Jersey Boys At Mayflower Theatre, Southampton Review

Reviewed by Amy Dixon

I had the fantastic opportunity of taking a friend to review Jersey Boys at the Mayflower theatre in Southampton. The theatre appeared packed out in the stalls which for a Wednesday evening performance is a testament to the popularity and hype of the show. Jersey boys takes you on a journey covering Frankie Valli and the Four seasons rise to fame. From the opening scenes we were wowed by the performances.

Although ultimately Jersey Boys is a musical show, it also held well timed comedic moments and at times hard hitting scenes, taking you through the highs and lows from each band members viewpoint. Having had no prior knowledge of the history to the show it was interesting and entertaining following the story of their success and the inspiration behind some fantastic hits that are still well known today. Equally the seedy, darker sides to touring bands portrayed in the show gave a further dimension to the production, which made you walk away with a respect for the journey they went through and the honest recollections showing some chequered pasts. It was fair to say it had its helping of cheesy tunes but didn’t leave a sickly sweet aftertaste.

The sets were minimal yet fluid in their movement from one scene to the next, often taking you to the next scene via the spiral staircases. We were wowed by the seamless movement of the mic stands in and out of scenes. The costumes took you to their era and set the scene well.

The cast appeared to have a good rapport onstage and portrayed the emotions of each scene but the clear star was Frankie Valli played by Michael Pickering. His vocal range was amazing, but equally his ability to sing and go straight into a narrative piece with at times no breath in between was stunning to watch.

Stand out favourite songs for me were ‘Big girls Don’t Cry’, ‘Bye Bye Baby’ and ‘Can’t take my eyes off you’.
The Mayflower Theatre is close to rail links and has plenty of parking including a multi-story car park close by which offers free parking from 6pm, I would encourage visitors to arrive early as traffic can be busy coming into Southampton.

The Theatre itself is very clean and the interior has had a revamp so looks very fresh and well maintained with new more generous seats for both leg room and ample behinds. The theatre was well staffed with plenty of helpful friendly ushers, giving directions to the facilities and where to purchase refreshments prior to the start and in the interval.
Overall I would recommend booking to see Jersey Boys if you are looking for a musical yet shady at times venture into the highs and lows of the rise of the notorious American band. You will be amazed by the vocal range of the lead performer and equally talented cast and I’d challenge you not to come away without humming a tune or tapping your feet to the well known hits. I cannot fault the performance we saw.

Rating: 5/5

Tickets cost from £29.50 to £54.50.

Jersey Boys is at Mayflower Theatre Southampton from 5th to 16th July 2022, for more information or to book tickets please visit Jersey Boys | Mayflower Theatre | Southampton or call the box office on 02380 711811.

Mayflower Theatre, Commercial Road, Southampton, SO15 1GE