For fans of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons: two-plus hours of signature tunes, tight harmonies, and soaring voices.

For fans of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons: two-plus hours of signature tunes, tight harmonies, and soaring voices.

Channeling a band’s life onstage can be a tricky endeavor. The musical “biopic” is a tempting stage device, with its ready-made score and built-in name recognition. But it also has the danger of going off-kilter (see ABBA and the whimsical, paper-thin plot of “Mamma Mia.”) “Jersey Boys,” the musical sensation based on the life and hits of The Four Seasons, certainly does not make that mistake. Its gritty and often eye-opening portrayal of Frankie Valli and his band members adds gravitas to their well-known iconic songs. As soon as the rights to the show were available, Riverside snapped it up. Jersey is now located in Stafford County and the effect is, “Oh, What a Night!”

“Sherry,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Walk Like A Man,” “Bye Bye Baby” — we’ve all heard these classic songs by the Four Seasons either on the radio, in a commercial or in a movie. Or perhaps for a lucky number of you, live in concert.

However, behind those breezy popular hits was a lot of hustling, hard work, determination and drama. “Jersey Boys,” now playing at Riverside Center for the Performing Arts, charts the successes and struggles of this iconic pop-rock group while also ramping up the nostalgia with an endless parade of musical numbers.