PRINCE EDWARD THEATRE

Judging by the demographic of standing ovation this show is a must see if you grew up listening to the hits of Franki Vali and the Four Seasons. And if you weren't a teen in the 60's Jersey Boys has plenty of catchy nonstop hits that you are bound to recognise and love.

Jersey Boys really captures the story of Franki Vali and the Four Seasons and their rag-to-riches musical journey. The story spans over 50 years and therefore the show zips along at quite a rapid pace. It is however held together by the fantastic score and compelling storyline.

As Franki Vali & the Four Seasons tunes climb the charts the show get better and better and by the second half of the show the entire audience was toe tapping along to the fantastic sound.

The four main characters Tommy, Bobby, Nick and Frankie take turns to narrate the show, each has a unique storytelling style and offer different perspectives on the bands journey.

The set allowed smooth transitions with characters wheeling their own props onto the sparse set of industrial scaffolding. Large Lichtenstein style pop art comics were projected on screens above the stage.

Against this rather bland set the stage versions of Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons blast out some really accurate representations of original hits including "Sherry", "Big Girls Don't Cry", "Rag Doll", "Oh What a Night" and "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You".

There are some great moments in the production where the band perform into onstage cameras and broadcast their concerts onto back and white screens evoking sixties cheese without going over the top.

Winner of Best Musical Tony Award when it opened on Broadway in 2005 this production is definitely above your average jukebox musical! This is mainly due to the fact that the leads three part harmony behind Mr Valli's soaring falsetto voice are so eerily convincing.

The real star of the show is definitely songwriter Bob Gaudio whose music elevated the audience to a nostalgic high.

Audience
If you were a teenager in the '60s this will be a high recommended trip down memory lane and you'll know all the words to all the songs and will leave singing. If you want to see how you became a pop star back before Simon Cowell arrived then this is a great show for you.

But, there is strong language in show as you'd expect from four guys growing up in New Jersey they can be pretty liberal with four letter words, so don't think this is a show for all the family.

Theatre
The Prince Edward Theatre is one of London's best theatres, having been beautifully refurbished by Delfont Mackintsoh. In 2004 they 'reinvented' the bar spaces and adding some much needed additional toilet facilities. A particular highlight is the bar in the Dress Circle which gives you access out on the balcony overlooking Old Compton Street and its busy night life.

The stage is quite high so our advice is to avoid the first 3 rows if possible, and the front row of the dress circle suffers from a high wall so avoid row A as well. Dress Circle loges are a unique feature of this theatre with 3 on each side.