"I'm gonna be bigger than Sinatra!" predicted a young Frankie Valli.

Well, perhaps not quiet, but Valli and his band the Four Seasons certainly made their mark on the pop world selling more than 100 million records and earning them a place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Their story is portrayed in the hit musical Jersey Boys, now playing at the Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury.

It's a fast-moving, energetic biography of their careers as they progress from the wrong side of the tracks in Jersey to pop megastars with a string of number one records.

Jersey Boys takes in all their greatest hits - Walk Like A Man, Bye Bye Baby, Big Girls Don’t Cry - performed with vigour by the talented cast, but it is far more than than just a musical tribute show.

There is drama as we learn about the boys' origins as small-time crooks (several band members spent time in jail); tension as the band's founder and manager Tommy DeVito gets in trouble with the Mob, and heartbreak - as success and the band's excesses on the road lead to marriage break-ups and the tragic death of Valli's daughter - and eventually the disintegration of the band.

As Valli's character observes in a parody of Shakespeare: "Some people are born great, some have greatness thrust upon them and some achieve greatness and then mess it up."

Except he didn't use the word "mess" - and patrons should be advised that there is strong language throughout the show and some racist epithets.

The four principal cast members Michael Watson (as Valli), Simon Bailey (as DeVito), Declan Egan (as Bob Gaudio) and Lewis Griffths (as Nick Massi) are all excellent, with great vocals and non-stop dance moves.

Jersey Boys poses the question: who was responsible for the Four Seasons' success? Was it Valli with his incredible falsetto voice? Was it Massi who taught Valli how to sing in the first place? Was it Gaudio who wrote their best songs or was it DeVito who held the band together through 10 years of obscurity before they eventually arrived in 1962 with the release of Sherry?

Or perhaps it was Joe Pesci - yes the actor Joe Pesci - then just a kid - who brought the unique talents of Gaudio and Valli together?

See the show and decide for yourself.

And don't worry if you think you are too young to know the songs - you will recognise them - they have become part of our common heritage. And I guarantee that when you leave the theatre you will be humming one.

At the end of last night's opening show, every member of the packed auditorium rose to their feet to give the cast a standing ovation.

Until Saturday, October 13. Tickets range from £14.25 to £55.75. Book on https://marlowetheatre.com/shows/jersey-boys/