Kid Review of Jersey Boys, now playing at New World Stages
by Waverly Winchester, 11 years old
The Mom here! I’ve always thought that kids should be woken up “sweetly” as opposed to having some loud and jarring alarm. So when Wave was a very little girl, I started thinking about the perfect song to be her “official wakeup song.” As I stared down at her little face and watched her belly rise and fall with each breath, I thought to myself, “She’s just too good to be true.” And there it was. I had found my song. Since then, I’ve been playing it nearly every morning to wake her up, and the familiar first notes have become the first notes in the soundtrack of our lives. Through the years, I’ve mixed in “My Eyes Adored You” for some variety, and from there, a love of all Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons songs, as well as Waverly’s spot on impersonations, have held a special place in our lives. I’d seen Jersey Boys twice, and was waiting until she was ready to handle the F word. After living with me for eleven years, well….she was more than ready! Let’s just say I have an Italian temper. Anyway, here is her take on the show.
Waverly here! I was excited because I love pretending to be Frankie Valli and singing all his song (don’t believe me? check out the video below). I knew it would be lively and fun, and I wanted to see how it all started.
The show starts out really fun and lively, like I thought it would, and it’s a little surprising so I won’t tell you! It shows just how popular Frankie Valli songs have been and still are, though, since they started so many years ago. The band was started by Tommy DeVito (and he won’t let you forget it!) who had lots of different bands before a guy with a very unique voice named Frances Castelluccio started singing with him regularly. They find a songwriter named Bob Gaudio who writes hit after hit, and after a few years of being unknown, and lots of different band names, they become The Four Seasons and the rest is history! This show tells the history from the different band members’ points of view. It was really interesting to learn how they went from being nobodies (they even sang backup for a few years) to being world famous, even to this day!
The story is told in the best way – through the music! These guys (Sam Wolf, Mark Edwards, Austin Colby and Aaron DeJesus (who plays Frankie) can REALLY sing and dance – they are all incredible!! The music is awesome and I really felt like they were the real Four Seasons! And I loved how they all danced together in unison, it’s really fun to watch. Yes, there are curse words, so maybe not the best show for really little kids, but like my mom said, she has prepared me well for this and I’m definitely able to handle it so other kids my age should probably be fine also. We saw other kids in the audience also, and the whole place was mesmerized by all the performances. All their greatest hits were performed, like “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Oh What a Night,” and of course my personal wake up songs! Also we learned how “Sherry” was written and it was really interesting to find out! The thing about this show is, you don’t really get much from reading about it…you have to go see it!! Even if you have never heard a Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons song, I promise you will walk out a fan. But not just any fan, you’ll know the history, the stories behind the story, and you’ll definitely have LOTS of fun! One of my favorite parts was when each member of the band turns to face the audience and tells his own personal story. And after hearing Frankie tell about how he has everything, but there is one thing he lost that he can never get back, you will learn a good lesson right before you get up and dance! And believe me, this company WILL make you want to dance.
If “four nobodies” from New Jersey can make it this far, imagine what YOU can do! This show has inspired me to keep following my dreams. Your eyes will adore it, but so will your ears and your heart.
Get your tickets here!
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