My wife and I, along with my sister and one of her friends, went to see Jersey Boys at the Bushnell in Hartford.
Unsurprisingly, the youngest people in the theater by far were the folks on the stage. For those who don’t know, Jersey Boys is a musical based on the career of the Four Seasons. For people of a certain age, the play is a sure fire draw, since the music is both familiar and great.
Our memories get distorted as they recede farther in the rear view mirror. I think of the Four Seasons as being primarily a pre-Beatles phenomenon, though I do remember clearly that what I consider their best song, December, 1963, came along quite a bit later. In reality, in one form or another, they endured into the early 70s, and put out quality music throughout that period. The members of the group never acquired distinct public identities as far as I know. Everyone could name the Beatles, and lots of folks could identify each Stone, Byrd, etc., but I doubt that many could name each Season, and if their travails were documented in the pages of Rolling Stone, I was never aware of it.
Turns out their relations were, if anything, stormier than those of that more famous British quartet. Getting mixed up with the mob will have that effect, I guess. The show is leaving soon, so this review is rather late, but I give it two thumbs up, which is all the thumbs I have.
Here’s the real thing, by the way, with a medley on the old Hulabaloo. Videos of the original Four Seasons are hard to find; Valli has apparently been backed by a succession of Seasons since the originals broke off.
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