BROADWAY REVIEW: Jersey Boys at Fisher Theatre Detroit by Judy Renee

As a new contributor to MCB I was excited when asked to review "Jersey Boys" on media night last week.  I assumed that I was tasked with this event since most of our writers couldn't tell you who Frankie Vallie was let alone The Four Seasons so I promptly dialed a dear friend who shares my interest in this music and we made a game plan for the evening.

We decided to have dinner in Royal Oak at Oak Street Grill (which was fantastic and really put us in the mood) and then drove down Woodward Ave. to the Fisher Theater.  As we made our way along M-1 we chatted about the many memories of the various neighborhoods from our past when Detroit was a different city than it is today. It seemed like a long drive but we valet parked and arrived much more quickly than we thought! 

Arriving early gave us some time to take in the rich details of this historic venue. I had not been to the Fisher Theater in many years.  I had forgotten what a fantastic theatre it was and what really impressed me was how rather small and intimate it is.  I remembered when the restoration took place and the seating footprint had been reduced from its original size but had not been back in many years. Impressive!

After checking in at the media desk we gave our tickets to the ushers and they kindly escorted us to our seats.  Which were awesome! (as my granddaughter would say)

I was pleasantly surprised to be seated next to many recognizable names from the Detroit media who were there to review the show as well - who knew MCB was right in the thick of things?!

As the theatre started to fill, the chatter from the growing crowd began to swell and there was an electricity in the air just before the curtain

After a few minutes the lights quickly dimmed and I felt 16 years old again!  

The music from 1962 was background to the rise of Frank Valli,  Nick Massi, Bob Gaudio, and Tommy DeVito. It is a fantastic telling of the often turbulent yet prolific times of these friendships filled with betrayal, love, marriage, sex, jealousy and revenge.  The stage production seemed flawless and throughout the evening we could hear the crowd singing along to every song.  

This music is timeless and with the help of the vivid lightshow I could see across the rows and noticed many of the younger generation really enjoying themselves. Many seemed to know the songs and it made me smile.  

We loved this musical - absolutely loved it and would love to see it again.  Jersey Boys really captures the 60's era music and memories which are tied to our city in so many ways. Earlier in the month, I read in the Free Press that Michael David, the "Jersey Boys" producer actually grew up in Grosse Pointe Park.

After this wonderful evening I plan to become a Broadway in Detroit Season Ticket Holder

Visit www.BroadwayinDetroit.com for more details and Happy Holidays!

Performance times for JERSEY BOYS, appearing December 12, 2012 – January 6, 2013 at the Fisher Theatre, located at 3011 W. Grand Blvd., in Detroit, are:

-   Tuesday through Saturday performances at 8:00 p.m. No performances on December 25 and January 1.

-         Sunday evening performances at 7:30 p.m. No evening performance on January 6.

-         Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2:00 p.m.

-         Thursday matinees at 1:00 p.m. No matinee performance on December 20.

-         New Years Eve performance Monday at 7:30 p.m. on December 31.

For more information on JERSEY BOYS, 

go to www.JerseyBoysTour.com or www.BroadwayinDetroit.com