I can't wit to see this Brilliant show here in London next Thursday. The Cast look amazing on the shows website.

http://www.jerseyboyslondon.com/jerseyboys_cast.asp

I know someone in it
I really want to see it, hope it does well..

I think JERSEY BOYS is going to be a huge hit over here in London. Can't wait

nahhh, i dont think peole ova here know anything about it, the poster design is pretty lame , we shall see

It's going to be great and I think that people over here will love the show

why? poeple dont know who the buggers are!!!!! why the hell cant we have some origional stuff?

ummm, this musical IS original. apart from being a broadway transfer, its a new musical.

and if youre referring to the four seasons when you say no one knows who they are, youre wrong. they were one of the biggest bands in the 50s and 60s, and even in later years. im 21 and ive known who they were since i was a child.

So... it's a band - based musical with new music? It's not using the hits of the band it's about? Or is it a blend, similar to Taboo? What is the definition of a "new musical"? I'd have thought an original story and music.

I don't recognise the name Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, but I think I know some of their songs. But I don't think they are culturally significant to make a hit here, I think people will assume it's in the same vein as "Buddy", which has a well known track record.

Are you for real?? ask anyone over a certain age and they will definitely know who The Four Seasons are!! The Jersey Boys is basically a jukebox musical, but the songs are sung in performance, as it's the story of the band. It has an excellent book and i really enjoyed it in NYC.

The audience for this show is an older crowd, and that is a good thing. It will definitely be one for the coach parties!!

And MOST muscials are based on something... so there are actually very few ORIGINAL musicals out there.

I'm 15 and I know who they are :/

I will be going to see it when it is in production period... its sounds like its going to be good, the set and lighting is also meant to be good...

JERSEY BOYS was so good when I saw it on Broadway and I think it will be just as good here in London

i was there tonight, last minute decision and got myself front row.

i first saw this show on its first week of previews on broadway. tonights show doesnt leave a hair between them. Its as good. Ryans voice is a bit less scratchy than Johns. Some of the New York/Jersey humour didnt drop as well as it would in the states. apart from that, its as amazing.

A great show .
what I could see of it .I was in front row at the price edward theatre london.never seen a stage so close to the front row. it must be about 4ft 6in high.was you at the same theatre.

=/

of course i was

I saw this last week and loved it. All the cast were great and although I'm not a great fan of Glenn Carter the part suited him. But for me the star of the show was Ryan Molloy. I saw him before in Godspell and thought he was one of those performers that you just can't take your eyes off, and I was really looking forward to seeing him in this. He didn't dissapoint!!!

But as other people have said don't sit in the front row unless you like looking up the actors nostrils!! The stage is so high that even with £10 off these seats are still a rip off!!

I hope Jersey Boys is a big hit - it deserves to be and I will certainly be seeing it again

The definition of "original" in musical theatre isn't purely a case of a show not being based on something. It depends how close it is to the source. If there is no new score and a show depends on old pop hits, that it isn't original. At the very least, an original show has to have newly written book, lyrics and music that haven't been done before on stage.

While Jersey Boys is an above average juke box musical, it's still a tribute show not an original musical. I think the problem is that the Four Seasons are not as iconic here as in the US. Not sure it'll do well.

As I understand it, the format is more Buddy-esque than like WWRY/Mamma Mia et al.

I'm interested to see it as lots of people seem to have been pleasantly surprised by its quality, but I'm not convinced it's going to last terribly long regardless.

very boring show. a very poor atempt at a juke box show, performances are good but the direction and set is very poor. to be honest im a little bemused as to what all the fuss is about.

I was at the matinee today. The audience was a giant saga tour but made me feel young anyway!

Negatives - the scene changes drove me nuts - the cast seemed to spend the majority of the show with a chair in one arm and a table in the other. The first half seemed a little long. In fact at one point I thought we were going to go through the whole show without one! Loads of 30 second song snatches . I was like oh come on can we have more of these please

Pluses- They did sing the very famous songs longer (poss 2 mins) The actors worked their socks off and the guy playing Frankie had an amazing range and great stage presence.

