A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.
A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.
Passing through overnight on Thursday, I happened to see the electronic billboard advertisement for Jersey Boys. As a Four Seasons fan I was immediately interested, so I jumped online and grabbed a ticket.
My mind was blown by the level of professionalism I was treated to. Having seen the showin Auckland and in London, I hadn’t expected to see such talent in small-town Gisborne.
The comical adolescence of Carlos Latu as a young Joe Pesci, the sassy nature of Kim Mitchell as Mary Delgado, authoritarian yet comical Andrew Stevens as Gyp Decarlo — I was hanging on every word.
And who can forget the leading men? Alex Raines embodied Nick Massi so naturally: his voice, his quiet sensibilities — until it all comes to a head. Bruce Reid’s Bob Gaudio was effortless; Cry for Me gave me chills. Joshua Lobb’s Tommy Devito, the leader of the pack, commanded attention whenever he was on stage.
And Tahi Paenga’s Frankie Valli — from the moment he started echoing in “Silhouettes”, I knew he was going to bring something special . . . and once he joined in on Cry For Me, you could feel the audience holding their breath, a feeling of anticipation embracing each of us. The only time I felt Tahi’s voice falter was near the end of the show, but I have a feeling that was intentional — to emphasise the emotional climax of his character. An emotional climax, I must say, was felt throughout the theatre and it was all I could do not to become a blubbering mess in the aisle.
Footnote from Ed: The final performance of Jersey Boys is at 7pm tonight at the War Memorial Theatre. Tickets are for sale at Ticketek and there are door sales.
