Internationally renowned for his acclaimed portrayal of The Four Seasons’ lead singer Frankie Valli in the quintessential jukebox musical Jersey Boys on Broadway (now celebrating the 20th anniversary of its, and his, 2005 premiere) and in the 2014 Warner Bros. film adaptation directed by Clint Eastwood, Tony, Grammy, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, and Theater World Award winner John Lloyd Young (the only star in history to win all four awards for their Broadway debut) made a stellar return to NYC’s 54 Below with a brand-new set of sixteen of his personal favorites, highlighting his extraordinary vocal range, flawless falsetto and breath control, emotional expressiveness, and easy rapport with the audience.
Backed by a top-notch four-piece band (Sean Harkness on guitar, Derek Nievergelt on bass, Mark McLean on drums, and Music Director Ron Abel on piano), Young took to the stage in a black leather jacket, black jeans, and his signature dark glasses, and immediately launched into the 2024 pop-rock hit “Too Sweet,” exploring love between two very different people, and then, seated on a stool, removed his shades and sang the aching 1931 ballad “Nevertheless” – both brimming with feeling, as heard in his voice and read on his face – after which he addressed the packed house and spoke of his return to the venue, “the heart of Broadway,” and his fond memories of times in midtown Manhattan.
The following selections were grouped by theme: “I Have Dreamed” from the Broadway musical The King and I, with emotive passages of vibrato; Don Gibson’s 1955 country ballad “Sweet Dreams” of unrequited love, performed with a nod to its authentic stylings; and the evocative heartbreak of “In Dreams” by mid-century pop singer-songwriter Roy Orbison, who Young noted was his greatest inspiration (and, I might add, who was also known for wearing dark glasses on stage!). That was followed by two more from Orbison – the 1960 hit “Only the Lonely,” one of the highlights of the concert, delivered to perfection by Young with profound pathos, soaring vocals, and his consummate falsetto; and the largely unknown “Say No More,” offering the audience “a discovery moment” and a breathtaking big-note ending.
He then asked who was seeing him at 54 Below for the first time (a rarity among his devoted following) and presented the newbie with a signed copy of his solo CD (joking about the physical format being unrecognizable in 2025), moved around the room, and interacted with the audience to the soulful R&B love song “Show and Tell,” popularized by Al Wilson in 1973. After returning to the stage, he took his seat for a moving version of “Perfidia,” which he sang in Spanish (one of the languages in which he is fluent) and dedicated to his friends in the club’s kitchen staff, followed by his story about teaching The Four Seasons’ 1962 hit “Big Girls Don’t Cry” (“Niñas Grandes No Lloran”) to grammar-school students on a delegates’ trip to Cuba with such luminaries as Usher (Young was an appointed member of Barack Obama’s President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities), which made him the most popular of all with the kids.
Young’s other romantic ballads included “I Only Have Eyes for You,” a seated “falsetto number” with a masterful piano solo by Abel, written in 1934, but best known for The Flamingos’ 1959 doo-wop adaption; “The Air that I Breathe,” which he performed seated in the spotlight on the darkened stage, with touching introspection and yet another absolutely amazing long note; and his upbeat encore of “Maybe I’m Amazed,” Paul McCartney’s 1970 love song of devotion and gratitude.
Of course, no JLY show would be complete without a selection of The Four Seasons’ hits from Jersey Boys (a lesson learned from Patti LuPone, who neglected to include the epic Evita number “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina” in one of her concerts, and got some serious backlash from the audience!). He obliged with not just one, but three, along with one from his many auditions and callbacks for the role of Frankie Valli on Broadway, “Moody’s Mood for Love,” which he “knocked out of the park” after fearing he blew his dance audition for the choreographer, and took it as a sign that he would be cast. He was, and delighted the 54 Below crowd with his unsurpassed falsetto in “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” encouraging the audience to sing along to “cry-y-y.” He also invited a special guest in the house, Tomomi Oto, starring as Frankie Valli in the 2025 Japanese production of Jersey Boys, to join him on stage for a duet on “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” in English and Japanese. And Young closed the show with a rousing up-tempo “Sherry,” getting everyone to stand up, clap, and sing with him – though no one could possibly come close to his unparalleled vocals or strong and pure falsetto, in this joyous celebration of the 20th anniversary of his sensational Broadway debut.
John Lloyd Young’s live performance will also be streamed in real time on Saturday, October 25, starting at 7 pm, so if you can’t make it in person to 54 Below, you can still watch his closing concert at home. It’s a first-class show by a world-class artist that shouldn’t be missed.
Running Time: Approximately 70 minutes, without intermission.
John Lloyd Young: Live at 54 Below plays through Saturday, October 25, 2025, 7 pm (doors open at 5:30), at 54 Below, 254 W 54th Street, NYC. For tickets (priced at $18-156, including fees, plus a $25 food/beverage minimum per person), go online. For tickets to the livestream on October 25, at 7 pm (priced at $29, including fees), click here. Please note that the show is streamed live only and will not be available on demand afterwards.
