Jersey Boys: Colassal Disappointment

So me and me mum went to see Jersey Boys on Saturday. The tickets were free. I'm not usually a "reviewer" per say, but I excel at ranting, so here it goes... Well the theatre was lovely, very classy. It played at the Toronto Centre for the Arts in North York. Our seat were awesome, front row of the balcony, near centre. (Although I prefer SECOND row of balcony because I fear heights!!) It begun with a french-rap version of 'Oh, What a Night'. The acoustics left much to be desired. I needed subtitles. And... it just went downhill from there. The story is told by the four members of the Four Seasons. Their "New Jersey" accents were grating, right from the get-go. It was not a musical in the true sense of the word, where there are seamless transitions between music and song. Basically, a member would narrate a brief version of events, at a break-neck pace, and then the boys would break into song, but in a 'performance' context. (ie. at a club, American Bandstand, etc.) They managed to tell the story from the early conception of the group, to break up, and reunion. Impressive for a three hour show. However, we never really got much depth to the characters. I never felt emotion during the sad parts, because I simply didn't have a chance to form an emotional connection. There were no set changes. Even at the second act. There were very few props used. All in all, I felt like I was at some 2-bit operation, not the much lauded Jersey Boys. Now, I love the music from the era, and have been a fan of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons. However, the singing just wasn't up to par. They weren't even dancing at the same time, so I don't know what their excuse is, other than they are substandard performers. The low light of the performance was The Angels' rendition of "My Boyfriend's Back". OH GOD. Ladies, please oh please, open your mouth when you're singing, and breathe and push with your diaphragm. They just fell flat. Something cool was the incorporation of instruments on the stage, from drums and a beautiful grand piano, and a marching horn section. There was a lot of raunchy humour: DON'T BRING THE KIDDIES! Bob Guido lost his virginity to a prostitute, albeit, off stage. There were prostitutes in skimpy garments, a lot of fucks, and mobsters. My mom gave it a 3 out of 5. But she also agreed that she was glad the tickets were free. My Opinion (out of 5) Costumes: 3 Sets: 1 Music: 4.5 Singing: 2.5 Plot: 1.5 Acting: 3.5 Accents: 1 Jokes: 2 OVERALL: 3 out of 5 I would not recommend this. I honestly think that there is so much hype, because people who do not normally attend the theatre are seeing it. So, in a way it's good that more people are getting out to the theatre that normally wouldn't. Plus, it's a guy-friendly show. Tickets are relatively cheap. You can make up your own mind! Just to give myself some credibility, here are the shows I've seen in years past, and loved every one: Mirvish: Phantom of the Opera, Lion King, Mamma Mia, Dirty Dancing Stratford: West side Story (which was cheaper, and lower budget, I'm sure!) Shaw: Getting Married, The Circle, Arms and the Man, You Never Can Tell Check out the Jersey Boys website! Make up your own damn mind.