Two years ago, imitating the raspy tones heard daily on the hustling streets of New York, the Broadway show critic stood for the standing ovation at the end of Jersey Boys and declared:  “Dis baby’s got legs.”  On May 3rd at the end of the VIP performance of Jersey Boys at The Palazzo, I stood cheering the cast that had given me an evening of sheer joy and entertainment.  I too, said to myself:  “Dis baby’s got legs!”  Right here, in Vegas, on a stage specifically designed for the show and in its own theater, Jersey Boys was a triumph that night and has been ever since it opened.  Now the show, (which knocked Broadway off its feet and garnered several Tony’s in its first year), is opening at theaters around the world to audiences who inevitably rise from their seats exulting in the fun, excitement and memorable music that is Jersey Boys.  Luckily, The Palazzo had the chutzpah and foresight to believe it could be a standing-room-only hit in Vegas too.  So now we Las Vegans and the millions who visit here, can enjoy the pleasure of seeing this show whenever we have the desire to experience great entertainment.

Sure, I expected to hear great songs.  Like everybody else, I loved the Four Seasons and their series of hit after hit after hit.  Their first, Sherry, went to Number One in just days and sold like hotcakes off an IHOP grill.  Rag Doll, Walk Like A Man, Big Girls Don’t Cry, were rapid fire hits that you just knew were hits the first time you heard them.  Music writer, Bob Gaudio, and lyricist, Bob Crewe, were an unbeatable team that sensed a hit in just a word or phrase or a combination of musical chords.  To hear those songs again, live, with great audio, great musicians and great lighting was exhilarating.

Sure, I expected to hear great voices.  The Four Seasons were first and foremost a four-part harmony group.  I knew the producers would search high and wide for young performers that could cut it vocally and replicate the close harmonies of the Seasons.  I even expected they’d find someone to imitate the almost impossible-to-duplicate sound and style of Frankie Valli.  But I wasn’t too sure they’d be able to.  In fact, they did.  Erich Bergen (Gaudio), Jeremy Kushnier (DeVito), Jeff Leibow (Massi), and Rick Faugno (Valli), do a stupendous job of fooling everyone into thinking it actually is the real Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons on stage.  Of course, there are subtle nuances to Frankie’s voice that no one except he can duplicate, but whew—Faugno came close.  In reality, these guys could have come on stage with the talented backup band, sung all of the Season’s hits and it would have been a night to remember.  Song after song would have reverberated with memories and excitement and I’m sure would have ended with a standing “O”.

But no, this show does much more.  As each principle of the group (DeVito, Massi, Valli, Gaudio) takes his turn narrating how he experienced the beginnings, the endings, the highs, the lows, the fears, the jubilations, and the sometimes torturous agony of being on the road singing their hits, you get an enlightening glimpse into the lives of these talented artists.  Once Gaudio hit on the unique feel of Sherry, Valli put his inimitable vocal chords to it and Bob Crewe, (a rock producer icon even in the late 50’s and early 60’s), put his stamp of producing skills on it, there was no stopping the almost instant rise of the song to Number One status.  How each of the group handled that success is the ‘gold nugget’ of Jersey Boys.  It becomes a story that grips you with rollercoaster ups and downs, even as the air is filled with awesome versions of hit after hit.  Ultimately, the down-to-earth human story of the men of The Four Seasons is the clincher that grabs you.

It’s a two-hour show that some feared shouldn’t or couldn’t be done here in Vegas, but for me, it seemed short.  And since I have a close connection to the writer of Candy Girl,listed with ‘The Ones That Got Away,’ I would have enjoyed it even more if a few more of their hit songs had been performed.

Go see it.  Don’t be left out.  It soon will be worldwide.  We’ve got it right here, right now, in Las Vegas, in a superb venue.  It’s sure to be taken up by Hollywood—but a movie can never touch the ambiance and thrill of seeing Jersey Boys live and on stage.   SLV