Jersey Boys hits Brisbane

A story crossing many generations

Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons were a band I remember hearing when I was growing up as a young boy in the mid seventies. My mum and dad loved their music and our old turntable played their 45′s at most parties we held. When the opportunity came to see Jersey Boys at QPAC last night it got me reminiscing! How could so many hit songs span decades?

A musical that delivers more than songs

Images: Declan Egan, Dion Bilios, Anthony Harkin and Glaston Toft

Jersey Boys is a more than just a musical. It delivers stunning sets, brilliant choreography, an amazing cast, an unforgettable storyline and pleasantly intertwined with some of the most iconic songs you’ll ever hear. The story begins in the year Rod Laver wins the US Open, 1962. New Jersey, USA hails a mix of Italian mobsters, sharks, players and street corners with ‘wanna bees’.

Enter Tommy DeVito (played by the talented and amiable Anthony Harkin), your typical loud mouth street-savvy wise guy with a point to prove. His sidekick, Nick Massi (played by Glaston Toft) had a voice as recognizable as Valli himself. His booming voice added character and value to Valli’s high range vocals. Glaston Toft played a very believable Massi.

Declan Egan played Bob Gaudio, the visionary songwriting genius who’s smash hits were played millions of times across the airwaves. His tunes battled the hits from every corner of the globe and rightly so. Declan’s charm and soulful portrayal of Bob’s character added true value to the overall performance.

Frankie Valli was played by Graham Foote, an actor who delivers ‘truly memorable’ moments of brilliance during his time on stage. His vocal range and character portrayal was first class.

The cast and crew

The cast, crew, production and management team delivered a show worthy of ’5 stars’ and I can clearly see why this show has endured a wonderful 7 years touring the globe. It’s simply a ‘must see’ show and I urge all lovers of music to attend QPAC at whatever cost.

How do I summarize Jersey Boys

When you combine talented actors with the creative collective geniuses of Brickman and Elise who are the true storytellers and mix them with Bob Gaudio, the master songwriter then have Bob Crewe, the lyricist deliver them to the masses then you have ‘audio perfection’.