Family of One Attends Jersey Boys in Miami, FL

Later tonight, I am headed to see Jersey Boys for the third time, the first two being on Broadway. Tonight, for the first time, I have a really great seat. I have been thinking about why I wanted to spend premium bucks to see a show again that, frankly, is no 42nd Street or God of Carnage, for that matter. I hear about a lot of folks who are transfixed by this show and see it again and again.

There’s definitely something about the (for the most part) upbeat music. I barely remember Frankie Valli and the Four Season from my childhood, enjoying their music more when I was in my 30s. The plot of a rags to riches to rags to riches experience definitely resonates. I like the idea of spending an evening in the theater where there is a happy ending and lots of energizing tunes. I like not having to focus on every plot twist and listen to every lyric, but just relax.

But, I think that my great affection for this show goes back to the first time that I saw it in June of 2006 just as it was becoming a huge phenomenon and just after the show and its star won the Tony awards.

I was just coming out of the worst period of my life and had begun what were still tentative forays back into the NYC scene. Now, I take it for granted that I zip all over the city, throwing back cocktails and yucking it up with new friends at the latest restaurants. Then, I was still grappling with remaining issues from the days when I lived in New York as well as what my future held. I was not particularly excited about seeing Jersey Boys, but I had heard great things about it, so, given that I used to see almost every show playing on Broadway, I decided to see that along with a delightful and underrated show called The Drowsy Chaperone.

My seat was in the second mezzanine and I was surrounded by mostly folks my age and older, but lots of couples, most of whom seemed to be from New Jersey. I say that not with sarcasm, but because they were all yelling out to each other where they were from and greeting each other warmly.

Even the second mezzanine was a treat to me because in an attempt to be thrifty and because NYC hotels were starting at $400 a night for just a mediocre room, I had done something that I thought was brilliant and rented an apartment which was advertised as close to Lincoln Center. It was in the housing project directly behind Lincoln Center, so that part was true. The apartment, which it also was, had one lone light bulb, a mattress directly on the floor, and smelled of a gas leak which encouraged me to stay out of it the whole time I was there. I wouldn’t even go in the bathroom, but washed my hands—and my hair—in the kitchen sink. The one thing that it had going for it was that it had a nice long sofa overlooking 68th Street, so that I could lie there and read and look out on a tree-covered street, long one of my NYC dreams. Suffice to say, I never looked back once my time there was up and I immediately made plans to return to NYC a few weeks later when the Gramercy Park Hotel was reopening with an introductory rate of $250 per night.

But, for now, I am in a nice, cool theater and I am not disappointed by the energy and the direction of the show. And, the performances are excellent. Everyone gets into the show and we are all laughing and discreetly sniffing at the appropriate times. Early in the show, Frankie Valli is told that because of his great talent, one day he will be a superstar singing with the backing of an orchestra that includes horns. Somehow, this never seems to happen.

So, towards the end of the second act, the familiar strains of “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” start, the single horn playing the introduction and Frankie Valli’s single clear voice singing the song of so much yearning and possible fulfillment. As John Lloyd Young sang the song, my mind almost exploded with thoughts of people in my life who had reached great heights in the second acts of their life. I even thought about my ex G and what an incredible second act he was having. And, then, I thought about myself and how in what seemed like just a few weeks, everything that had been so grim had turned into something wonderful and affirming. As I was thinking this, several musicians strutted onto the stage playing horns like trombones and trumpets, that incredible heart of the song. It was so incredibly overpowering that I burst into tears and just sat there sobbing unabashedly. Then, I pulled myself together. I said to myself, “stop acting like such a p***** and stop embarrassing yourself in front of all of these people from New Jersey”. I sat up and looked around. Everyone else was collapsed in tears as well. Even the men! Especially the men!

And, then, all of a sudden, everyone in the theater leapt up and started a standing ovation in the middle of the song. I just assumed that the producers had manipulated the emotional pull of the song to evoke such a response. But, that didn’t tarnish the moment at all. We all clapped and clapped and STOPPED THE SHOW!! Never in my life did I think I would write those words, unless it was for a revival of Elaine Stritch in Company or Lunt/Fontanne in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. The ovation went on for a couple of minutes. Finally, John Lloyd Young had nodded and bowed and held his hands to his heart enough times and the show went on.

Christ on a crutch, I was so worn out that I couldn’t even tell you what happened after that. But, of course, there is the wonderful scene when the group reunites at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and rises up below the stage singing Rag Doll with the haunting chorus boomeranging all over the theater. And other wonderful scenes. We were all so connected by this time that no one wanted to leave the theater after the final note.

So, the second time that I saw it, I was not as emotionally frayed and enjoyed the whole show and no one collapsed with emotion during “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” or received a standing ovation in the middle of the show. This time, the audience was filled with parents from all over the country with their teen-aged daughters, singing every word along with the cast. Fascinating that this show so entranced them, I thought.

Tonight, from my box seat, I plan on just enjoying the show from my box seat along with a pre-theater meal at Barton G’s restaurant, Prelude, located at the theater. Who loves you, indeed!!