The wait is over! Twenty years after its La Jolla Playhouse debut and five years after a handful of U.S. theaters were finally given the rights to stage it regionally, Jersey Boys at long last gets the homegrown production SoCal audiences have been waiting for, and a spectacular one it is at the La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts.

The 13th-longest-running show in Broadway history recounts the true-life story of pop legends The Four Seasons with a few dozen Top Forty smashes thrown in for zing, most of them performed precisely as the Seasons did themselves throughout the 1960s—in recording studios, clubs, and concerts, and on one TV variety show after another.

Book writers Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice divide the musical into its own four seasons, recounted Rashomon-style by group members Tommy DeVito (Chris Fore), Nick Massi (Blake Burgess), Bob Gaudio (Taubert Nadalini), and the one-and-only Frankie Valli (Noah Rivera).

Thus we first get Tommy’s spin on the pop quartet’s start (including Tommy and his brother’s multiple albeit relatively brief incarcerations and their mob connection with mafia boss Gyp DeCarlo), followed by The Gospel According To Bob, the songwriting genius whose melodies were a key factor in The Four Seasons’ rise to stardom.

Nick assumes the narration post-intermission, with Frankie at last taking over to recount the events leading up to his solo stardom and beyond.

And since Jersey Boys doesn’t flinch from the dark side of the group’s success, the decision to end Act One with a dramatic cliffhanger rather than the great big production number that precedes it is a savvy reminder that Jersey Boys is ultimately the real-life tale of four boys from Jersey, warts and all.

And what an eye-opening treat La Mirada audiences are in for as director T.J. Dawson puts his own inspired stamp on a show most American theatergoers have seen staged basically the same way since 2004.

Not that there was anything wrong with the Broadway original, but one of the joys of regional theater is seeing shows through visionary new eyes like Dawson’s.

And just wait until you catch a glimpse of Stephen Gifford’s brand spanking new set design, one that eschews The original’s LED comic-book projections for a more realistic albeit still flashy look, one that will have you feeling you’re seeing Jersey Boys for the very first time.

Not only are the Seasons’ signature four-part harmonies every bit as gorgeously performed at La Mirada as the original pop quartet’s were (music by Gaudio, lyrics by Bob Crewe), each of the show’s triple-threat stars gets ample opportunity to strut his dramatic stuff as do the musical’s supporting characters in dialog-based scenes that could just as easily be part of a straight play.

Leading man Rivera’s pitch-perfect falsetto is just one reason to cheer his star turn as Frankie, a character whose transition from teenager to adult Rivera renders with absolute authenticity. (It helps that Rivera has backed up the real Frankie Valli as a latter-day Season himself.)

Fore is on fire as loose cannon Tommy, Burgess is a salt-of-the-earth charmer as Nick, and SoCal favorite Nadalini does boy wonder Bob Gaudio proud indeed.

Supporting cast members deliver standout turns in multiple roles each, most notably Gian Raffaele DiConstanzo, whose irresistibly brash and spunky Joe Pesci steals every scene he’s in.

Dominic Pace gives mobster Gyp DeCarlo equal parts power and gravitas, Adam Lendermon is a flamboyant delight as lyricist Crewe, Quintan Craig doubles terrifically as original group member Nick DeVito and one of the many replacement Seasons of later years, fresh-out-of-USC Johnny DiGiorgio impresses in his professional debut as loan shark Norm Waxman, and Michael Ray Fisher’s rendition of as Hal Miller and the Rays’ “An Angel Cried” evokes the early ‘60s to silky perfection.

Jersey Boys’ three featured Jersey Girls—Marlana Dunn as the brassy Mary, Maggie Ek as lost child Francine, and Mel Mehrabian as the lovely Lorraine—perform their roles with abundant pizzazz, and director Dawson’s decision to add onstage swing Dayna Sauble (singing lead in “My Boyfriend’s Back”) to the distaff mix is yet another inspired touch.

Choreographer Dana Solimando does a fabulous job recreating the boy-and-girl-group moves that were de rigueur in the 1960s, accompanied by music director Allen Everman and the show’s rocking-&-rolling band, with special snaps to musician Carl Thompson, who spends so much time drumming up a storm on stage, he deserves a curtain call of his own.

Adam Ramirez’s spot-on costumes (from mid-20th-century everyday wear to showbiz glitz), Jean-Yves Tessier’s pizzazzy lighting, Kaitlin Yagen’s era-perfect hair and wig designs, and Melanie Cavaness and Gretchen Morales’s heaping helping of period props complement Gifford’s groundbreaking scenic design to stunning effect, with sound designer Josh Bessom ensuring an impeccable mix of vocals and instrumentals in song after song after song.

Jersey Boys is presented by 3-D Theatricals in association with La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts and McCoy Rigby Entertainment. Casting is by Lindsay Brooks. Dance captain Joe Abraham and Eran Scoggins are swings.

Leslie Stevens is associate director/choreographer. Kevin Clowes is technical director. Jill Gold is production stage manager and Julian Olive and Audrey Colindres are assistant stage managers. David Elzer is publicist.

Having seen five different iterations of the original Broadway tour since Jersey Boys made its L.A. debut at the Ahmanson in 2007, I was more than ready for a fresh new take on the material.

Not only does T.J. Dawson’s re-imagined Four Seasons Story meet my already high expectations, it more than surpasses them. This is one Jersey Boys you absolutely do not want to miss.

La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, 14900 La Mirada Boulevard, La Mirada.
www.lamiradatheatre.com

–Steven Stanley
April 20, 2024
Photos: Jason Niedle

Visit www.theatreinla.com/nowplayingrs.php for a review roundup of what’s now playing in theaters around Los Angeles.

Tags: 3-D Theatricals, Bob Crew, Bob Crewe, Bob Gaudio, Frankie Valli, La Mirada Theatre For The Performing Arts, Los Angeles Theater Review, Marshall Brickman, McCoy Rigby Entertainment, Rick Elice