On January 6^th during the annual Senior New York Trip, the Class of 2014 attended Jersey Boys, the award-winning Broadway musical and biographical story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons.

This musical tells the story of the quartet’s rise to fame and the personal histories of the members while also exploring the relationships between the four singers. According to Broadway.com, there is an additional focus of the musical: “the core of the show is how an allegiance to a code of honor learned in the streets of their native New Jersey got them through a multitude of challenges.”

Personally, I thought that the show was a perfect blend of music and plot. Although I always enjoy a fun show, I occasionally wish for more dialogue throughout a musical. However, this show seemed to combine the perfect amount of biographical storyline about the Four Seasons along with a large number of their famous songs.

In a 2005 review of Jersey Boys, Ben Brantley, a writer for The New York Times, stated that after the cast’s performance of “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You,” “the crowd [went] wild. I’m talking about the real, mostly middle-aged crowd at the August Wilson Theater, who [seemed] to have forgotten what year it is or how old they are.”

Judging by the NDP seniors’ applause, middle-aged adults are not the only people who enjoy this fun, upbeat musical. In general, the senior class seemed to like the show, especially the catchy songs of the famous Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons.

Some seniors may be delighted to know that they can experience the fun again with the upcoming movie, Jersey Boys, which is based on the musical. The film will star John Lloyd Young, a Tony Award winner for his role as Frankie Valli in the Broadway show, and is set to be released on June 20, 2014. Don’t sing “Bye Bye Baby” to the Jersey Boys excitement yet!

Works Cited:

Brantley, Ben. “From Blue-Collar Boys to Doo-Wop Sensation: A Band’s Rise and Fall.” The New York Times. N.p., 7 Nov.     2005. Web. 16 Feb. 2014. <http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/07/theater/reviews/07jers.html?_r=0>.

“Jersey Boys: Story.” Broadway.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2014. <http://www.broadway.com/shows/jersey-boys/story/>.