Review: Tim Driesen stars in Jersey Boys at the Prince Edward Theatre

Jersey Boys

Prince Edward Theatre

Reviewed on Thursday 13th February 2014

Since its West End premiere in February 2008, Jersey Boys has enjoyed six triumphant years at the Prince Edward Theatre. As the musical enters its final weeks at the Prince Edward, ahead of its transfer to the Piccadilly, it came as no surprise to see the show in tip-top shape as usual. Jersey Boys has a strong reputation for always being slick and smooth; I have never heard one report of a half-hearted, sloppy performance.

While many are attracted to Jersey Boys as they love the incredible music of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, personally I love the show's storyline which follows Frankie Valli, Tommy DeVito, Bob Gaudio and Nick Massi's rise to stardom from the wrong side of the tracks. 

Tim Driesen as Frankie Valli

West End regular Tim Driesen, who has taken a short break from the Dutch version of the musical to star in the West End production, gives a career defining performance as Frankie Valli. Tim is the walking definition of a triple threat, using all three disciplines to win over the audience. He acts the part superbly, using his impeccable comic timing to portray Frankie's fun and naive younger self during the opening scenes.

Interestingly, whilst Frankie is very much centre stage during the first act it is Tommy DeVito and Bob Gaudio who build the strongest relationships with the audience. It isn't until act two that Frankie really steps forward, matures and reveals his inner-self, a transition Tim deals with effortlessly whilst performing with sincerity.

The moment you could tell he had the entire audience on-side was after his incredibly heartfelt and emotional show-stopping rendition of 'Can't Take My Eyes Off You'. The audience's applause never seemed to end and you could feel the warmth of the atmosphere. The scenes during which Frankie deals with the death of his daughter are, of course, particularly heartbreaking, but I don't ever remember Jersey Boys being so emotional prior to seeing Tim's performance.

Tim's vocal talents are astounding! Frankie is a huge sing but Tim tackles each song full on and always stays in full control. His higher register is out of this world and his dance moves certainly made an impression on the audience. Most importantly Tim seemed to enjoy and relish every moment, it was remarkable to see somebody give such a fresh interpretation of the role. He had fun on-stage with his energy rubbing off on the audience.

Frankie Valli is one of the most sought after roles for men in musical theatre, some might say 'the male Elphaba'. However, whereas a fair few actresses have had the opportunity to play Elphaba, only a handful of actors have played Frankie in the West End as the original Frankie, Ryan Molloy, still leads the cast. After six tremendous years, next month Molloy is departing the show as it transfers to the Piccaddilly Theatre and launches a UK Touring production to run alongside the show in London. Whilst Molloy will be greatly missed it will be wonderful to see some new actors take on the role and, after Tim finishes his run in the Dutch production, it would be outrageous if he didn't return to the UK to reprise his unmissable performance.

Equally strong performances came from Jon Boydon as Tommy DeVito, Mark Isherwood as Nick Massi and Edd Post as Bob Gaudio whose rendition of 'Oh What A Night' provided one of the highlights of the evening. Jersey Boys isn't just about singing a bunch a famous songs. It is a strong piece of theatre in its own right and, whilst the story has its ups and downs, Jersey Boys certainly leaves the audience buzzing.

Reviewed by Andrew Tomlins (Editor)
andrew@westendframe.com

Click here to read West End Frame's most recent interview with Tim Driesen.

Jersey Boys runs at the Prince Edward Theatre until Sunday 9th March 2014. Click here to book tickets. The musical transfers to the Piccadilly Theatre from Saturday 15th March where it is currently booking until Sunday 26th October 2014. Click here to book tickets.

Photo Credit 1: Brinkhoff & Moegenburg

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