Frankie Valli, ova heah

It was Jersey City at the Community Center Theater opening of Jersey Boys, the hit musical celebrating the life and music of the Four Seasons. Judging from the reaction to the show’s numerous New Jersey references, everyone in the audience was from New Jersey, knew someone from New Jersey, had seen New Jersey on The Sopranos or had a New Jersey state of mind.

And though the show swims in New Jersey stereotypes, the crowd cheered for every mention of turnpikes, nightclubs, pizza, booze, women, sex, gambling, the Mob, “youse guys” and “fuck yous.” But the real tribute was for the story and songs of the Four Seasons—four local punks who took one (or maybe two) of the three ways out of New Jersey—“join the Army, get mobbed up, or become a star.”

The music itself is fun and captivating, and surprising when you start to tally all the familiar ’60s hits associated with the four talented lads led by three-octave falsetto singer Frankie Valli. From their first hit, “Sherry,” through the long list including “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Walk Like a Man,” “Oh, What a Night,” “My Boyfriend’s Back,” and “My Eyes Adored You,” the foursome turned out sing-able songs and memorable soundtracks for those living in the ’60s. The only real weakness is the total disregard to anything else happening in the country during the turbulent times, with the exception of a couple references to Vietnam.

Different from the other popular “jukebox” shows like Mama Mia! and Movin’ Out, which simply string songs together with improbable plotlines that have nothing to do with the music, Jersey Boys has a memorable story about the creation of their songs and sound. The storytelling is also unique with its four-part narration of a four-part harmony, where each member of the group gets their spin on their success-and-spiral-down story.

In this current Broadway road show, the cast is full of energy and talent, the live band is tight and the set is simple-yet-effective, with steel girder walkways and chain link fences. The four stars are a gift of harmony and footwork, though lead Christopher Kale Jones as Valli lacked real projection that would have tapped him as the emerging star among four boyhood pals. But he makes up for it with charm, a twinkle in his eye and his New Jersey swagger.