I saw Jersey Boys at the Manchester Palace Theatre on a Tuesday night.
Jersey Boys tells the story of Frankie Valli and the four seasons. I think it’s the best jukebox musical out there! Going in I was unsure because it is a jukebox and I’ve heard that the audiences for these are awful and are only there to hear the hits and this was very true! Beware of loud talking, going to the toilet all the time and singing! But this didn’t detract from Jersey Boys.
Jersey Boys is in a Documentary style with each character of the group narrating one of the Seasons of the year. They spoke directly to the audience and this gave another layer to the show because you really got to know the characters very well! But it wasn’t pantomimy I felt like they were being interview a bit and we were the camera following the characters journey.
The show is very well paced and directed. I particularly really liked the Set Design For this show because of the screens (that didn’t look tacky!) and the simplicity of it all. In Act 1 we jumped round loads of different clubs and bars of them singing which were very slick an smooth. Also the pop art style artwork which was on the screens worked well in scenes that were not on stage. It really summed up the whole scene in a picture! I enjoyed the grit in this show. I didn’t hide away from anything .
The songs were used well and I didn’t feel like they were ‘shoehorned’ in. At times they were used for the narrative which I enjoyed.
(By the way this photo was taken in the Bows not during the show aha)
The casting for this show was spot on. All of their vocals and acting were perfection.
The sound design for this show was very good because in the big concert scenes they pushed the sound up and you felt like you were there!
Overall I would say Jersey Boys is a 5 Star show which pleases audiences and is the best jukebox out there!
What did you think? Tell me on Instagram @unofficialtheatre
Thanks for reading!
Eugene
Unofficial Theatre 