The jukebox musical has been around for decades, and is popular with audiences, if not always with critics. The concept uses a catalog of well known songs to either punctuate the story of the artist who made them, or to create a new narrative by stitching the songs together. One of the most popular jukebox musicals that also received high marks from the critics is Jersey Boys.
This musical follows the career trajectory of The Four Seasons, beginning with their earliest days as young men in New Jersey, tracing their rise in popularity and the conflicts that led to the eventual dissolution of the group in the 1970s. The show is divided into two acts, four segments, with each segment representing a season of the year and also a member of the band. This allows each band member to contribute a point of view to the narrative, using their music to score the stories. Among the songs included are “December 1963 (Oh, What A Night),” “My Eyes Adored You,” and “Can't Take My Eyes Off You.”
Jersey Boys ran on Broadway for 12 years, from 2005 until 2017. In 2006, it took home four Tony awards, including one for Best Musical. In 2009, it was honored with the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Musical from the Society of London Theatre.
Jersey Boys is onstage at Century II Concert Hall on February 19th and 20th. This show includes adult language and situations, and is not recommended for children under 12.
