You have to feel sorry for the audiences at “Jersey Boys” this week. While they’re watching facsimiles of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, the real deals are singing their hearts out just around the corner.
Well, one Jersey Boy at least. Valli is the only original remaining member of the chart-topping group that racked up dozens of Top-40 hits during its ’60s heyday and is now celebrating a 50th anniversary.
Incredibly, the years have done little to diminish Valli’s trademark tenor, which can still soar to a thrilling falsetto. And if he gets a little electronic enhancement along the way, well, hey, the guy’s 78 years old.
After the mandatory film montage of his career — a clip of his guest appearance on “The Sopranos” got the biggest applause — Valli burst onto the stage singing his 1978 No. 1 hit “Grease.” Then he delivered a high-energy, 2 1/2-hour show bursting with Four Seasons hits: “Dawn (Go Away),” “Save It For Me,” “Sherry,” “Walk Like a Man,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Rag Doll” and “Let’s Hang On,” as well as his big solo numbers: “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You,” “My Eyes Adored You,” “Who Loves You” and “Swearin’ to God.”
It was baby boomer heaven, and the crowd — who surely swelled the coffers at the bridges and tunnels — ate it up, happily joining in on the choruses of the biggest hits.
For much of the evening, the Four Seasons were relegated to a backup role, literally — sitting on chairs in darkness behind the front man. It wasn’t until the second half, when they sang along, that they evoked the silhouette and magic of the original group. Taking the lead on “December 1963 (Oh What a Night),” they traded verses while performing slick dance moves.
Introducing the current lineup, who hail from California and Ohio, Valli got his biggest cheer of the evening when he declared, “Hi, I’m Frankie Valli, and I’m just a Jersey boy!”
He also thrilled the crowd when he pointed out his former partner Bob Gaudio, sitting there in the audience, along with former Four Seasons member Gerry Polci, who joined the group in the mid-’70s.
The singer’s well-honed stage patter borders on the cheesy: He introduced “Silence Is Golden” by saying that it was “dedicated to all those people in the Witness Protection Program.” But he also seemed sincerely thrilled to be making his Broadway debut near the hit musical that brought his group back into the spotlight.