Chicago Tribune - Highly Recommended
"...Which leaves us the star of the show. Jarrod Spector most certainly has that famous multi-octave range—technically, his performance will blow away people who know Valli's singing. As the youthful Valli, you'll surely buy his passion and his dreams. And you'll see the toughness. But he is, and plays, young. So what you won't see is all the pain—and the compromises that come with maturity. Spector takes the throbbing emotional climax of this remarkably exciting show a long way, but not yet as far it can go."
Chicago Sun Times - Highly Recommended
"...This show is platinum, with nearly three dozen songs (most the work of Gaudio and producer-lyricist Bob Crewe) that hit the top of the charts decades ago but remain irresistible. And they now have been ideally "slotted" into a frank, multi-perspective history of this often-volatile group, courtesy of a canny book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice that follows its rise, fall, reconfiguring and brief reunion."
Daily Herald - Highly Recommended
"...With a sly book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice (the first act is an especially brisk and tidy bit of storytelling) and bold lively direction by Des McAnuff, this production delivers on its promise as one of the most eagerly anticipated shows of the season. Credit also goes to Sergio Trujillo for his slick 1960s' pop-group choreography; Klara Zieglerova for the minimalist metal and chain link set and Michael Clark for his Roy Lichtenstein-inspired projections."
SouthtownStar - Highly Recommended
"..This extraordinary heart-and-soul show comes together with seamless direction by Des McAnuff, exuberant choreography by Sergio Trujillo and a working-class, New Jersey industrial set by Klara Zieglerova. Yet, when it comes right down to it, the show soars because of its featured performers who sound just like the singers they’re playing and a band that has the Season’s original beat down pat."
Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended
"...The script, by Marshall Brickman (Annie Hall) and Rick Elice, doesn't ignore the story's dark side: the failed marriages and one-night stands, the financial travails and mob connections, the fatal drug overdose suffered by Valli's daughter, and the bandmates' complex, often combative relationships. Slickly directed by Des McAnuff and featuring Roy Lichtenstein-inspired pop-art projections by Michael Clark, Jersey Boys combines a strong story with dynamic vocals, led by Jarrod Spector as Frankie: his fluid falsetto perfectly evokes the Valli sound."
Examiner - Highly Recommended
"...With a mega-watt smile, a soaring falsetto and the no-nonsense, down-to-earth demeanor of a neighborhood kid made good, Grant’s got the role of Frankie Valli down cold. He’s a consummate showman who radiates regular guy machismo, both traits that are essential to the show’s cross-gender appeal. The ladies may swoon at Frankie’s heart-breaker voice and crush on his teen idol looks, but he’s got enough street cred to appeal to guys as well."
Windy City Times - Highly Recommended
"...Even if Jersey Boys is a by-the-numbers stage bio, it’s so slickly produced and entertaining that it’s still an energizing night of theater. Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons couldn’t have asked for better show-biz immortality than Jersey Boys."
Chicago Free Press - Highly Recommended
"...Replete with doo-wop harmonies, piledriving rock anthems and blue-collar verismo, all of course the trademarks of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, this well-packaged blast from the past may soft-peddle the Mafia-ridden New Jersey that produced these pop geniuses, but it’s the performances, as much inspiration as imitation, that sell these terrific numbers."
EpochTimes - Highly Recommended
"...Oh What A Night"! That might be the best way to describe the opening night at The LaSalle Bank Theatre as Chicago witnessed the 2006 Tony Award Winning "Jersey Boys" the story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons told through the magic of the music that they performed. It is not often that we get a mixture of storytelling and concert in the theater, but this is a production that screams concert."
Time Out Chicago - Recommended
"...Spector’s uncanny work as Valli somehow channels the iconic pipes without mimicking them. But just as Valli gave the group an attractive front and aural identity while humble Gaudio gave the band its foundation, rangy and affable Gehling’s performance as Gaudio does the same. Gehling warms up the crowd and cools down his muscular, frenetic costars."
ChicagoCritic - Recommended
"...Jersey Boys is well produced, with stellar lighting and a large cast. It sings well in the 1960’s street corner pop/rock style. Audiences love this show as evidenced by several standing ovations during the show. That rarely happens. Jersey Boys is a critic-proof show. Nothing will stop this jukesical since word-of-mouth gives this show legs. Another Wicked? Probably."
Chicago Stage and Screen - Highly Recommended
"...The show offers audiences such hits as "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You," "Big Girls Don't Cry," "Rag Doll" and "Walk Like a Man." But "Jersey Boys" is not just a showcase of the songs made famous by the Four Seasons but is based on fact. The group sold over 175 million records and invented their own style. The boys are blue collar, and the show rarely leaps over the cliches of a gut and glamour story."
