I saw Jersey Boys at the Palazzo last week and it was one of the highlights of my trip. I'd heard about musical years ago because my college a cappella group and other theater friends always raved about it, so I went in with high expectations. The show did not disappoint: it was incredibly well-done and the cast did a fantastic job!\n\nI've had the songs from the show stuck in my head for days and I'm already thinking about the next time I'll be able to watch it live, which shows you how much I enjoyed it. It's not as stereotypically \"Vegas-y\" as the cheesy magic shows, the showgirls or the billion Cirque Du Soleil shows around the strip, but I think it's better because of that.\n\nSome of my favorite scenes were the big Four Seasons numbers like \"Sherry\" and \"Dawn\" where they used videos to recreate what it felt like to be in the audience back in the 60's when they performed on national television. Other than \"My Eyes Adored You,\" which I loved, I was not a huge fan of the super slow ballads in the show, but that is just personal preference. To be honest, I was a little lost during the beginning of the first act. I've heard that production companies often trim down Broadway shows and speed them up when they move them to Vegas, and this might have been what caused the beginning to feel as frenetic as it did, but after a while the show got into a better groove. \n\nAnother issue I have with the show is that there really are no large female roles; the biggest solo a woman can have is the Angel's song \"My Boyfriend's Back,\" and that one doesn't exactly showcase anyone's range. But after all, the show is called \"Jersey Boys\" for a reason, and the men did not disappoint.\n\nThe four leads that I saw are first-class talents: Travis Cloer as Frankie Valli, Deven May as Tommy DeVito, Peter Saide as Bob Gaudio and Jeff Liebow as Nick Massi are all true triple-threats. As a singer that has trouble dancing and singing at the same time, I was amazed that the four guys could keep such tight harmony while not missing a beat on their choreography.\n\nDeven May started off the show on the right note and in my opinion, gave the strongest acting performance of the four leads. His snarky and belligerent, but well-meaning Tommy was very believable and likable despite all of the problems the character has. I could also tell immediately, from his very first sung phrase, that the guy can really sing and that he probably can do a lot more than what he is given to work with in this particular show. It was no surprise when I found out later that he had played the lead in Bat Boy the musical.\n\nI must say, I was floored by Travis Cloer's voice during the \"In the Mood for Love\" scene when Bob first hears him sing: his control and range are very impressive and he is able to switch styles effortlessly, a difficult task for any singer. I figured he might get tired throughout the show and was listening for signs of vocal strain, especially during all that falsetto, but he really held up incredibly well and acted the part too. I found him more believable in the beginning/middle parts of the show than the end though...by the time \"Fallen Angel\" rolled around, I was a little over it, but that was more because of the writing of the show than his performance of the song, which I thought was very touching. \n\nI definitely left the theater with a little crush on Peter Saide's Bob Gaudio. Sometimes he delivered his lines in sort of an affected way...at times he sounded spaced-out and I thought it might have been a deliberate character choice for him to speak like the way he did. It was a bit distracting at first, but as the show went on I got used to it and it became a funny quirk that definitely helped him get laughs at the right points. So if it was deliberate, it was definitely a smart move. Later on when I read that he was Australian, it made a lot more sense. His singing sounded a bit classical at times, which was a little jarring on some of the pop songs, but he had a lovely baritone voice and he carried his part of the show on the strength of his charisma.\n\nAt first I didn't notice Jeff Liebow's Nick Massi at all. However, it is a testament to Jeff's performance that this was the case, as the character feels like the \"Ringo\" of the group and is often sidelined during the drama experienced by the other three group members. Jeff's quiet but volatile Nick gives us one of the funniest moments of the show in the second half when he has a comedic outburst directed at Tommy in the middle of an otherwise serious scene. I wish Jeff were given more to sing alone though, as he has a really pleasing voice that doesn't get to shine during those moments where he sings those bass pick-ups (\"Why don't you...\" in Sherry, and \"She said...\" in Walk Like A Man).\n\nTo summarize all of that, go and see this musical, and if you can, see it with these four guys because they are simply a joy to watch.
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