The Four Seasons Analysis

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It’s the year 2000, and a familiar song is being re-imagined by a French rapper. This is soon interrupted by Tommy DeVito, explaining that the 1975 song “oh what a night” by the Four Seasons, of which he was a member, is, in the year 2000, topping the charts in France for ten straight weeks. The setting then moves to 1950’s New Jersey where a teenage Tommy, looking to start a band with some of his Jersey buddies, discovers an angelic-voiced 15 year old named Frankie Castellucio. Before long, they form an unsuccessful group with the help of another kid from their working-poor New Jersey neighborhood, Nick Massi. After consistently failing to gain traction, the trio decides they need a fourth member, and, after going through several defective ones, enlist another neighborhood friend, who works at the bowling alley, to track one down. This impromptu talent scout, as it turns out, was a young Joe Pesci, far and away the most entertaining character in the musical. Pesci introduces the trio to Bob Gaudio, a talented singer, pianist and songwriter who had, at the age of 15, already written the hit song “short shorts”. Now, 17 and eager to prevent himself from becoming a one hit wonder, Gaudio joins the group. This begins a short period in which the group, which has been regularly changing its name due to its own indecisiveness, has absolutely no decent gigs or interest by record executives. This is until the group finds itself standing outside the electric sign of a club they failed to get hired by, a club by the name of The Four Seasons Suddenly inspired, Castellucio sees this sign and tells his buddies to turn around, at which point he says “oh my god, it’s a sign”. The group now decides to call itself The Four Seasons and Frankie chan...

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...ad turn as his daughter is revealed to have died of an overdose during one of the many times he was away from his family on tour. The play’s ending, while somewhat anticlimactic, as the most compelling scenes and plot elements concluded decades earlier, is still fitting, as it sees the group being cemented into music history via the rock and roll hall of fame, shows where they are now, and concludes with a final electrifying musical performance.

In the end, the play was very much worth seeing. Although it went on a bit longer than it should have, and the plot could have been condensed a bit, it was still a very enjoyable experience. The play was well written and its cast members all did great jobs. Also, all of the songs were impeccably performed and the lighting and set was designed to perfectly fit the show. Jersey Boys is a terrific theatergoing experience.

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