Kim's Thoughts
Just a few thoughts I feel worthy of jotting down!
Review: Jersey Boys
A couple of weeks ago, my friend Cathy and I were talking about stage shows and interesting places to go for things like that. She asked if I ever saw Jersey Boys and mentioned that the show was currently playing at Shea’s Performing Arts Center in Buffalo. I said, no – why don’t we get tickets and go!!!??? So, we did – we got tickets for the matinee show on Thursday!!! What a treat!!! From the moment we talked about it, I looked forward to it! I love the music of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons – I even saw them live on the Steel Pier in Atlantic City along with Brenda Lee when they were just The Four Seasons and I was like, maybe 10 or so! Who doesn’t know their music? Even if you are too young to remember their hits when they were hits and if you don’t even know who they are – you have heard their music – it gets chosen for movies and TV shows and commercials all the time! Their music is HUGE and they had so many hits and I couldn’t wait to listen to a couple hours of it set in the story of how four guys from the streets of Jersey got their big break and became STARS!
So, Thursday came…….I picked up Cathy and we headed to Buffalo with the help of Maggie – my GPS, since neither of us were exactly sure how to get to Shea’s and where to park. We talked and talked all the way – it was such a pretty day for a drive! Maggie took us right to the entrance of Shea’s – not quite the route we would have taken to get to the general vicinity, but she got us there. We found a parking lot directly across the street – yay – but were surprised to find out that they were charging $30 to park!!! WHAT??? So, not willing to pay $30 to park, unless we had no other choice, I asked the attendant if there were any more reasonably priced parking lots nearby. He said we could use city parking (and said it like it was a bad thing) and the nearest one was a couple blocks away. We went on two blocks up the street and found it — max cost for a day of parking in the city garage — $7.00!!! Um, YEAH – I’ll walk two blocks for that! I was surprised at the number of people who just paid the man $30 – that lot and several others just like it were packed with cars with drivers who obviously didn’t think to ask the question, “is there some place cheaper?”!!! Anyway…..happy with our cost savings, we looked for a place to have some lunch before the show and found a great little deli right beside Shea’s.
It was the first time I’ve ever been in Shea’s – I’ve seen a lot of shows in Rochester and Toronto, but none in Buffalo and, specifically, none at Shea’s. When I walked in, I was awe struck! What an incredibly regal theater it is…….so ornate and luxurious with gold and red velvet and that was just the lobby and hallway to the doors into the theater! We entered the theater and found our seats — fourth row center — incredible seats — and looked around at the magnificent space and felt overwhelmed by the history and beauty! It is an amazing building that I’ll never forget – so gorgeous!!!
Then, the show started……….and I was not disappointed………in fact, it was so much better than I could have possibly expected it to be! The actors couldn’t have sounded more like the real guys if they were actually the real guys!!! And the story of how they got started and how fame impacted their lives and their careers was very interesting and emotional…….yes, I used the “E” word – several parts brought me to tears (and some actual sobbing) – when they broke out into the first song…..OK, so just about every time they broke out into a song I loved – certain key points in their lives (especially when Frankie Valli’s youngest daughter dies) – I was wiping at least a little tear through most of the show! We really could have used a box of Kleenex! 🙂 It was over two hours jam packed with fabulous music and narration of how it all happened from each of the guy’s perspectives and finally where they all are, now – one is, sadly, no longer with us. And it all ended with an exciting final scene with all the cast on stage singing and dancing to “December 1963, Oh What A Night” – my favorite of their songs!!! The entire audience was on their feet clapping and dancing in place and singing along!!! (Dang, why didn’t we bring that box of Kleenex???)
We got back to town and I dropped Cathy off so I could go take care of the girls. Then we met for some dinner and then met up with her sister and brother-in-law at Watt’s for ice cream! What a wonderful day it was…….fun spending time and talking with Cathy……an amazing show…….and a great ending to the day! If you get a chance to see Jersey Boys…..DO IT!!!! Here is a video montage – enjoy!
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