On the whole I enjoyed it but it didn't give me the feel good experience Joseph or Hairspray gave me and I am not sure I would go back. I also worry about it's appeal to the GPB. The saga lot loved it but would a younger crowd unless they were into the music of the four seasons. I am not so sure.

Well i have just come back from seeing the show tonight and at 26 years old....I loved every minute of it...ok so its not the greatest in theatre spectacle, but its well told, and slick - perhaps one of the slickest and perfectly timed musicals on in the west end at the moment.

The performances by the leads were fantastic - what voices!

I will give a bigger debrief sometime tomorrow!

I went to see Jersey Boys last night and really cannot understand what all the fuss is about.

Yes the music is incredible, and the guys are very good, however the story is dull, the staging incredibly boring and as for the video screens ... WHY??

I'm glad I went to see it, but I wouldn't go back and I really don't think this will last very long in London. Sorry!

i think the standing ovations EVERY night are a good sign that it is going to run. also the advance in the box office is astounding. dont write this show off. it hasnt even been reviewed yet.

I went on 1 March. I had no doubt at all that this is one of the best shows to be on the West End stage for a very long time. I know all the songs and they are better than the original Frankie Valli and the 4 Seasons did them, because they are live and performed in an exciting and very involving way.

Their story is fascinating and brought a new meaning for me to all the songs, and why they were written. It's right up there with "Hairspray" and "Mamma Mia" - book now, you won't be disappointed! The only thing against this show is some people not willing to try it.

Did Valli and the four seasons never perform live?

And putting hairspray and mamma mia in the same sentence is confusing.

The stage is that high for Jersey Boys, its borders on the ridiculous rendering Row B a waste of money at any price as you just cant see much at all,I would say Row's C-D wont be much better and in my opinion is daylight robbery to charge £50-£60 for these seats from Tuesday.

at 6ft5 i was fine with row B, had a great view and loved being that close to the action, although front row for Avenue Q much much more friendlier!

Know 'em or not (and the title isn't much help to a British audience) the songs are part of the subconscious for people over a certain age. My heart sank when the show opened (at a preview) with a snatch of rap and it takes a good thirty minutes, until the group gets together, before the audience can relax and enjoy the concert. But it's a great hi-tech production which will appeal to the young ones while the oldies singalong. The cast of almost-unknowns are a blast, but with a biographical plot with more semi-drama than comedy, I do wonder if this one will fall between the popularity of Hairspray and Buddy without taking off with an audience of its own. And with few women or dancers with much to do, the show relies heavily on the appeal and talent of the 5 leads...who will probably be changed with, conveniently, no alteration required to the ads.

What a stupid and totally selfish comment!

Not during my lifetime! My point however was that often performers are is better on record; that is not so at Jersey Boys because recording quality wasn't as good then and the performance is so "real".

By the way, to judge from online video, the US show is not up to the UK standard.

frankie valli still performs live all over the world. singing seasons hits and his al time favourite songs.

Did you see the same show as me? This is an excellent musical - the sets are slick and the fast-moving story is told superbly. great effects such as the Ed Sullivan Show scene, where original audience footage was used to give authenticity, and the standard of singing is first class, particularly the guy playing Frankie Valli. The knowledgeable audience gave them a standing ovation the night I went, and I can't wait to see it again. Very boring? I don't think so!!! Perhaps you're too young to appreciate good music.

After reading all these widely varied comments I don't know whether to feel depressed or overjoyed. I had to give my ticket for tonight's performance to a friend, as I have a very heavy cold, and couldn't face sitting there with an enormous packet of Kleenex, while coughing and sneezing throughout the evening.

