Sound Check True Falsetto
posted by on September 5 at 14:10 PM
Jersey Boys – The Story of Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons is playing at the August Wilson Theatre in New York City. John Lloyd Young, who plays Frankie Valli pulls off Valli’s ball-grabbing falsetto with Tony Award winning skill. He’s completely encompassing. Jersey Boys won the 2006 Tony for Best Musical.
You know Frankie Valli, think – “Sherry”, “Big Girls Don’t Cry”, “Walk Like a Man”, “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You”, and “Oh What a Night”. They are doo-wop and sock hop, but they’re also from the streets of Newark, New Jersey. Seeing the songs performed within the grittiness of their story held it up. A well written, well cast, and well performed story.
John Lloyd Young’s Tony for best performance by an actor in a musical is apt and earned. The Valli falsetto, that ball-punishing falsetto is one of the more original vocals in music history, very difficult to imitate and perform. Young is right there with it, every note of the way.
The story effectively invests the viewer in the songs and the band. I found myself cheering not just because the actors nailed the songs, but because within the context of the story, the songs become underdogs and are triumphant in rising the band from obscurity. And Young singing that high without a constriction of his crotch, doing Valli justice, you have to cheer that.
Directed by Des McAnuff, and based on a book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, the story is told from perspective of the four members: Frankie Valli, Bob Gaudio, Tommy DeVito, and Nick Massi. Late 1950’s blue-collar, struggling sub-gangsters who go on to sell 175 million records. Gaudio’s songwriting and Valli’s voice carved them their slice of prominence.
Smithereens drummer and musicologist, Dennis Diken says:
The same way the Beach Boys captured Southern California living, the Four Seasons encapsulated the Northeastern working class experience. Their records evoke the feel of New York City. They used innovative chords and changes in the songs to make the singles little worlds of their own, so different from each other.There was a healthy competitive streak between the Beach Boys and the Four Seasons. There’s a very Valli-like falsetto tag in some of the Beach Boys sound. The Seasons responded by releasing a B-side called “No Surfing Today.”
Working class and under classed people have always made their mark and communicated with music. Jersey boys opened the doors for the E Streetband, another Jersey product of sweaty young men pumping rock and unforgetable roll. Music is the food of life and one of the cheapest ways UP and out.
Good article.
Tante
Hey, sorry to hijack your post, but did you get the pdfs I sent to JZ?
Trent!!!! Your back. 175 million ain't bad. I'd grab my nuts too.
And man, I haven't thought of the Smithereens in forever. They had that one song, it was huge, I can't remember what it was called. Obviously, that guy didn't squeeze his nuts hard enough.
The play does sound cool though. When is it coming to SEA?
Hey Levislade,
No, I didn't get the pdf's. I'll email you and hit you up. Thanks a bunch for doing that. Lookin forward to seeing them.
And Monty, I'm not sure if or when Jersey Boys are coming to Seattle. I'd check the website. I've had "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You" stuck in my head for two days now.
And that's a song, that no one wanted. They had to force it on a dj, and it went on to sell something like 3 million copies.
A great article....heard the Valli actor remark he let Valle "marinate" in his head for about 6 months before they opened in Manhattan.
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