Jersey Boys At The Regent Theatre, Stoke On Trent Review

Reviewed by H Chan

It is always a pleasure to be invited to the Regent, I love the building and the staff are always really friendly and helpful. Last night I was lucky enough to be in the audience for The Jersey Boys!  One of the things I love about the building, apart from it’s character, is how accessible the building is and that there is parking close by for when you leave in the dark or rain. Last night there was quite a lot of traffic in the city centre and the car parks seemed quite full, so I would recommend if you’re thinking of heading out to see the show that you allow some extra time to navigate the roads. Sign posting for the theatre and Cultural Quarter are easy to spot should you need to park further away or if using public transport.

We arrived half an hour before the show but still had plenty of time to get a drink and find our seats, the only queue we had was showing our proof of vaccinations on the way in. If you do not have a covid pass showing vaccination proof you can use a negative lateral flow test confirmation, but please remember to check the current guidelines with the theatre website which can be found here. This will have all of the up to date information that you need for a safe experience.

After a visit to the bar we found our seats which had a great view of the stage. The show seemed to be a sell out (or very close) and I loved the atmosphere. It was clear that everyone was excited.  The Jersey Boy’s follows the real life stories of Franki Valli and the Four Seasons from their beginnings on the street’s of New Jersey to their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, using their well loved songs to help tell their tale. I took my dad with me to see this as he was a fan of Franki Valli and the Four Seasons. He enjoyed hearing about how the band came together, their Mafia connections and their rise to fame. The audience seemed mostly to be of that era, with some being younger. I wouldn’t say the show was suitable for children but for adults definitely worth seeing.

The quality of the singing by the cast was unbelievable, especially Michael Pickering who played Franki. If you closed your eyes you could easily have been listening to him. My Dad grew up enjoying their music and said that of the shows he’s seen, he hasn’t heard the singing voices being as close as they were at this production. Dalton Wood who played Tommy DeVito really stood out too and all of the four main cast members worked really well together. There was a real band chemistry which didn’t seem forced or thrown together which in this kind of production makes a world of difference.

The first half of the show flowed well, introducing us to the cast and the incredible backing band who I feel needed more credit as they were fantastic.

The sound quality during the singing was great, lovely and clear, however some of the spoken parts were a little difficult to hear so we did miss some lines. This seemed to improve with the second half of the show.
During the interval we remained seated except a trip to the bathrooms which were very clean. There is a mobile ordering system to your seats should you require any refreshments without visiting the bar area.

The second half of the show for me was really funny, except for the part where Frankie lost his daughter which was incredibly sad and very well acted. You could feel the emotion.

The show played many of the favourites, Sherry, Big Girl’s Don’t Cry, and Walk Like a Man. The Angels sang My Boyfriend’s Back which was refreshing and my dad said it really took him back to being younger and listening to that music on evenings out.

I was surprised at the amount of swearing in the show. I assumed there would be some swearing due to the nature of the show but there was quite a bit more than expected. I didn’t see anything in the program about it, nor was there a warning about the sudden bright light during part 1. The lights behind the band were so bright that many, including me had to cover their eyes momentarily which could be a problem for some with eye sensitivities. Not a complaint just an observation which might have even been a technical mistake but I feel a small mention in the program might have been a good idea regarding this if it was intentional.

I have seen several adaptations of this show before, but this particular adaptation was hands down the best I have seen. Huge credit to the costume department too!

The ending to the show was phenomenal, it really was. The main cast came onto the stage to rapturous applause one by one before singing Who Loves You? The audience loved it and the cast received a well deserved standing ovation. The Musical director Griff Johnson came out onto the stage to take a bow and he got a huge cheer. The atmosphere was amazing, the whole thing well choreographed and everyone left buzzing.

I’d recommend this show to anyone who loved the music from this era, or who were fans of the band. Saying that though it would also appeal to younger audiences who would enjoy following the story which flowed well and would be enjoyable to anyone who likes these kinds of shows.

Rating: I give this show 5 out of 5 stars. I would definitely go and see it again.

It runs until Tuesday 19th Feb at The Regent in Stoke on Trent.

Tickets begin at £13 and can be found here.  The show lasted about two and a half hours including interval.