Jersey Boys: The Story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons

The story of the rise to fame of Frankie Valli (born Francesco Stephen Castelluccio) is an intriguing one. It taps into the stereotypical images of Italo-American culture where the entertainment industry has strong links to petty criminals as well as the criminal underworld. Valli is of the same ilk as icons such as Frank Sinatra, who inspired the young Valli to enter the music industry.

The New Jersey culture that produces such vivid and colourful figures has also been represented cinematically through figures such as Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro. In fact, the cast even includes a young Joe Pesci (Joshua Mulheran) prior to reaching stardom. This sets the stage for a tale of rags to riches that may not be particularly unique but houses a great deal of humanity. Jersey Boys takes most of this history lightly, but it is not without its poignant and dramatic moments.

Valli is masterfully interpreted by Ryan Gonzalez, who not only captures the pitch of Valli’s voice but also a great deal of Valli’s ingenuous nature, reflected in the famous handshake deal that he made with songwriter Bob Gaudio (Thomas McGuane). They agreed to share their profits as a team, an agreement which was upheld purely on the basis of their word. The antics of Tommy DeVito (Cameron MacDonald), that both catapult the group to fame and almost sabotage their success, creates a great tension in the flow of the narrative. However, Valli and his unique vocal ability is always at the centre of this story.

The story starts from the early days and first hits such as “Sherry” and “My Mother’s Eyes”. It is not long before highly recognisable tunes such as “Big Girls Don’t Cry” and “Walk Like a Man” begin to dominate the stage. As the story unfolds, we see Valli’s gradual transformation from a shy, unassuming boy to the musical sensation that created the Four Seasons. Renditions of numbers such as “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” and “Working My Way Back to You” showcase the power of Valli’s style and the amazing song writing talents of Gaudio.

Much of the back story of the band’s struggle to gain recognition, and to negotiate the infiltrations of criminal connections, is unsurprising. Yet, other elements of the story such as some of the politics of the music industry are very insightful. Although Valli and Gaudio were sure of the potential of the song “My Eyes Adored You” as a major hit, recording companies and radio stations were reluctant to promote it. This made the performance of this song a highly emotional moment in the show. Valli’s success also clearly came at a price to his personal life, and the show addresses this in a particularly touching scene regarding his youngest daughter Francine.

Jersey Boysis a great opportunity to relive the memories of a very different era, both musically and socially, that the performances powerfully evoke. The show takes you on a rather whirlwind journey in spectacular style, but not without forgetting to highlight some of the important details that elicit the more tender and compassionate elements of this heart-warming story. 

Patricia Di Risio

Photographer: Jeff Busby