Monday 3rd June 2013 by Jack Newman
Jersey Boys currently radiates the confident exuberance of a West End that is
experiencing a healthy boom. The self-assured feel of the show is observable in
the unconventional nature of the story telling, the portrayal of gritty realism
as well as stylised self-caricature and, above all, in the impeccable delivery
of its famous musical scores. While acceptance of this innovative portrayal is
essential for enjoying the magic of Jersey Boys, it simultaneously conjures a
curiosity, and we ask how real is the realism and how much of the story’s
fabric is woven with invention? Such questions are ultimately bottomless, as
the only way to truly know the answer is to have been a member of The Four
Seasons. Furthermore, to unpick the details of such an exquisite story is often
to unpick its beauty.
We
can meet our curiosity without damaging enjoyment of the show with a brief
reflection on a specific element of the tale, organised crime and The Four
Seasons. For those who have seen the cinematic classic, The Godfather, we can
see another tip of this iceberg being satirically depicted, as Johnny Fontane
arrives at the wedding party of mafia overlord, Don Corleone. It has been
widely suggested that Fontane represents Frank Sinatra, as he uses the
invisible hand of the mafia to arrange a film contract and achieve popular
success. The Four Seasons have nothing quite so corrupt or distasteful in their
interesting past but there were mafia connections along their road to
international fame.
The
Frank Sinatra mafia link is not the only one that is depicted onscreen. Another
mob blockbuster, Goodfellas, sees Karen (the lead character’s wife) yell “You got some nerve standing me up. Nobody does that to me.
Who do you think you are, Frankie Valli or some big shot?! I forgot.” After a
number of references to Valli’s connections in The Sopranos, Valli himself took
a role, as if to acknowledge his own position. Playing Rusty Millio, a gangster
who ultimately fudges his attempts to become a successful mafia leader, he
almost demonstrates his involvement and ultimate flight from the controlling
strings of New York’s underground.
These depictions are just that, depictions. Rusty Millio is not a
biographical exposé of Valli’s early life; rather, it is a reference to the
background in which he and the other members of The Four Seasons grew to fame.
We can point to the connection between the New York law breaking and The Four
Seasons, as a point of particular interest in the band’s rich history, but to
do so is for a greater understanding, not a session of finger pointing. As band
member Bob Gaudio said in an interview with The
Telegraph, "We certainly rubbed shoulders with a
lot of unsavoury characters, but you know, the clubs were essentially owned by
the Mob so it was very difficult not to be involved or around them".
Of course, this does not absolve the “Jersey
Boys” of their crimes, as there were crimes, and there were prison sentences;
not to mention a voluntary visit to a prison to perform for famous Mafia loan shark,
Angelo “Gyp” DeCarlo, before he was extraordinarily pardoned by President Nixon
in a series of events that allegedly involved Frank Sinatra’s smooth words. In
fact, The Independent reports how Gyp DeCarlo’s associates contacted the
creators of the Jersey Boys musical via a telephone in a car park in order to
ensure he was portrayed favourably on stage. However, we must not see this
world of organized crime and inescapable corruption as the product of the actions
of the Four Seasons. In many ways it is the opposite and we must acknowledge
that if they were ever to fulfill their huge potential, they had no choice but
to operate within the ubiquitous world of organised crime. The real story is
how they managed to break free, and for that you will need to visit London and
see it for yourself.