Broadway comes to Saipan

It’s a long, long way from this island to the blazing lights of New York City and the aura that is Broadway! But thanks to Clint Eastwood, he of the spaghetti Westerns and Dirty Harry, Broadway is alive in our local movie theater. Sadly, very few seem to have noticed.

Jersey Boys, a smash hit on Broadway running for some 10 years now, has been made into a wonderful movie by no other than the cowboy/detective, Clint Eastwood. And an admirable job he has done!

This is a true story of four guys who “met under a street lamp” in Belleville, New Jersey, circa 1961, and works it’s way to The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the ’90s. During the journey, one witnesses loyalty in instances that are shrouded with disloyalty.

It is the story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons. Frankie Valli still performs and was by far the talent that carried this group to stardom. That said, the creative genius was a chap by the name of Bob Gaudio, who wrote almost all of the incredible music for the group,

It is a very rocky journey for these guys. Two are hoodlums and two are incredibly talented. And, at one point, as a friend pointed out to me, all four spent some time in jail. That said, Frankie Valli and Bob Gaudio are “special” talents; Tommy Devito and Nick Massey would just as likely hold up a jewelry store as perform on stage…anywhere!

When DeVito exhibits unbelievable disloyalty to the group, it is Frankie Valli’s loyalty to him that bails him out. The decision of Gaudio and Valli to create a “side deal” based on a handshake (a Jersey contract), that does not take away from the group but eventually breaks up the group and salvages The Four Seasons.

But it’s not the story line that created this long-running hit. It’s the music. The more one hears it, the more one wants to hear it. It is electric and melodic, and it is music you have heard before. You just don’t realize it until you hear it again!

I’ve seen the live performance of Jersey Boys nine times now! I had to be dragged to it the first time, over six years ago. I went back to see it two additional times on that particular trip to New York City. I have since seen it twice in Vegas with a friend who had never seen it before, and insisted we see it again before leaving. And I saw the opening in Singapore a few years ago. The movie is not the “live” show but it is so entertaining that’s it definitely worth the price of a movie ticket.

I have seen the movie twice over the weekend and there were few folks in the theater, hence this review!

Broadway rarely comes to the movie screen and significantly less now than in previous decades. As I recall, the last Broadway show to make it to the movie screen on Saipan was some 10 years ago: Phantom of the Opera, which was panned by a local reviewer.

Phantom is still running on Broadway and has toured the world. The movie was outstanding but it enjoyed a very short run here. I fear a similar fate lies in store for Jersey Boys. It’s not for the children. The language in Jersey in the ’60s was a bit rough and vulgar.

But, if you want some real entertainment, if you enjoy melodic music, you will love Jersey Boys! If you see it once, you will want to see it again and again.
Thank you, Clint!

Alan Stuart Markoff, DDS, MBA
ToothWorks Dental Clinic