, the other Liverpudlian groups and the Rolling Stones, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons were regular visitors to the British Hit Parade Top Ten and their songs are well known here.