JERSEY BOYS

Taking a moment away from Fermilab, where we will return tomorrow, I must catch up a bit on something I missed. For Valentine's Day, we went to see JERSEY BOYS, the energetic musical that narrates the tale of Frankie Valli and Bob Gaudio and the music of The Four Seasons.

Side note: I collect programs of plays I have seen and have more than 400 of them. For more than 25 years, I have kept a list of plays seen each year and have my own awards for best play, best actor and best actress. I taught literature and creative writing for nearly four decades and taught drama for ten years. End of side note.

There is a good possibility that JERSEY BOYS will win best play for the third consecutive year. The first, 2007, was the Broadway version with John Lloyd Young; the others were in Chicago with outstanding casts. This title ranks with FIDDLER ON THE ROOF as best musical ever and ranks up there with titles such as DEATH OF A SALESMAN (which I saw starring Dustin Hoffman) for best play of any kind. The music, the story, the acting: this work has it all.

We are currently beginning our plan for another visit, perhaps in Chicago in 2010, perhaps in Las Vegas if we head out that way. Oh What a Night!