Jersey Boys

By Author: Jamie Hanson
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Jersey Boys, the musical is the unknown story of the Four Seasons, the iconic band of the 60s. The band's hummable and captivating songs and tunes are catchy, like "Sherry", "Big Girls Don't Cry", "Walk Like a Man" and "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You", but millions of audiences hardly knew the struggle, rise to fame and fall of the band. This untold story of one of the fascinating bands of America, has wowed tens of thousands of audiences worldwide, won four Tony awards and a Grammy, and also broken several musical records.

Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice wrote Jersey Boys, basing on interviews with Frankie Valli, the lead singer, composer Bob Gaudio and founding member Tommy De Vito (the fourth member Nick Massi passed away in 2000); the original surviving members of the band. The show premiered on Broadway in 2005, fascinating audiences and critics alike, by depicting a heart-touching story of the rise to fame of four blue-collared Italian-American boys from New Jersey. It truthfully narrates the ups and downs of their lives, their romances, family, finances and even their time in jail for links with the mafia.

Four ...
... young men belonging to the working class of New Ark, New Jersey join hands to form a band in the late 1950s.These four, Frank Castelluccio (Valli), Bob Gaudio, Tommy De Vito and Nick Macioci (Massi) are of Italian origin with criminal tendencies, sre looking for a better life. The three, Frank on vocals, Tommy on guitar and Nick on bass, first join hands, but inspite of their talent, the music world doesn't welcome them. The easy life of crime attracts for quick riches. But, suddenly lady luck smiles on them and they are introduced to Bob Gaudio, the gifted songwriter and musician. Once Bob hears Frankie, he is convinced that this is the voice that shall vibrate and bring out the lively spirit of his music.

Producer Bob Crewe, himself a lyricist, backs them while they struggle. They are yet to give their band a name and while auditioning for a gig in the lounge of a bowling alley called Four Seasons, the group gets its name. Bob Gaudio hones his skill in using the wide vocal range of Frank. Then comes "Sherry" the song Bob Gaudio pens and composes, which launches their careers and catapults them to fame and fortune.

With an appearance on American Bandstand, the Four Seasons had arrived in the musical scene. Bob Gaudio and Bob Crewe doled out hit after hits like "Big Girls Don't Cry", "Walk Like a Man", "Rag Doll", "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You", and many more. During the 60s, they ruled the charts and competed with the likes of The Beatles, The Supremes, Elvis Presley and the Rolling Stones. But, fame is fleeting for the Four Seasons and brings with it heartache, broken friendships and failed marriages. Jealously also creeps in and financial mismanagement leads to the break-up of the band. Like the name of their band, the spring and summer of the first act is followed by the bittersweet fall and winter of the second act, as fame, wealth and earlier mafia connections take a toll on the members' personal lives and friendship.

The unique appeal of 'Jersey Boys', lies in being a true story which is stranger than fiction. The audiences are able to identify themselves with the characters as ordinary folks, who join hands to create great music and become Rock Stars. The catchy tunes are hummable and linger in the memory for long. It came as a surprise to many, at the numbers of hits the Four Seasons had given, and the generation of the 60s as well as the contemporary younger lot enjoyed the heady music of 'Jersey Boys'. The true story angle demanded extra effort on the part of the performers to portray both the characters and sound as accurately as possible, because Frank Valli was still touring and performing all over the world.

Many musicals suffer from a disconnect between the songs and the story. But in 'Jersey Boys' songs are inherent to the story, which enhances the appeal. Bob Gaudio's songs are the bitter-sweet musings of life and love, which is manifest in the feelings of the younger generation of today, and they are able to relate their own ups and downs with the characters of the musical. Though the songs were not written about the lives of the band members, it is skillfully blended into the musical to reflect their lives, their problems - personal and professional - and the high points of their careers.

Apart from the above, it is the performers and singers who feature in the musical, have put in that extra bit to uncannily recreate the music and sound approximating the original sound of music of the Four Seasons. This makes it an exciting musical and the songs remain exasperatingly infectious.

For information about Jersey Boys tickets visit London Theatre Tickets