At Town Hall, ‘Jersey Boys’ follows the meteoric rise of The Four Seasons

Currently on stage at Town Hall Arts Center in Littleton, Jersey Boys is a crowd-pleasing musical that illuminates the tumultuous journey of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons. The show goes beyond a simple jukebox musical to blend their iconic hit songs with a compelling narrative of triumph and turmoil.

This production has been crafted under the expert direction and choreography of Matthew Daily, a performer from the Broadway national tour of Jersey Boys with nearly 1,000 performances to his credit. Featuring music by Bob Gaudio, lyrics by Bob Crewe, and a book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, Jersey Boys brings to life the trials and tribulations of one of the 20^th century’s original boy bands.

Jersey Boys works in a documentary-style format, following the group from formation to wide-reaching success and eventual breakup. At my performance, understudy Logan H. Traver stepped into the role of Frankie Valli, the young man from New Jersey who makes it big. Other members of the iconic group were Bob Gaudio (Caleb Wenger), Tommy DeVito (Elton J. Tanega), and Nick Massi (Brandon Jesus Lopez).

(L-R) Jenny Weiss, Hazel Kachline and Piper Lindsay Arpan as The Angels in ‘Jersey Boys’ | Photo: RDGPhotography

Parade of hits

With no fewer than 32 musical numbers, including well-known hits like “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “My Eyes Adored You” and “Who Loves You,” each song drives the Town Hall audience into a wealth of musical nostalgia. For many of a certain age, these songs were and are the story of our lives.

As Frankie, in the role usually played by Jake Bell, Traver gives a capable performance, hitting all the high notes (and there are many of them) and creating a believable version of Frankie Valli.

Tanega gives a masterful performance as the thuggish, often-troubled Tommy DeVito. His characterization as a tough guy from New Jersey who makes it big carries him through the entire evening, lending authenticity to the production. Tanega has grown as an actor in just a few short years, and this performance is one of his finest.

Wenger comes to the role of Gaudio with one of the purest musical singing voices in town. He is fresh-faced and energetic and nicely captures his alliance with Valli even after the popularity of The Four Seasons waned. Lopez gives a commanding performance as Massi, the member who decides he’s had enough and is the first to depart from the group.

The production is a cavalcade of hit songs. Daily has directed it with a tight rein, incorporating the non-singing aspects of the production nicely while focusing on the musical numbers. He is out to tell a fascinating story, and he does. The performance started slowly but gained momentum midway through the first act and then cannonballs through the rest of the evening. Also credited as the choreographer, it is fun to watch how he reproduced the synchronized dance steps for which these types of singing groups are known.

Jersey Boys is accompanied by a fully configured band led by musical director Alex Burse on keys. The other hitmakers in the band include Adam Rojas (Reeds), Arnie Hernandez (Brass), Christopher Norwood (Bass), John Boggs (Keys), Sean Case (Drums), and Tony Frye (Guitar). Their energy and musicality are two driving forces behind this successful production of Jersey Boys.

Photo: RDGPhotography