Auckland Mayor, Len Brown recently announced that new musical Jersey Boys had been secured for Auckland in line with the new Major Events strategy for Auckland. “Jersey Boys is world-class and the biggest musical to visit Auckland for some time.
Jersey Boys – The Story of Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons
The Civic
From April 2012.
Auckland Mayor, Len Brown recently announced that new musical Jersey Boys had been secured for Auckland in line with the new Major Events strategy for Auckland. “Jersey Boys is world-class and the biggest musical to visit Auckland for some time. It will attract many visitors to the city, showcasing Auckland as an entertainment destination. The teams at Regional Facilities Auckland (RFA) and Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development (ATEED) have done a great job securing this event for Auckland.”
Jersey Boys opened in Melbourne in July 2009 and played for 13 months before transferring to Sydney’s Theatre Royal last year. Over 1,000,000 people will have seen the show in Melbourne and Sydney by the end of the year. It then comes direct to Auckland.
Jersey Boys – The Story of Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons is the story of how four blue collar boys from the wrong side of the tracks became one of the biggest American pop sensations of all time. Frankie Valli, Bob Gaudio, Tommy DeVito and Nick Massi joined forces to become The Four Seasons, writing their own hits and developing their unique sound to sell over 175 million records before they were 30.
Broadway Producer, Michael David, from Dodger Theatricals sys of the production, “We are thrilled to bring Jersey Boys to New Zealand. And hope that audiences will embrace Jersey Boys in the same way that the 13 million people who have seen it worldwide have. The show is chock full of classic Four Seasons show-stopping songs and a story that is all the more riveting because it’s true. With an extraordinary cast, we believe Jersey Boys will engage theatergoers and send them dancing out of the Civic Theatre. The remarkable partnership of Frankie Valli and Bob Gaudio indelibly sealed by a handshake agreement over 40 years ago will resonate with New Zealand audiences who will identify with the importance of honour and integrity in this touching tribute to the power of loyalty between friends.”
In 2009 NBR reviewed the show saying,
“Until recently most people probably couldn’t have placed the name of the band but they would have known the words to “Sherry”, “Oh What a Night”, “Big Girls Don’t Cry” and “Walk Like a Man”. But with the international success of the musical success of Jersey Boys Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, including Bob Gaudio who wrote the songs have been given their place in the Rock Hall of Fame.
Back in the 1960’s Bob Gaudio wrote them a string of songs which went into the top ten slots for weeks on end. His songs were bitter sweet reflections on life and love and they expressed many of the feeling of society’s youth of the day.
One of the problems with many musicals is that songs even that are great often don’t really relate to the story. The disconnection between the two means that there is a lack of drama with the songs not enhancing the story. With Jersey Boys the songs are an integral part of the musical. The narrative follows the lives of the members of the band and so the highpoints of their careers are reflected in their major hits.
While the songs were not originally intended to be about the lives of the band members, in this carefully constructed musical they become reflections on their lives, their personal and professional problems.
While the story is centered on Frankie Valli each of the band members introduces their own take on the success of the band. There is the slightly mad Tommy de Vito always in trouble with the mob and the bass player, Nick Massi always keen to leave and set up his own group.
But it’s the extraordinary voice of Frankie Valli and the songs of Bob Gaudio along with their personal and financial arrangements which keep the band together.
The whole story is threaded through with their personal problems, marriages, divorces internal wrangles, the run in with the mob and the band’s breakup.
The show at times feels like a documentary showing how the band evolved. We get a sense of how bands get to be successful with the various components of song writer, singer, manager and musicians all having to contribute and fame comes when all those people with their skills line up to create a hit.
It's a fast paced show with multiple mini set changes and a string of crowd pleasing numbers. The singing is fabulous and their act is quite possibly slicker than the original band.”
The show was written by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, with music by Bob Gaudio, lyrics by Bob Crewe, choreography by Sergio Trujillo and directed by two-time Tony Award winner Des McAnuff.
In 2006 it won four Tony Awards including Best Musical and the Olivier Award for Best New Musical in 2009.
In Australia Jersey Boys won two Helpmann Awards being Best Musical and Best Music Direction of a Musical and seven Victorian Green Room Awards. The Jersey Boys Original Cast Recording also received a 2006 Grammy Award® for Best Musical Show Album. Currently there are five productions worldwide including Broadway, Las Vegas, US National tour, London and Sydney, with a 2nd US National tour to commence in 2012.
