Jersey Boys

A new dress can be a catalyst for many things.  In this case, it was the reason that I finally found my motivation to lock in a night at Dubai Opera to see Jersey Boys.

Now, having only lived in Dubai for a short time, I think I’m a bit above par, given that this will be my third visit.  The first show was Les Miserable in November last year on a quick trip over to Dubai to check out the city.  My husband booked us wonderful tickets and we attended with friends – all of them keen to ensure that I loved Dubai enough to be convinced to move here.  Clearly this ruse worked as here we are and I attended Mary Poppins back in May with the same friend.  I had meant to book Jersey Boys in a while ago, but, well, you know….

As it turns out, despite the last minute booking we have pretty good tickets and my spare-of-the-moment friend Melissa is happy with the cheap seats.  We also take the opportunity to have some dinner and a couple of drinks before hand – nothing like making a night of it.

At 3:30pm I’m still hanging out on the couch with the kids trying to get some homework done.  By 4:30pm I’m all dressed up and ready to go, waiting for Melissa and the Careem driver who is seemingly lost and doing loops of the area.  I have just enough time for a quick pic in the front garden.

We are on our way and thankfully the traffic is still light.  There were only a few options for dinner at 5pm on a Saturday, we are terribly and unfashionably early for dinner in Dubai, which won’t really be in full swing until much, much later.  We’re lucky tonight though and find Loca in Souk Al Bahar which is not only open (many aren’t yet) but has a few patrons already sitting about with drinks and snacks which gives this little corner of the Souk – with a full view of the Burj Khalifa and peeks of the fountains – a perfect spot to pause before our show.

We peruse the wine list and then are informed about the margarita specials.  Decision made, my grapefruit margarita is excellent and the raspberry one, a little later, is even better.

Our food is good too.  Melissa chooses the El Cordero (lamb) fajita and I opt for the Enchiladas de Mariscos (seafood).  They’re both good and come with a few little side extras which is a nice touch.  The fountains begin their dance as we eat and chat and the lights on the Burj Khalifa twinkle.

We pause after dinner for a couple of photos and then make our way along the Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Boulevard which sparkles just as much as the Burj Khalifa at this time of night.  There are light installations, lights from buildings, street lamps and cars as well as the endless formation of palm trees covered in fairy lights standing at attention along the way.  As we get to Dubai Opera there are more lights – a huge sign and the fountains as well as the building itself, all lit up.

We don’t have quite enough time for another drink before the show so we take our seats with a few minutes to go and watch as the parade of theatre goers are shown to their seats.

The lights dim, the music starts, oh what a night!

Good To Know

Jersey Boys is a musical production about the life of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons.  This production is from the UK based company Selladoor Worldwide and features a huge array of the most famous songs sung by a cast with great talent, think Oh What a Night, Can’t Take My Eyes Off You, Sherry, Walk Like a Man, Bye Bye Baby and Big Girls Don’t Cry.  I first saw Jersey Boys on West End in London in 2007.  This production was equally enjoyable.

Would I Return?

Yes.  I’m a huge fan of musical theatre and the Dubai Opera house is a very impressive purpose built venue.  I have my eye on the production of Evita which is playing 22 January to 3 February 2018 at Dubai Opera.