Oh what an opening night it was for the “Jersey Boys” cast on May 28 at the Plaza Theatre.
Winning audiences hearts since its Broadway debut in 2005, it was inevitable to stop the El Paso crowd from loving it as much, if not more.
Written by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, the script touched on all aspects of the quartet’s life, allowing the audience to catch a glimpse into the personal aspect into each of the member’s life and aspirations.
“Jersey Boys” tells the story of “Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons”– Frankie Valli, Bob Gaudio, Tommy DeVito and Nick Massi, and their hardworking journey to become the most popular American pop music sensations in the 1960’s–selling over 175 million records worldwide before turning 30.
Audiences awed in surprise as to how identical the cast looked to the original band members, and cheered as they hit the stage. Although the story is first narrated by Tommy DeVito’s perspective, played by Nicolas Dromard, as the plot unfolds the rest of the members have the opportunity to share their own point of view, engaging the audience even more.
For those that haven’t seen “Jersey Boys” or are familiar with “Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons,” this show will not only be fun and enjoyable to watch, but will also allow you an inside look as to how this quartet came to be in an era where “The Beatles,” “Rolling Stones” and “ABBA” dominated the music charts.
To its an advantage, the show is told over a 30-year span, which results in the telling of anecdotes such as heartbreaks, conflicts, family hardships, the difficult process to find the perfect band name, and the special significance of each song, including top hits an all-time favorites such as, “Sherry Baby,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Who Loves You,” “Let’s Hang On,” “Beggin’, “Walk Like A Man” and “Oh, What A Night.”
Hayden Milanes, who has been in previous Broadway shows such as “Grease”, played lead singer Frankie Valli, and captured the true essence and talent by its identical “head-voice” Valli’s imitation, which was considered an original sound that led the quartet to its success. Milanes shined on stage with its very talented vocals and stage presence. The rest of the cast members didn’t stay behind as Adam Zelasko, (Nick Messi) brought the wittiness, Quinn Vanantwerp (Bobby Guido) added the soul through his lyrics and Nicolas Dromard the undeniable tough love attitude throughout the show.
From top to bottom, “Jersey Boys” demonstrated the top quality production with its vibrant light design, that led them to be awarded “Best Lighting Design” with only a year of its Broadway release. The musical concludes with “The Four Seasons” being recognized and inducted in the “Rock & Roll Hall of Fame,” reunited once more after 30 years and singing “Oh, What A Night”–reminiscing on the good old days. Audience stood up from their chairs to release some excitement by dancing and singing-along.
“Jersey Boys” excels in encompassing all aspects of what “Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons” life was like, not leaving nothing for the imagination, doing a good job in adding successes, tragedies, debt problems and the series of events that led the group to split. There is no doubt that “Jersey Boys” will continue to warm people’s hearts, sharing a glimpse of the ’60s, and not to mention, people won’t want to take their eyes off (them).
“Jersey Boys” will continue to play until June 1 at the Plaza Theatre. Tickets can be found at ticketmaster.com.
Andrea Acosta may be reached at [email protected].
