Jersey Boys – Award Winning Concert and Musical

Jersey Boys is a breath taking Broadway show about four boys raised on the streets of Newark, New Jersey. These were not your ordinary boys; instead, they were the boys who formed an infamous band of the 50′s and 60′s. This production is based, not only on the story of the boys, but on a book authored by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice. Bob Gaudio and Bob Crewe provided music and lyrics, respectively, for the production.

The Four Seasons was a rock band of the 50′s and 60′s. The band consisted of Frankie Valli and three of his Newark friends. The Four Seasons are known for songs like “Big Girls Don’t Cry” and “Walk Like a Man”. This production is a documentary-style story of the boys’ struggle to become a success, their successful years, along with the fall of the band.

Jersey Boys presents their music in a lively manner, one that would nearly have you believe you were watching them live back when they were popular. Between the years of 1962 and 1967, the band had 13 top 10 hits, and 24 top 40 hits – this was an impeccable accomplishment for this day and age. Songs like “Rag Doll”, “Big Girls Don’t Cry”, “Sherry”, and “Walk like a Man” are still known today.

The August Wilson Theatre is where the Jersey Boys started its Broadway career, in November of 2005. This production starred actors John Lloyd Young, Christian Hoff, Daniel Reichard, and J. Robert Spencer as Frankie, Tommy, Bob, and Nick, respectively. One of the most amazing pieces, of this production, is the combination of musical and concert that director Des McAnuff was able to implement. Shortly after, the production began winning prestigious awards like four Tony Awards, one of which was for “Best Musical”.

After such a great success, Jersey Boys began to tour. In December of 2006 the production was playing at the Curran Theatre in San Francisco. Los Angeles followed in May of 2007, with the production hogging the stage of the Ahmanson Theatre. On October 5, 2007, Jersey Boys was the entertainment at Chicago’s LaSalle Bank Theatre. (This being the second tour, there was a minor change in cast, as Michael Ingersoll was now playing the role of Nick.) The production had received so much hype, at this point, that Frankie Valli and Bob Guardio attended opening night in Chicago.

Jersey Boys returned to the Curran Theater, in San Francisco, for a special production over the winter holidays in 2007. The cast was so busy this year, they even did a show in Las Vegas in May, debuting at the Plazzo Hotel in the Jersey Boys Theatre! The Sopranos, an infamous HBO family, were tribute at the 2007 Tony Awards by the cast of both the Chicago and San Francisco production casts.

Jersey Boys then debuted at the Prince Edward Theatre – in West End London – in February of 2008. Toronto is also getting in on the hype; the Jersey Boys debuted at the Toronto Centre until December of 2008. Aussie’s are welcoming the production in their Princess Theatre, in Melbourne, in July of 2009.

Back to 2005, Rhino Entertainment released a CD called “Jersey Boys: Original Broadway Cast Recording”. This CD proved what a hit the production had been. In less than three years there were over 500,000 copies sold, certifying the album as Gold. Jersey Boys offers entertainment like no other Broadway show – don’t miss your chance as they are beginning to tour more and more major cities!