Review: Jersey Boys hits all the high notes on Northampton stage

There’s something timeless about watching a boy band come together in the UK or US – whether it’s Take That in the ‘90s, The Bay City Rollers in the ‘70s or countless others.

Then came the Four Seasons, who formed in 1960 in the USA.

Des McAnauff’s musical Jersey Boys takes you back in time to New Jersey. It tells the tale of a group of musicians who started life as the band The Lovers, some with chequered pasts. Tommy De Vito, played by Dalton Wood, had been in and out of prison several times and Nick Massi, played by Christopher Short, had also been behind bars.

Addressing the audience directly, each of the actors tells the tale of their rise to fame producing smash hits such as Sherry, Big Girls Don’t Cry, Can't Take My Eyes Off You and Oh What a Night.

The single scaffold set design (by Klara Zieglerova) played a big part in creating the 1950s/’60s New Jersey vibe.

I loved the thick nasal New Jersey/New York accent the cast adopted, creating a sense of place if occasionally making it a little hard to hear the words.

Lead singer Frankie Valli, played by understudy Ryan Heenan, hit all the high notes of Frankie’s iconic falsetto and band members sang true to the harmony-based style of the original group.

Dalton Wood as Tommy DeVito – pearly-white cheeky grins and heartthrob appeal – gave a charismatic performance, delivering the story’s narrative in the first half of the show. Bob Gaudio played by Blair Gibson, taking over the narrative of the group’s rise to fame in the second half which also touched on the band’s personal life.

Tight and slick dance routines and snazzy costumes captured the essence of the original band in New Jersey and the audience were served an endless catalogue of hits.

At the end the audience were on their feet stomping and cheering, showing they felt the musical really had hit all the high notes.

Jersey Boys The Musical runs until Saturday April 1. Visit royalandderngate.co.uk to book.