The Tony Awards were about two weeks ago, which means I'm behind on my annual love-in for all things musical theatre in this space.
But this past Friday I had a chance to see the film adaptation of the stage show Jersey Boys, a jukebox musical that tells the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons' tumultuous rise to fame out of their crime-filled New Jersey neighbourhood.
To my bewilderment, this was a movie that had slipped under my radar for some time. It was until I saw a trailer earlier this year that I even knew a movie was being made - no less directed by Clint Eastwood.
I first saw the stage show in Toronto in 2009. It's one of those shows that leaves you with a smile on your face, and the film was no different. Easily the first Clint Eastwood-directed flick I've seen that didn't leave me feeling worse than when I walked in. But musicals tend to do that - even ones that are adapted with an R rating.
Valli's soaring soprano took the quartet to the top of the charts in the early 1960s with their first No. 1 hit Sherry. They followed that up with a string of successes thanks to Walk Like A Man and Big Girls Don't Cry .
The movie isn't showing in Prince George yet, but you can always see the original group in their prime online. Check out the Four Seasons performing a medley of their hits here: http://youtu.be/3pWBnodrR1M
