Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Oh What a Night Out: Jersey Boys at the Kentucky Center

After totally loving Broadway Across America's production of Legally Blonde: The Musical this summer-- which was absolutely delightful-- I'm just plain ol' looking forward to Jersey Boys, starting July 28 and continuing through August 15.  Before Legally Blonde, I wouldn't have said so.  In fact, I might have even said I'd rather skip Jersey Boys.  But I was proven so wrong about Legally Blonde...

And Jersey Boys is incredibly well-reviewed.  It won the 2006 Tony for Best Musical, and let's face it, even if you're not a huge fan of the Four Seasons' music, the original bands' vocal talents were such that if the musical even adequately replicates them, you're in for a night of musical virtuosity.  And its success has spawned all sorts of band/musician centered musical bios-- imitation, flattery, and so on.

And who doesn't love a night out in downtown Louisville during the summer?  This past weekend, Roommate and I availed ourselves of one of my Groupons for White Oak and had a lovely dinner then headed to Fourth Street Live for the free Peter Searcy/Blues Travelers concert.  It wasn't one of the better nights for White Oak-- service was slow (so much so that we missed Peter Searcy) and they were out of a couple of key items (bacon?).  But the food was excellent, and it was a nice change to have a leisurely meal at a somewhat upscale place, knowing we weren't going to go broke.  (Tip: order the cheese plate-- the Kenny's Farmhouse Horseradish White Cheddar is amazing)

And while I generally avoid Fourth Street Live, I have to admit that the free concerts are a lot of fun.  The sound system sucks unless you're directly in front of the stage-- and if you're on the second floor, often the concert is competing with the bars' cranked-up music (really? Is this necessary?).  But we finagled a clear balcony view of the Blues Travelers and availed ourselves of the pretty generous $3 well-drinks and enjoyed a cheap, fun evening out.

A Broadway show at the Kentucky Center is considerably more expensive.  Tickets start at $40.  But if Jersey Boys is your sort of thing, it'll be money well spent.  Tickets are available at http://www.kentuckycenter.org/.  I'll keep you posted if I spy any discounts or deals.

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