Review: Bye Bye Baby

You’re just too good to be true, Can’t take my eyes off of you..

By Jaco Lotriet

 

2016 is the year of Tribute shows at the Joburg Theatre. Showtime’s Queen – It’s a Kinda Magic, just took their final bow on the Nelson Mandela Stage, and Forever Jackson and Always and Forever – A Tribute to Luther Vandross, is still to come… For now, attention is focussed on Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, with the production of Bye Bye Baby.

Each production house has their own identity when it comes to the ultimate Tribute show. Marc Juan Productions have conceived a show, which actually relates the story and history of the band, between a unique rendition of the Four Season’s repertoire, being chronicled across a timespan of 55 years.

It is certainly worth assuming what a tremendous challenge it must be, putting a show of this calibre together, keeping in mind that we are after all expressing one of the foremost vocal bands ever to walk this earth. This is no mean feat considering the original band’s pitch-perfect, soaring vocal capabilities and sweeping three- and four-part harmonies, all contributing to their overall uniqueness.

Marc Juan’s’ stellar production of Bye Bye Baby, began in Berkshire, England during July 2013 when the show’s musical director Marc Ryzer brought four complete strangers together to play around with harmonies to ‘Big Girls Don’t Cry’, which had been the quartet’s second number 1 hit, way back in 1962. What eventually followed on stage, was an authentically choreographed and scripted execution of The Four Seasons’ classic hits, supported by a very capable, live 4-piece band.

A stand-out performance was without question Jamie Ledwith as Frankie Valli. Ledwith’s incredible vocal range will leave you swooning in your theatre seat.  By closing your eyes for a moment when he hits the upper register notes, you could be forgiven for thinking Mr. Valli himself is busy serenading you… To call this experience authentic, would be an understatement. Delightful, to say the least…

The suave Tim Kay, portrays Tommy DeVito, the New Jersey-born ‘black sheep’ of The Four Seasons. Not only does Kay nail the New Jersey accent impeccably, his mannerisms on-stage are bang on par with that of Tommy DeVito as well. The duets performed with Ledwith at the opposite sides of the stage are seamless two-part harmonies, mirroring Valli and DeVito’s own signature stage presence, all while making eye contact with the audience that leaves them feeling engaged with the performers.

Alongside Ledwith and Kay, were Mitchell Rutter and Daniel Goddard, singing the roles of Bob Gaudio and Nick Massi of the Four Season’s respectively, which completes the four seasoned sounds of Bye Bye Baby.  But, no good music can be covered without the dedication of a proper band.  Steve Fawbert, also the drummer, is the musical supervisor for the show, and leads the very young, but committed and passionate band, comprising of Gary Mullins on Guitar, Dan Giles on the Bass, and the Keyboards played by Henry Burnett.

The combination of lights and sound further enhances what can truly be described as a soothing, harmonic event but be advised, ‘Grease’ (the Valli solo-hit written for the movie with the same title) as well as ‘Can’t Take My Eyes Off You’, will have you breaking out in song in no time whilst tapping your foot along all too happily; that is if you hadn’t leapt up from your seat already…

Chart-Topping hits, ranging from ‘Who Loves You’, ‘Sherry’, ‘Earth Angel’, ‘December ‘63’, the powerful ‘Beggin’, right through to the ever endearing ‘Fallen Angel’, are all included in the show’s line-up, but the perfect encore for the show, was the medley of all the number 1 hits, spanning the illustrious career of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons.

Bye Bye Baby playes at the Joburg Theatre until Sunday, 28 February 2016.