Awards keep coming for Jersey Boys

Mar 25 2009 By Pierce Hunt, Surrey Herald

Jersey Boys, the award-winning Broadway musical has emulated the success it achieved across the pond after an incredibly successful first year in London.

Not only has the production been voted 'The West End's Best Show and Musical', by London theatre goers, it has also picked up the Lawrence Olivier Award for 'Best New Musical'.

And the ever-growing accolades thrust upon the Prince Edward Theatre's production shows no sign of slowing down.

Jersey Boys tells the rags to riches story of Frankie Valli (Ryan Molloy) and The Four Seasons.

The love shown for the production on Broadway was unprecedented and, unsurprisingly, British audiences have been flocking to see it in their thousands, proving that the affection for the east coast singing sensation stretches far across the Atlantic.

The story mixes an astonishing back catalogue of hits, including Bye,

Bye, Baby, Sherry, Walk Like a Man and Working My Way Back to You, with a heavy helping of wisecracking interactions throughout the band's delicate and often destructive time together.

Scaling the highs and lows of fame, fortune and inner turmoil, the show jumps from scene to scene seamlessly, with amazing transitions.

Vocally, the show is flawless, as each hit rendition performed could be mistaken for an original recording.

With the guys in and out of trouble with the law and their significant others, the show culminates in the band becoming inductees to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

It's unlikely that a group will ever sell more than 170 million records in their their lifetime, let alone while still in their twenties, but Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons managed to do so, while creating their own sound and becoming one of the all-time greatest American bands.

Tickets, priced £20-60, are available from the Prince Edward Theatre box office on 0844 482 5151 or online at www.jerseyboyslondon.com.