Jersey Boys at the Sunderland Empire Review
Jersey Boys
Sunderland Empire
Reviewed by Sue Seaman
Oh what a night, it surely was memorable. I took my 21 year old daughter to see Jersey boys at the Sunderland Empire, who hadn’t a clue who Frankie Valli or the 4 seasons were, but I’m of an age where I grew up listening to their music.
The show direct from the west end of London tells the story of 4 boys from New Jersey making it big in the international world of popular music. It covers all aspects of their lives, love, heartache and triumphs after dropping out of high school and ending up on the wrong side of the tracks.
The show is wonderfully lively, full of pace and had even the youngest members of the audience singing in the aisles. The stage design by Klara Zieglerova, is fast moving and ever changing using pop art designs.
The stars of the show John Lloyd Young as Frankie is more than just acting he sounds so alike Frankie it’s unreal, and the rest of the bad lads Christian Hoff, Daniel Richard, and J Robert Spencer.
Their closeness to the mafia, which to me was a complete surprise as until watching this show.
The Music was amazing and had us singing all the way back to the car park and home featuring such hits as Walk Like a Man, Oh What a Night, Can’t Take My Eyes Off You to name a few made for a very memorable night at the theatre.
Sunderland Empire Theatre is a wonderful place for a night out, it originally opened in 1907 and after suffering many ups and downs through the decades is finally on the map as a place to see West End Productions without travelling further afield to other big cities such as Newcastle, Liverpool or Manchester and with some fab shows lined up for 2015 I will be a regular visitor.
Rating: 5/5 
Sunderland Empire, High Street West, Sunderland, SR1 3EX | 0844 871 3022
