New Jersey Nights

When I was asked if I’d like to review * this show, of course I said yes, I’m starting to really enjoy the theatre, the child free time, and each time I take someone new so it’s a good to spend time with people I wouldn’t normally.
In work when we had chatted about this my new adoptive nan was enthusiastic about it so I took her along with me and took her back to 16 years of age apparently! She was saying about the songs that the original group sang, I was like nope, duno them!
As my regular readers will know, every time I’ve seen a show I’ve had no idea what it’s been about and this show was no different. I had no expectations, which I love as I’m never disappointed!
We arrived and the stage was set up with a net curtain covering it so all you could really see was lights, my first thought was that would look lush in Z’s sensory room! When the show started Joshua Denver, William Hazel, Duncan Heather and Ricky Rojas were heard singing and the curtain was lifted, there the band was playing at the back, the singers and dancers dancing in front of a bar.
What I couldn’t help but notice and it continued throughout the show was they were all colour co-ordinated. So the dancers, in the opening scene the ladies had red shoes, then each one had a different coloured dress, grey, white and black. These were then matched to their partners it was quite clever! They also matched the props, with the red table and black bar, with red and black steps leading to the stage. When they had a change of clothes, the lights in the curtains changed to match those colours too.
The show along with singing some classic hits it told the tale of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons and they sang some hits from other artists in that era.

We started with them singing oh what a night, in a bar as we learnt more about them they moved on to the studio, each taking a turn to be narrator telling the story of his life.
I didn’t know all the songs they sang but that really didn’t stop my hands from tapping along, or my foot going to the beat, it was something you kind of had to do! Well apart from the two sitting beside me that didn’t move! They didn’t so much as smile never mind clap.
I’ve not seen the audience engage so much before at the theatre, and when they messed up a little at the start of blue moon, it was just funny, think everyone in the audience laughed and joined in. ( Well apart from my neighbours !)
At the end of the show I don’t think there was a single person still seated, everyone had hands in the air clapping along swaying to the music, it really was more like being at a concert than the theatre!
I really would recommend it, even if like me you don’t know who they are! You will know some songs,’Big Girls Don’t cry, Why Do Fools Fall In Love and My Girl Just being a few.
New Jersey Nights is on at New Theatre Cardiff 23rd – 27th January 2018, prices start from £13 and you can get tickets here
* I was gifted my tickets in exchange of a review all opinions are my own.