Jersey Boys

New Theatre Oxford, until May 23

YOU know you are part of a more, shall we say genteel, audience when you go into the bar at half-time and there are only four pre-ordered drinks waiting to be sloshed back.

Well, that and the fact that during a rip-roaring, foot-tapping, finger-clicking, chorus-bellowing show, four fifths of the assembled throng stayed virtually motionless.

They looked more like they were watching an introspective on the decline in the Swedish lumber industry than a hit-drenched story of four guys from New Jersey who for a time were the most famous singing quartet on the planet.

Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice's snappy true(ish) story about the rise of The Four Seasons is essentially A Star Is Born meets The Sopranos.

It tells how hood turned so-so crooner Tommy DeVito recruited young singer Fankie Valli to his failing three-piece singing group and propelled them to a string of number one records.

The writers celeverly allow all four protagonists their say on how this actually happened. Like every star's rise to fame, each of them has their own opinion on how they got there.

The story is a true rags to riches journey that has many dark interludes. The group was dogged by in-fighting, gambling debts and the shadowy hand of the Mob, as well as the usual drink, drugs and tragedy.

But, as Valli himself says, when all that is stripped away there is always the music. And what music. If you think you know the Seasons' back catalogue you'll think again as blockbuster tunes you never even knew were theirs are belted out by the talented ensemble cast.

Tim Driesen perfectly mimics Valli's dog-worrying falsetto, ably backed by Sam Ferriday as the group's tunesmith Bob Gaudio (who arranged the show's score) and Stephen Webb as the wise guy DeVito. But for me the star was Lewis Griffiths' angular bassist and quiet man Nick Massi.

He got all the funny lines and brought a simple back street dignity to the proceedings.

The telling of the story gets caught up too much schmaltz at times but you'll go away humming Big Girls Don't Cry or Walk Like A Man nonetheless.

I just hope the cast gets the audience it deserves for the rest of the run.