‘Jersey Boys’ receives standing ovation opening night at Landmark Theatre

Audience members walked out of “Jersey Boys” with a spring in their step, humming the music of “December 1963 (Oh, What a Night),” again and again.

The theater was flooded with people young and old, and cheers were passionate as nostalgia rushed through the air. While certain songs already had special meaning to some people who grew up listening to the music, the show allowed others to create that special connection themselves.

The long-running Broadway musical narrates the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, and opened at Syracuse’s Landmark Theater Friday and will continue to run through Sunday.

The audience was able to experience the story of the group from four different perspectives, each in a unique voice of one of the Four Seasons.

In the show, each member of the group is given the opportunity to share his story in his own style and perspective. Tommy DeVito, Bob Gaudio, Nick Massi, and Frankie Valli all express individual passions, desires, and insecurities.

As different as they may be, the men share one common characteristic: they are all talented. It was clear that the audience did not dispute this. Some songs received applause within a few seconds of the band striking up, including “Sherry,” “Walk Like a Man,” and “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You.”   

“The show was fantastic,” said Julie Mickle, a local theatergoer had never seen “Jersey Boys” before. “The performers were incredible, the music was wonderful. I thoroughly enjoyed it,” Mickle said. “I probably wouldn’t go see it again, just because these guys were so good it might be a disappointment.”

Mickle’s friend, Maryann Newman, nodded enthusiastically in agreement.

“Fantastic, wonderful, awesome, spectacular, are not good enough words for the show,” Newman said.

Courtesy of the Landmark Theater

While the hit songs seemed to please people of all ages, the show itself contains rather adult themes, with sexual content and foul language. This frustrated Tom Weil, a Syracuse University Alumnus from the class of 1964.

“I thought the entertainment value was very good but the language, although I’m old school, wasn’t necessary,” Weil said. “You couldn’t bring little kids to this show and that’s a shame. That was Americana, I grew up in that era. I danced to that stuff. I just think that little kids should be able to see it and experience it.”

Miguel Jarquin-Moreland started touring with “Jersey Boys” in August of 2012. He will play Frankie Valli in Saturday evening’s show while Aaron De Jesus played the role Friday.

“Aaron is fantastic,” Jarquin-Moreland said of his fellow cast member. “He and I are different, but we make a good team and we definitely hold down this part for this family.”

One of the most important things that Jarquin-Moreland has learned from playing the role of Frankie Valli is just how necessary self-care is.

“Taking care of your body, taking care of your voice, getting lots of sleep…it’s really living a healthy life so that you can be the best performer on that stage because when you’re on stage as Frankie, you’re leading the company,” Jarquin-Moreland said.

Through his experience, Jarquin-Moreland has learned important lessons that he will never forget.

“Be present in every scene,” Jarquin-Moreland said. “Live in every moment.”