 |
The Collab
Write to us at:
|
(address is not clickable)12/15/2005
Broadway Review: "Jersey Boys"
"Jersey Boys"
The Seasons were far older than the typical pop group of the day. Frankie Valli, the lead singer, was 28 when he had his first hit, "Sherry," with the Four Seasons in 1962. Paul McCartney was 21 when "She Loves You" created Beatlemania in the USA.
Their songs had real heartbreak. I found most of them depressing.
"Jersey Boys" portrays the Four Seasons as the American answer to the British invasion. The audience, cheering lustily at the mention of New Jersey, seemed to agree.
Both groups were superficially targeted to the working class. Of course, that meant working-class whites. Black blues players were non grata, except as inspiration for Presley, Lennon and the Four Seasons. I still remember the revelation of hearing real blues on the radio. Billie Holiday. Stunningly beautiful.
The Four Seasons, in contrast, sounded muscle-bound. Like tough men. And that is exactly what they were, if we are to believe the account in "Jersey Boys" (it is reportedly a straight biographical account). The mob resonance of the title is no accident. In the beginning, the leader of the group had a side gig as a small-time hood; he and his brother, who also played in the band, knocked over drug stores and ran scams at the local bowling alley, the Four Seasons Bowling Alley. They both did time in the joint. Their young star, Frankie Valli, narrowly escaped. Later, they were turned away from a gig at that very bowling alley, because the owner remembered.
The incident marked the nadir of their fortunes; they took the name of the bowling alley, laughed and went on.