The ‘Boys’ Are Back at the National

“Jersey Boys” on tour seems almost like a recurring, regular thing — like the seasons¸ you might say — and here they are again, through April 24, at the National Theatre, part of Broadway at the National.

And yet, this award-winning (Grammy, Tony, Olivier) musical, which has been around since 2005, never drops in like a lazy old uncle, telling — or singing — the same old stories in the same old way. This particular showbiz musical still has the buzz of something that somebody put together for the first time. It’s gritty, fresh and packs a punch.

The fact that this show — about the life and times and career and superstardom of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, a uniquely American rock-and-roll group that vied at one time for attention, fame and record sales with the Beatles and the Beach Boys — also works like a greatest-hits album in the flesh doesn’t hurt, of course.

“Sherry,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Walk Like a Man,” “Dawn,” “My Eyes Adored You,” “Big Man In Town,” ”Let’s Hang On,” “Rag Doll” and the inimitable “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You” … these songs stir memories and seem new all at once.

There’s a reason for that, and a reason why Frankie Valli is at the center of the sound. It was his way with a falsetto range that made the songs (penned by the gifted Bob Gaudio, the creative core of the group) unique, giving them a style, almost a genre, all of their own.

Ever since “Jersey Boys” debuted on Broadway in 2005, there have been many performers who wore the mantles of Gaudio, Tommy DeVito and Nick Massi, as well as many Frankie Vallis. Every Valli should, in theory, be the same, but that’s not the case. Every Valli seems to make the man, the voice and the songs his own, but not in a way that you’d ever forget Valli.

That’s the case for Aaron De Jesus, a veteran Broadway musical performer (he’s toured or performed in the monster hit “Wicked,” in “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” and in the more traditional “Guys and Dolls”), who says that while he’s done Valli for a while now, it wasn’t always easy. “The hardest thing is the falsetto,” he said. “It’s what makes the lines and the song, but it’s not all of it. I’m a natural tenor, so that was difficult for me at first. You tend to concentrate on that at first.

“I’m familiar now, I’ve been doing this [in the Las Vegas production and on tour] for some time now,” he said. “And you know what’s interesting? It never, ever gets old. What’s surprising is how much depth there is to this show. It’s not just a musical, it’s a piece of theater, a play. It has more than its share of dark moments, and everybody in the group gets their say. Every time out, you find stuff, you dive in.

“In this show, you get to use your acting skills, you have to. Because these guys, those four guys, they were something. Frankie Valli came by several times, at different times. He really cares about the show, he offered tips, he was very accessible.”

Every Valli is different, of course, even Valli himself. What De Jesus brings to the part is a stubborn humanity, a self-awareness, a decency and a keen appreciation of friendship and family, even when Frankie fails, often, as a father and a husband. He sings clearly and with great honest emotion, and doesn’t use the high notes as a kind of trick.

What’s interesting about the show, and what makes “Jersey Boys” still seem raw and real, is the milieu. These are real Jersey boys, from the mean streets, the neighborhoods, those once dominated by the godfathers, where young boys growing up wanted to be cops or firemen, but often ended up in jail for breaking and entering or petty theft. They listened to street-corner groups and doo-wop music.

The Four Seasons started out as the Lovers, and ran through names by the score until Gaudio showed up to give them a sound, and songs perfect for the high-pitched, emotionally rich voice of Valli.

This is a show about fame and its ill and great effects, about life on the road, about things that happen, love and marriage and the death of a child. Even as you swim in the songs — love those songs — you still get moved by the life on stage. You laugh, often, sigh a little and just sort of surrender.

It should be noted that Clint Eastwood (of all people) made a pretty original movie out of this material. And the beat does go on, Valli is still touring with a new set of Four Seasons. Hang on, hang on, to what you’ve got, indeed.