I have mixed feelings about the music, and usually can't abide compilation musicals, but I did see an excerpt on the Tony Awards programme and it did look very slick and exciting. On the same show was an excerpt from "The Drowsy (Lousy?) Chaperone" which looked ghastly, and, in spite of gowing reviews, made a very rapid dismissal from the scene. It will be very interesting to see if "Jersey Boys" will be a success.

Have mixed feelings about the show. The performers are excellent, the music is good but like others have said too many short snippets and even the longer songs seemed too short. Found the style of the narrative made it drag at times and would have liked to see a little more interaction.
Would have preferred some of the early and late stuff to have been in the programme to allow for longer songs(but then would it just be watching a tribute act, a very high quality one...).

Must be the dullest ensemble work in london, sit at counter, sit at table, sit on random chair, push counter, move table, pick up chair, if you're lucky screech a line.

There were a lot of Americans there who all loved it. There were some very very bored teens (well behaved and clearly used to being in the theatre) who said at the interval they thought the first half would never end.
Clearly some people were so happy to hear the music performed so well, and a few like me who enjoyed it but were not sure why its been such a big hit.

Can see it enjoyed by men who dont like musicals, cant see it filling that theatre week on week, can see it doing well as a tour and or somewhere smaller.

Jersey Boys is a very good show - I saw it last Sat night [full house], & enjoyed it very much.

Interesting story, well performed, plus so many familiar hit songs.

I enjoyed it FAR more than I'd expected.

I hadn't expected to care much about the background of the American artistes (unlike, for example, The Beatles) -
but the Jersey Boys story was well-told, and kept my attention between songs.

Also, I didn't expect to know almost all the songs!

And if some of the songs were abridged, I mostly didn't notice -
(though I'd been quite anxious about that, beforehand, having read this thread before I went).
The songs lasted long enough for me to enjoy 'miming along' to them!

Just one song I noticed was truncated to MUCH less than I'd have liked to hear:
very near the start of the show, what seemed just a TINY snippet of 'Earth Angel', beautifully rendered by Glenn Carter.

My daughter came with me, & she too enjoyed the show - so it's NOT just for Old Biddies!

And it's NOT just for Women! There were lots of men there, & the whole audience seemed to enjoy it -
and gave it a standing ovation - despite the lack of a big megamix finale!
(I think there was just one song reprised during the Curtain Call - though things might have changed by Press Night?)

I'm delighted to see today that most of the papers have given it 4star Reviews.

I hope lots of the British theatregoing public give Jersey Boys a try.

All musicals will have mixed reviews - you can't be all things to all men. Really enjoyed Hairspray but I thought the lead, Ben whats-his-name (failed Joseph contestant) was like watching a mediocre 6th former. He needs to look up the word 'intonation'! Nothing like this in Jersey Boys. Not a single reality show contestant in sight and doesn't it show! Fantastic vocals and very accurate harmonies. Loved the show. Joseph? Oh, come on! I have seen some good Primary School performances in the past (when you could easily get the rights) - would love to take a group of young children - they'd love it. But a show for adults? If you are into Joseph then you won't be able to handle the more sophistication of 'Jersey Boys'. They said 'Mamma Mia' would only last a year if they were lucky - how wrong can you be!!!!

Hairspray is a fantastic show but I agree about Ben Ellis who was just about adequate. I lost count of the number of times his accent went from one to the other, several fluffed lines and only ok vocals. Nifty dancing though but not enough to raise him much above amateur.

Sorry to say, I hated it!
The set and stageing was mostly ripped off from other shows - anyone remember 'Tommy' at the Shaftsbury?
The story was actually quite dull (or was that just the acting?) and the music was little more than average. The whole way through Act 2 there was a recurring theme of 'Oh What a Night' - I just couldn't help myself from thinking... 'Oh What a bag of *****'
Shame to see such a loverly theatre clogged up.

