The cast of Jersey Boys. Photo: Brinkhoff & Mogenburg

Jersey Boys tells the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons – a quartet of lads from the rough end of New Jersey who struggle to adapt to the world-wide fame and fortune their musical success brings them.

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Guitarist Tommy DeVito and bass player Nick Massi are part of The Four Lovers - a band made up of hard-drinking tough guys who spend their time between gigs either robbing jewellery stores or being locked up.

Things start to take off when they recruit local talent Francis Castelluccio, later Valli, a singer with a powerful falsetto voice, and songwriter Bob Gaudio and become The Four Seasons.

They beg, borrow and steal their way into the recording studio record Sherry, which rockets to number one and propels them into the spotlight.

But touring pressures inevitably take their toll, as does Tommy’s gambling, and the band gradually begins to fall apart.

The story is narrated by each member in turn and the action rattles along at a good pace.

With the east-coast Italian accents of the protagonists and their various mob connections, it’s a bit like musical version of the classic gangster movie Goodfellas

The songs and harmonies are fantastic, only occasionally slipping into a club-style, and the soundtrack reminds you how many fantastic tracks the band produced - Beggin, Big Girls Don’t Cry and Walk like a Man being obvious examples.

The live musicians in the pit were also fantastic, and when they jammed on stage during the encore most of the crowd were on their feet, bopping away.

Jersey Boys has a bit of everything – comedy, tragedy, song and dance, and as we filed out of the theatre I was left quoting the boys themselves – Oh What a Night.

Jersey Boys is on at the Prince Edward Theatre, W1, until October 21.