Review: JERSEY BOYS THE MUSICAL at Thalia Mara Hall

Mississippi is nearing the portion of the year where we experience all four seasons in the course of 24 hours, so it’s only fitting that the national tour of Jersey Boys the Musical returned to Jackson’s Thalia Mara Hall on September 30th.  Last stopping through in late 2018, this 20th anniversary tour brought the Four Seasons back with just as much talent and style as ever! Opening the Broadway in Jackson series for the ‘26-’27 season presented by Trustmark Bank, the Jersey Boys tour is presented by NETworks Presentations.

With a book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, music and lyrics by Bob Gaudio and Bob Crewe respectively, and choreography by Sergio Trujillo, the show is directed by Des McAnuff. As the world of national tours has started to move away from larger sets and begins to employ LED backgrounds to “move” the setting around, the simple but essentially used metal staircase and bridge has stood the test of time for the musical and allows for your imagination to fill in the gaps in exact scenery. While the cast is relatively small, cast members taking on multiple roles throughout the show makes it appear much larger.

Jersey Boys is essentially a musical divided into fourths - seasons, if you will - and a different member of the original Four Seasons takes on each season, describing vital parts in the history of the group from their own perspective of the moment in time. “Spring” is the first season, with Tommy DeVito, played by Harry Sperduto, giving his account of his discovery of Frankie Valli. Sperduto walks the fine line of pompous and charming during this time, but it’s impossible to miss that facts are being fudged in his favor. “Spring” turns into “Summer” and narration is passed to Bob Gaudio, portrayed by Peyton Schoenhofer, who sets some of the record straight regarding Tommy’s embellishments. During the time Bob narrates, the Four Seasons hit their stride and have 3 back-to-back hits (“Sherry”, “Big Girls Don’t Cry”, “Walk Like a Man”). Schoenhofer also takes Bob on a bit of a personal arc - he starts out young and hungry for the success for the group in an excited way, along with more personal successes ["December 1963 (Oh, What a Night)"], but becomes more business-smart and savvy for getting them seen by the people who can help them make their way to the top as the show goes on - though not quite enough to prevent the downfall that was coming from inside the group. From “Summer”, we move into “Fall”, where we get Nick Massi’s perspective on the time when Tommy’s debt comes to light and the cracks in the group come to a head, where Tommy is bought out for his debt, and Nick (Owen McRedie), in the way of his where no words are wasted and a bomb can be dropped in the same tone you inform someone that you’re just going to the grocery store, announces that he’s going home, and leaving the group in the hands of Bob and Frankie. With “Winter”, it’s finally Frankie’s turn to give his two cents on the group.  Coby Oram is Frankie Valli at this performance, and what a performance it is, especially the ever-iconic “Can’t Take My Eyes off of You”. He goes all in on keeping the group going, finds the members he needs to keep it a quartet - but then accepts that Bob wants to move behind the scenes as exclusively the writer, and with a nudge, forms “Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons”. Closing out the show, the original Four Seasons reunite to celebrate their Hall of Fame induction, reconcile some of their issues from before, and take their well-due pride in what they created.

This story is a complex tale of the forming, fall, and rebirth of one of the most well-known singing groups in the world, and the humanity behind them. Even in the moments where things were tough to watch within the storyline, Jersey Boys 20th Anniversary Tour cast, we couldn’t keep our eyes off of you!

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