All musicals do not get mixed reviews. If you think that, you obviously don't read them! For example, it might be useful if you check out those for Hairspray which were unanimously all good. (Though I agree that Ben puts in a less than impressive performance in Hairspray.) Also I think you should see the current production of Joseph before you knock it. This is coming from someone who considers this show to be ALW's worst, yet the overall package speaks for how presentation can rise above material to fill theatres. Again, even though reality show cast Lee succeeds purely because Joseph doesn't require any stretch of acting ability.

Jersey Boys at the moment lacks top notch professionalism in several departments. Its basically a juke box show injected with dramatic content and this hybrid doesn't really work or at least not over here. My guess is that the pop orientated juke box crowd will find the dramatic aspect boring, while the theatregoers won't rate it highly enough or original enough to buy tickets. It may get an initial following from people familiar with the Four Seasons, but I don't think it will compete long against other better productions.

I attended the show last night on a whim with a group of friends and thought it was fabulous. Cast was extremely talented, particularly the Frankie Vallie alternate performer, Scott Monello and Glen Carter was great too. The set was basic at points but still worked well as I felt the the empasis on the show was the principle cast.

I agree completely with another comment on this thread re. the ensemble cast having to basicaly carry a chair in one hand and shove a table in the other but although this may not be their most exciting project, I didn't feel the show suffered from it any.

I would recommend the show to others.

i dont know what the fuss is about!!!!! the muscial has no depth, no emotion and by the end of the first act i thought i couldnt care less about these people, the jukebox show problem aside i think the musical is very dry and bare. the set i have to say was quite possbly the worst part, the screens that go up and down non stop, the fences moving all the time, its just borning and by the third scene is became very irretating,

i agree with the above poster, this is a great theatre clogged with an over rated american musical.
the worst thing i think was the hype, i went with expections of the broadway hit maybe it works there but here is dull, dry and boring i hope they arent still here next march! thats the first booking period!

Go see Jersey Boys! I've seen it three times already, believe me, it's amazing! Can't wait to see it a fourth time. The cast is amazing, really strong singers, the music's beautiful and it's even a good show, not the kind of jukebox musical you might expect.

I wish I could see it again... the time I went I suffered in the front row with the excruciatingly high stage (they've since discounted this row to £25) but if I went again I'd like to take my mother and sit in decent seats which means about £120 I don't have. Ne'ermind.

It won't last. The Four Seasons don't have a big enough fan base in the UK to keep it going, and only a theatrical stunner could transcend that fact.

As others have said, the Prince Edward is one of the very best west end houses for BIG musicals.

Job

i think jersey boys could go the same route as drowsy chaperone - popular on broadway, well received here, good reviews, but just not getting enough bums on seats to sustain a long run.

On the one hand i can see this happening as well. . but i think its the type of musical that appeals to an older generation (not that it doesnt apply to younger!) as they may know the music better or the story. . with the drowsy a lot of people were quite clueless!

Mum and I went to see Jersey Boys on Saturday and even though I wasn't really that interested because it is not my type of music I have to say..........OH WHAT A NIGHT!!! We were both very pleasantly surprised and will probably go and see it again. I recommend it to anyone. A very professional cast, production and set. Ryan Molloy is a perfect Frankie Valli. His vocal range is second to none and the entire cast is fantastic.

I've had the good fortune to see the Broadway version, so here's a few comparisons with the gorgeous English boys!

- Ryan Malloy is certainly on a par with his Broadway counterpart, John Lloyd Young. Although I prefer JLY's singing voice (Ryan's a little shrill & nasely in the high register), Ryan's acting was far superior - JLY makes too many weird facial expressions! LOL

- Glenn Carter was great in the role, but Broadway counterpart, Christian Hoff, played the role with far more meatier "mobster nastiness"

Stephen Ashfield & Philip Bulcock both have more charisma than their New York mates, who's names I can't even remember!

- the English cast's harmonies were a lot smoother & richer in sound

- overall, BOTH productions were GREAT! Money well-spent, so go see it for yourselves!