Posts Tagged: Jersey Boys

Two Alternatives to Jersey Boys.

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So I brought my mom to see Jersey Boys when it was playing in Chicago and she absolutely loved it.  It isn’t a show that is supposed to make you think, it’s a show that was created to make you want to stand up and sing.  This is especially true for people who were raised in the 1950′s and 1960′s listening to Frankie Vallie.  The problem is that after you take your Parents or they take you to see the show, how can you top a show that was written to bring them back to their childhood and teenage years?  Simple, you find two other shows that are about the music from the 1950′s and 1960′s and that would also cause them to want to sing along.  The two shows that make a great Jersey Boys alternatives are The Marvelous Wonderettes and The Million Dollar Quartet.

The Marvelous Wonderettes.

The Marvelous Wonderettes is another feel good, fall in love and sing a long broadway musical.  It is about a group of girls that go through a ton of popular songs like Lollipop, It’s My Party and other hits from the 1950′s and 1960′s.  They sing them, act them out and even dress like they were alive back in the 50′s and 60′s.  You can’t help but to start singing a long when you are watching and if your parents or you loved Jersey Boys, you will go crazy for The Marvelous Wonderettes.  The problem is that it is hard to find a cast performing it because I don’t think its on broadway still.  You can however find the cd and original cast recording of The Marvelous Wonderettes for sale here.

The Million Dollar Quartet.

The Million Dollar Quartet is a made up show of four rock n roll superstars from the 1950′s and 1960′s.  They include Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash and Carl Perkins.  Hrmm, never heard of Carl Perkins before.  I haven’t actually seen this show before but I have heard the original cast recording of it.  It includes songs like Don’t Be Cruel, Blue Suede Shoes, Peace In The Valley and a heck of a lot more.  The show is absolutely fantastic and if you or your parents loved Jersey Boys, this is a great made up story that they will love as well, especially because of the music.  Not all of it is sing a long but they should be able to recognize most of it.

Both shows are great shows to have fun watching and ones that if you loved Jersey Boys you should enjoy as well.  If you’ve seen them or are going to see them, feel free to leave a comment below and let us know how you liked them.

Jersey Boys Poster

Jersey Boys Reviewed – Is it worth it?

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Jersey Boys Poster

Jersey Boys Poster

About 8 months ago my Mom came to visit me in Chicago.  I held off from buying her a birthday present because when she was going to be in Chicago the touring cast of Jersey Boys was performing at The Oriental Theatre which is an amazing and fabulous old styled theatre right in the heart of the Old Chicago Theatre District.

Anyways, to surprise her for her birthday, I planned an entire fun day out and evening with her all broadway and showtunes related.  We started the day shopping on Michigan Avenue and then got in a cab but she had no idea where the cab was taking us.  I told her we were heading the next shopping area and since she isn’t from Chicago she didn’t know any different.

On the way from Michigan Avenue to Ford’s Center for Performing arts or The Oriental Theatre in Chicago, we passed by some famous landmarks like the Old Chicago Theatre and some very famous buildings and underpasses from the Chicago Metro Lines.  When we turned the corner by Loehman’s (Those of you from NYC know about that store) and then a couple seconds later she saw the billboard and the signs for Jersey Boys.

Not only did my Mom grow up listening to songs by Frankie Valie and The Four Seasons, but she also still listens to Frankie Vallie and The Four Seasons on a regular basis.  She absolutely loves him and his music so this was the perfect treat for her for her birthday.

Anyways, not onto the actual review of Jersey Boys on Broadway.

Overall, Jersey Boys is exactly what you should expect from it. Jersey Boys is the story of Frankie Vallie (Valley actually but in one scene you’ll see where an old Mafia Styled influence on Franky Valley teaches him that if you are a real Italian your lastname has to end in a vowel so he changes the spelling of Valley to Vallie to be more “Italian”) and the Four Seasons.

It starts with them growing up in the New Jersey area, how they started their group, how they got their first contract and all of the trouble they got into as kids trying to make a living singing and performing.

As the show Jersey Boys progresses, you start to see the characters develop and how they all grow up, and some never grow up.  You see how they change as they get older, get involved in relationships, make money, lose money, meet new people and overall become the group known as Frankie Valley and the Four Seasons.  You watch as they find their new sound and new song and launch their debut with a brand new song and a brand new sound (being Frankie Vallies voice).

You get to see how the Beatles influenced a change in music, you get to relive the experience of seeing Frankie Vallie and the Four Seasons perform live on TV for the first time when you watch them re create the show and the taping.  You even get to hear people that sound almost exactly like Frankie Vallie and The Four Seasons sing their songs pretty much perfectly and from the performance we saw always on key and in tune.

The show overall doesn’t have a serious plot, an emotional ending.  It doesn’t make you think or want to start a revolution.  Instead, the Musical Jersey Boys is there to entertain you and make you smile.  Make you sing some songs you heard on the radio when you were a kid or on your Moms radio when you were a kid if you are my age because she still loved them and listens to them.  You get to hear uplifiting songs and get a good feeling all around.

It isn’t serious theatre but it is a great time if you need something to do or just want cheered up.  My review of Jersey Boys is a three out of five stars because although it wasn’t supposed to be deep and emotional like I like and prefer, it was fun and entertaining.  If it got me to think, sing along after or want to go, “lets see it again” I would have given it 4 stars.

If you want to have something to do and are bored one day, Jersey Boys is a perfect time killer that is fun and entertaining and friendly for a family that doesn’t mind a few swear words and more mature situations.  Overall a 3 out of 5 stars show.