Jersey Boys offer Eastbourne “glorious numbers” and “stomping, exultant finale”

Oh What a Night! Eastbourne’s Congress Theatre is an absolute cascade of great and memorable music this week, as the Jersey Boys hit town – and hit all the high notes. As it happened, the signature song might easily have applied to the weather outside. Soaking wet patrons had arrived through a flooded car park, and battered by an epic storm straight off the Channel: not a night for what the theatre trade calls walk-up. But scanning the auditorium from the back of the raised stalls, it was hard to spot an empty seat anyway: over a thousand happy patrons were rolling back a decade or three. “I feel at least thirty years younger,” enthused one lady sitting alongside this reviewer. “I’ve got all their original numbers on LPs!” The show is more than a nostalgia wallow, and much more than a jukebox-musical. It re-creates the fabulous playlist of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, but there is an involving musical and social context to set out, and each of the Boys has his own story. As so often, the biography background is gritty: born in the Bronx, dropping out of college, the battles against the odds. By the way, you gentle Eastbournians, do brace yourselves for strong language -the f-word is sprinkled on the dialogue like the parmesan on the minestrone. And in notable contrast to some of these playlist-musicals, the portrayals are not always sympathetic. Dalton Wood’s Tommy DeVito expertly contrasts the musical talent with the brusque and dominating personality, while Christopher Short’s Nick Massi emerges from placid play-along to frustrated anger when the road gets tough. The other two members are, and were, the key to the Four Seasons’ legendary success. Blair Gibson plays song-writing genius Bob Gaudio with intelligent command, and Ryan Heenan – covering for the usual lead, Michael Pickering - is an absolutely wonderful Franki Valli. Slight physique, sensational voice. The role demands phenomenal vocal range and command, and Ryan hits the high notes in every sense. The other key figure in the original band’s success, lyricist Bob Crewe brings humour and a dash of camp to a show which does sometimes risk allowing the dourness of the story to dull the brilliance of the music. That last point is not wholly a criticism, for the Jersey Boys’ careers were not pure glitz and brilliance – and the point when (plot spoiler!) Valli learns of the death at 23 of his drug-haunted daughter Francine, is one of those achingly painful moments that only live theatre can achieve. Gaudio and Valli, incidentally, are still active professionally, and surely approving of their proteges – including when they can watch from out front. In an absorbing programme interview, Bob Gaudio observes that “It’s a wonderful place to be! It’s the first time I can see people enjoying the music first-hand. And because people don’t recognise me, I can stand in front of the theatre and hear all their accolades, too!” And why not! The well-known songs just tumble out, and if the band’s dynamics are fascinating, their distinctive sound is mesmerising – and in a live theatre, absolutely stunning. Klara Zieglerova’s set is very much designed to enhance the music and not distract from it, and a huge upstage screen, above the action, frames the locations and decorates the action with Marvel-comic graphics, and also with some tantalising glimpses of old black & white performances and a clip from the Ed Sullivan Show! Jersey Boys runs almost three hours, and it might just lose fifteen minutes from the first half without detracting from the impact; but the Congress audience were not complaining as the glorious numbers carried Act Two to its stomping, exultant finale. And when the punters emerged into a dark evening, the torrential downpours had dried up. No matter: after this torrent of entertainment, we’d have been singin’ in the rain anyway…