Pop hits enchantment with The Jersey Boys at the Meralco

I had no doubt that the show would be good. It was after all, the Jersey Boys. It is hard to get any better than that. One of the longest-running musicals on Broadway, Jersey Boys is the winner of both a Tony Award and a Lawrence Olivier Award for Best Musical and of that little gramophone from Grammy for Best Musical Show Album.

Then Jersey Boys is the real thing. Unlike the loosely based on the Supremes, Dream Girls, Jersey Boys tells the rise to fame and descent from stardom, complete with warts, plus more, of the famous ‘60s pop group, The Four Seasons. It is the story of four guys, just out of their teens, who together rose from the beginnings of delinquency in the ghettoes of New Jersey to massive success through their music.

Best of all, the whole package comes with a jukebox load of hit songs by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. Rag Doll, Big Girls Don’t Cry, Sherry, December 1963 (Oh What A Night), Who Loves You, Stay, Why Do Fools Fall In Love, Big Man In Town, Beggin’, Let’s Hang On To What We’ve Got, Don’t You Worry ‘bout Me, Bye Bye Baby, C’mon Marianne, Fallen Angel, Walk Like A Man, My Eyes Adored You and Can’t Take My Eyes Off You. 

While the pop music fans were all giddy over those idols from the UK during the British Invasion of 1964, the Four Seasons was among a small group of talents who kept American popular music alive with their songs. And not just the songs, Four Seasons recordings are fine examples of vocal arrangements and innovative music production that were later adapted by other artists with great success.

Then not to forget, the show currently running on weekends at the Meralco Theater until Oct. 16 is by the Atlantis Theatrical Entertainment Group with Bobby Garcia directing along with his very able team. I have yet to get disappointed with a Bobby G-directed show. If you want Broadway quality production without the prices of the airfare, hotel and astronomical costing tickets, then make sure you check out Bobby’s shows.

Jersey Boys is about Valli (Nyoy Volante) of the legendary falsetto and three-octave range, the budding gangster and group leader Tommy DeVito (Markki Stroem) and Nick Massi who describes himself as the Ringo of the foursome, (Nino Alejandro) plus a one-hit wonder musician, Bob Gaudio (Christian Bautista), whose fame until then was centered on a song titled She Wears Short Shorts when he was 15 years old. One evening fate shined its magic light on them through a lamp post. That plucked them out of the mean streets of New Jersey and turned them into singing idols.

As written by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice with music by Gaudio and lyrics by Four Seasons record producer Bob Crewe, the story is told in four versions in four seasons, the rosy awakening in Spring, the delirious Summer of fame, the fall in Autumn and Winter, cold, lonely and cruel.

Anybody who has ever been part of a music group or who closely witnessed the formation and success of one, will surely be able to relate to the joys and pains inherent in a relationship where different human beings not only sing and dance, but also think and feel as one person. As portrayed in Jersey Boys, the sadness that the eventual separation brings is so heartrending.

One reason why is that the actors playing the Four Seasons seem to have developed a genuine closeness that is so palpable from the audience side during that performance. You understand what they are going through and you feel for those boys. So much fame but also so much pain. It was not easy being a Four Season. 

Too bad there is only one Jersey Boys show. I would gladly wish for another one or something similar to be able to watch these four boys in action again. We abound in excellent actors and singers who can also do those roles. But I doubt if they would also make up the same snug fit combination we have with Markki, Christian, Nino and Nyoy, singing and dancing as one and being fine, sensitive actors individually.

It was sweet to see Markki so confident while growing up in his role. Christian so charming, gave his most relaxed performance ever. Nino is his usual competent self, his love for the stage resulting in very good work. Of course, holding everything together is Nyoy. This is the role of a lifetime for Nyoy and how he inhabits Valli from gawky kid to big star is such a joy to watch. He aces those falsettos, too.

I had no doubt that Jersey Boys would be good. It turned out to be not only better, but such a winning, most pleasurable experience.