What’s the hardest role to cast in theater? Surely, one of them has to be Frankie Valli of ‘Four Seasons’ fame, whose story is told in Jersey Boys. How many actors, after all, can boast Valli’s combination of diminutive stature, Mediterranean complexion – and most important of all, that inimitable singing voice?
Happily, the touring production of Jersey Boys, which is currently playing at Washington, D.C.’s National Theatre, has cast a thespian who’s up to the part. Aaron De Jesus is superb as the falsetto-happy singer, and he’s joined here by a talented cast who play the rest of the band, as well as the producers, managers, and groupies they interacted with.
Jersey Boys is, admittedly, rather thin on plot. Frankly, the story of the Four Seasons just isn’t all that exciting. Sure, the band’s guitarist, Tommy DeVito (played wonderfully by Matthew Dailey), got in too deep with gambling debts, and had a brush or two with the law. But the drama here is nothing compared to, say, the stories of AC/DC or NWA.
The band’s path to international stardom – with hits like “Walk Like a Man” and “Big Girls Don’t Cry” — was a fairly straight one. The Four Seasons kept releasing hits, and kept becoming ever-more popular. And when the band broke up, and Frankie went out on his own, his generally favorable trajectory continued, as he enjoyed solo success with anthems like “Who Loves You.” The strains of touring depicted in the play, meanwhile – the failing marriages, the alcoholism – will be familiar to anybody who has ever watched a music biopic.
But in the end, the meager plot in Jersey Boys is okay, because while this is technically a Broadway musical, it’s really a two-and-a-half-hour tribute concert. And when the music is as expertly performed as it was in this show, that’s perfectly alright. The snazzy production – choreographed dance numbers, impressively agile sets and crystal-clear sound – add to the audience’s enjoyment.
Though potential theatergoers should beware: Two days later after leaving the theater, “Rag Doll” is still stuck in my head.
