Jersey Boys

Philip, purveyor of tickets to such non-mass consumed theater shows Tick, Tick, Boom! and Jason Robert Brown's The Last Five Years, got tickets for Jersey Boys, and we finally watched.

While I'm often a big fan of Philip's discoveries, Jersey Boys felt more like an impersonation show, rather than an original musical. It was not unlike cabaret night aboard the Bahamas cruise ship my family and I took back when I was in the eighth grade (circa 1994). I distinctly remember the Neil Diamond impersonator doing "Sweet Caroline," "I am...I said," and the Independence Day perennial classic "[Coming to] America." [I thought it would be a nice touch here to include a list of other impersonators and their respective repertoires, but in my mind's eye, I can envision Mr. Diamond's bird's nest haircut and caterpillar eyebrows. "Hands, touching hands, reaching out/Touching me, touching you/Oh, sweet Caroline!"] Yes, it was rather like that night off the Floridian coast, except no one was playing shuffleboard on the upper decks, and there was no free midnight buffet to follow.

...or it might remind one of another favorite type of impersonation event: a drag show (minus the crazy false eyelashes, and padded bras. But I'm pretty sure there were plenty of 'mos at the Ahmanson...) But I digress.

For those not familiar with Jersey Boys: it purports to be the true story of the Four Seasons, so it isn't an original plot; the songs are all from the Season's (substantial) hit list. Although the story was mildly interesting, I felt it would have made a much better made-for-tv-movie, with music included. Our tix were $66—for the third tier balcony! I would have much preferred the show for free, in my sweats, on my comfy couch at home.

The reason I found the show so unsatisfying was that it was much more entertainment than art: according to me and Horace, art should both delight and instruct. [And while Horace developed his aesthetic theory a couple millennia before I did, I assure we we arrived at our aphorisms independently.] Jersey Boys didn't instruct—I didn't feel more enlightened about the nature of man, the state of civilization, or expansive matters. I don't think it posed any questions, let alone suggested answers. It is a populist musical..and I guess I prefer interesting, avante guard-type musicals.

Which is not to say there was not merit in it. The division of the singers' lives into four 'seasons' of the play was alright, and the singing was definitely good (who can resist those doowop harmonies?) But overall, I wasn't impressed and might not mind a refund if one were proffered. (Believing that standing ovations should be the exception, rather than the rule, I was the only person in my row who remained seated during the curtain call.)

The bottom line: wait for it to come out on DVD.