The beginning of Jersey Boys starts off with a bait-and-switch. The opening number, circa 2000, features a French rapper riding the grooves of Ces Soirees-La. In English, for the Four Seasons fans, that’s December 1963 or Oh, What A Night. There for a minute the impression is that the interpretive, quirky opening song is a sign for what is to come. Then all of sudden several guys dressed in snappy suits step from the shadows, breaking into harmony. They are still at it over two hours later.

Jersey Boys, the hit musical, is truly a success story in a couple different ways. The show’s beginnings were in 2004 at the La Jolla Playhouse in Southern California, and then moved over to Broadway where it won four 2006 Tony Awards. Since then several other companies have formed, including those based in Melbourne, London and Chicago. The company in Las Vegas is housed at the magnificent Palazzo Resort. After seeing four versions of the show, to me the Las Vegas production is the best. Part of this comes from the special theater as well as the incredible cast.