From left, Grant Hodges as Nick Massi, Anthony Carro as Tommy DeVito, Nicholas Alexander as Frankie Valli and Taubert Nadalini as Bob Gaudio.

By Mikaela STONE

After 20 years of trying to get the rights to the Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons musical “Jersey Boys,” Musical Theatre West finally opened its production at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center. “Jersey Boys” will run from Feb. 14 to March 2. 

The story features each of the Four Seasons as narrators –Tommy DeVito, Bob Gaudio, Nick Massi and Frankie Valli – each telling the origins of the famous 1960s band and the way it “really happened.” What “really happened” lays out their rise from brushes with crime on the streets of New Jersey to their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. “Jersey Boys” offers an uplifting experience that injects real history with playful humor. Younger audience members may recognize Bob Gaudio’s original song “Beggin’” from Italian rock band and Eurovision 2023 winner Måneskin’s cover. 

For those who never got to see the Four Seasons perform live before the band broke up in 1977, this production provides a satisfyingly nostalgic window into what performances may have felt like. Many of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons’ biggest hits, such as “Sherry,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry” and “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You,” are performed directly to the audience. One memorable exception is a surprise number toward the end of Act One when attendees find themselves watching the band play from behind the stage. The blinding effect of reversed performance lights washes over the stage while simulated paparazzi flashbulbs flicker across the backdrop. Being placed in the band members’ shoes, not only by seeing the challenges they faced in their daily lives but their point of view through creative stagecraft, gives insight into how fame affected each of the Seasons.

While opening night of “Jersey Boys” at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center at first struggled with keeping the audio levels balanced and microphone cues, these mishaps could not hide the efforts of the talented cast. From the ensemble to the leads, each actor was a genuine joy to watch. 

Much of the believability of “Jersey Boys” hinges on the portrayal of Frankie Valli. Luckily for Musical Theatre West, Nicholas Alexander proved more than up to the job, not only providing a strong clear voice that passed for Valli’s with ease, but a full figure interpretation of his character’s body language. These acting choices suspended the audience’s disbelief turning married-with-a-family Alexander into a convincing teenage Valli. As Valli grew, Alexander carried his character with more confidence showcasing the singer’s growth well as the years passed by. 

Contrasting the high notes that made “Sherry” memorable, Grant Hodges’ rich bass as Nick Massi was equally worthy of attention. With Massi described as a “genius” when it came to harmonies, Hodges’ voice brought life to that claim and to the layers of music for which the Four Seasons are known. 

The performance of Marlana Dunn as Frankie Valli’s first wife Mary Delgado was not only vocally beautiful but emotionally striking. At the eleventh hour of the pair’s doomed marriage, Delgado raised her voice at Valli with such raw emotion and graveled texture the audience grew completely still. When she snapped only one word the pause by the audience as it waited for her next as she stood before her husband, unsteady from anger, grief and inebriation, seemed to draw the audience members to the edge of their seats. 

Marlana Dunn as Mary Delgado and Nicholas Alexander as Frankie Valli.

With a talented band, excellent actors and a fun story even those uninitiated to the music of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons will love to cheer “Jersey Boys.” “Jersey Boys” can be found at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center in Long Beach. The play does feature smoke effects as well as language, sexual encounters, alcohol, and PG-13 level violence.