Jersey Boys has nice cards, but not a winning hand
Jersey Boys (out of 4) Book by Marshall Brickman & Rick Elice. Music by Bob Gaudio. Lyrics by Bob Crewe. Directed by Des McAnuff. Until Jan. 4 at the Ed Mirvish Theatre, 244 Victoria St. 416-872-1212.
Jersey Boys, which opened Dec. 19 at the Ed Mirvish Theatre, is such a rock-solid, air-tight, custom-built piece of musical theatre engineering that even when it’s less than great, it’s still pretty damn good.
The touring production currently on view has some definite drawbacks, including a major casting problem, but in the end, it’s still hard not to sit back and enjoy the terrific music, the clever script and the stylish production.
If anyone doesn’t know after the show’s two-year run in Toronto, Jersey Boys is the story of the Four Seasons, that pop singing sensation from the 1960s, and how their internal problems finally tore the group apart, leaving lead singer Frankie Valli to ride on to solo fame and personal tragedy.
It remains the best of all the jukebox musicals because the story is solid and authors Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice tell it with style. Right beside them is director (and Toronto native) Des McAnuff, who keeps things moving as though the mob were chasing him all night and his staging were the only thing keeping them at bay.
It also provides four terrific parts for four singing actors and here’s where things get a bit wobbly.
Total disclosure: this is the seventh production of Jersey Boys I’ve seen and I’ve gotten used to the best, including the original companies in New York, Las Vegas and Toronto.
The lead role in this rock-solid piece of theatre is Frankie Valli and that’s where this show slides from excellence to adequacy
This version has some nice cards in its hand, but it isn’t holding a full house.
Nicolas Dromard has a fine time with Tommy DeVito, the bad boy with a love for gambling and a dislike of the truth. Dromard enjoys the part more than anyone I’ve ever seen, which is great, because it keeps the character from being dislikable despite his sociopathic selfish streak.
Drew Seeley is also pretty terrific as Bob Gaudio, the quiet geek with the magic gift for melody. Seeley begins by being about as charmingly clueless as a teenage prodigy could be, but grows into maturity and emerges as the smartest, sanest and probably most talented of the whole group.
And as the self-styled “Ringo” of this Garden State version of the Beatles, Keith Hines brings a fine, deadpan humour to Nick Masi, the bass player who redefines what it means to be strong and silent.
But the starring role of the show is Frankie Valli and that’s where this production slips from excellence to adequacy.
Hayden Milanes has those impossible high notes that Valli could hit with ease, but, to tell you the truth, they don’t always sound as sweet as they ought to. And in the two rip-your-guts-out numbers given to Valli when his marriage ends and his daughter dies (“My Eyes Adored You” and “Fallen Angel”), Milanes just doesn’t make us feel his pain, something that previous Vallis such as John Lloyd Young (Broadway) and Jeff Madden (Toronto) were so good at.
There’s also some real issues with the sound mix, which leaves a lot to be desired and a quick look at some other recent reviews indicate this is not a new problem. The show is all about the way these guys sound, people; make that your No. 1 priority.