In December of 2005 (not '63), I saw Jersey Boys, the story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons on Broadway for the first time. And Oh, what a show it was! I should have known that with my "Four Seasons" history, I was destined to become a Jersey Boys junkie.
I think it would be a gross understatement to say that Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons played a big part in my life. Truth to be told, they played a HUGE role. Born in the mid-60's the iconic music of The Four Seasons was consistently a part of my life from the time I was a little girl and well into my adult life. I grew up listening to my mom's Four Season LP Albums, and memorizing the words to songs like Sherry, Ragdoll and Big Girls Don't Cry while staring at the pictures of Frankie, Bob, Tommy and Nick on the album covers. I owned the 45's (yes kids, these were the days before mp3 players) of the group's new hits, Oh What A Night and Who Loves You, and remember playing both of these songs on the juke boxes in the diner and at the bowling alley back in the '70's! (now I'm really dating myself).
I think it would be a gross understatement to say that Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons played a big part in my life. Truth to be told, they played a HUGE role. Born in the mid-60's the iconic music of The Four Seasons was consistently a part of my life from the time I was a little girl and well into my adult life. I grew up listening to my mom's Four Season LP Albums, and memorizing the words to songs like Sherry, Ragdoll and Big Girls Don't Cry while staring at the pictures of Frankie, Bob, Tommy and Nick on the album covers. I owned the 45's (yes kids, these were the days before mp3 players) of the group's new hits, Oh What A Night and Who Loves You, and remember playing both of these songs on the juke boxes in the diner and at the bowling alley back in the '70's! (now I'm really dating myself).
Stage door of the August Wilson Theatre When I was 11 years old, my twenty-something (and coolest!) Aunt Ro brought me to my first concert in Central Park! It was none other than Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons! And the coolest experience I had yet to date. We traveled the N train from Astoria, Queens with snacks and sandwiches (made for us by my Grandma Rose) and enjoyed this outdoor musical show, singing, bopping and munching for two hours. I still remember feeling like it was surreal and trying to reconcile how I was actually seeing the singers live, whose pictures I had stared at for hours in my room. It was the coolest experience! A few years later, in the summer of 1978, Grease, The Movie was out and it was none other than Frankie Valli singing the theme song. I must have listened to the LP soundtrack of Grease and the song Grease so many times that I wore out the record!
So, is it any wonder that as soon as I heard that there was a new Broadway show opening in the early winter of 2005, that I had tickets in hand for one of the very first shows during the initial week of previews. I went with my husband Tedd and my then 15 year old daughter Rebecca. As an avid theatre goer, I have seen an enormous number of Broadway shows with a pretty extensive list of some of the most acclaimed actors from stage and film. However, when I saw Jersey Boys, I literally felt like I just got off the hay truck and was seeing a Broadway show for the first time. It is Broadway at its finest and should not and cannot be missed if you have not as yet seen it since it debuted nine years ago.
There we were, 11th row, center orchestra and as "Bob Gaudio" himself says in the show, "the whole world exploded." There is nothing more I can say about the music, because it has all been said. But, I would like to emphasize just how amazing the orchestra and arrangements were and the way in which the songs were weaved into the story. Acting-wise, you couldn't have had a more perfect foursome to play the leads. John Lloyd Young as Frankie Valli was perfectly cast and his voice just soared through the theatre mezmorizing the audience as he captured the inflections and high notes that are synonymous with Frankie Valli's voice. There were two aspects of the show that were most memorable and impressive to me. The first was the creative use of staging and lighting affects throughout the performance, namely, the way in which the audience is made to feel that they are "backstage", viewing the group from behind during a show performance in one of the scenes. I thought this was brilliant. The other was when the amazing horn section blows above Frankie's character when he belts out Can't Take My Eyes Off of You. I got chills! Throughout this show, I laughed, I cried, I sang along, and mostly, I knew I wanted to see this Jersey Boys again, and I promised myself I would. I also left the theatre wanting everyone I knew to experience what I had that Sunday afternoon in December 2005.
After the show, I dragged Tedd and Rebecca to stand outside in the bitter cold, at the stage door of the August Wilson Theatre. Yes, I am one of those nuts who hangs around the stage door after a Broadway performance, and the freezing temperatures and wind of a December evening were not going to disuade me from doing so at this show. (Mind you, I have every playbill for every show I've ever seen in a huge box, along with ticket stubs and autographs that garner them!) This would be yet another for my valuable collection! Each cast member was more friendly than the next and humbled to be greeted. John Lloyd Young was adorable and friendly at the stage door and seemed just as awestruck about being the lead in this new show as the fans were about seeing it. Interacting with the cast members was a perfect ending to a great performance.
There we were, 11th row, center orchestra and as "Bob Gaudio" himself says in the show, "the whole world exploded." There is nothing more I can say about the music, because it has all been said. But, I would like to emphasize just how amazing the orchestra and arrangements were and the way in which the songs were weaved into the story. Acting-wise, you couldn't have had a more perfect foursome to play the leads. John Lloyd Young as Frankie Valli was perfectly cast and his voice just soared through the theatre mezmorizing the audience as he captured the inflections and high notes that are synonymous with Frankie Valli's voice. There were two aspects of the show that were most memorable and impressive to me. The first was the creative use of staging and lighting affects throughout the performance, namely, the way in which the audience is made to feel that they are "backstage", viewing the group from behind during a show performance in one of the scenes. I thought this was brilliant. The other was when the amazing horn section blows above Frankie's character when he belts out Can't Take My Eyes Off of You. I got chills! Throughout this show, I laughed, I cried, I sang along, and mostly, I knew I wanted to see this Jersey Boys again, and I promised myself I would. I also left the theatre wanting everyone I knew to experience what I had that Sunday afternoon in December 2005.
After the show, I dragged Tedd and Rebecca to stand outside in the bitter cold, at the stage door of the August Wilson Theatre. Yes, I am one of those nuts who hangs around the stage door after a Broadway performance, and the freezing temperatures and wind of a December evening were not going to disuade me from doing so at this show. (Mind you, I have every playbill for every show I've ever seen in a huge box, along with ticket stubs and autographs that garner them!) This would be yet another for my valuable collection! Each cast member was more friendly than the next and humbled to be greeted. John Lloyd Young was adorable and friendly at the stage door and seemed just as awestruck about being the lead in this new show as the fans were about seeing it. Interacting with the cast members was a perfect ending to a great performance.
With Gianna at Jersey Boys, May 2013 for Gianna's 9th Birthday (4th row!)
Incidentally, I made good on the promise I made to myself and saw Jersey Boys two more times. The first was with my mother-in-law, Ethel, in the Spring of 2006; and the next was with my daughter Gianna in May of 2013. Just a little side story - when I first saw Jersey Boys back in 2005, Gianna was only two years old. She heard the soundtrack playing in the car over and over and though she wasn't that proficient at speaking, she would bounce and sing along. A few months after seeing the show, we were driving, listening to Jersey Boys, when all of a sudden, Gianna started yelling, "Play "Pop Your Head", play "Pop Your Head" I had no idea what in the heck she was talking about. When it hit me...on the soundtrack, there is some dialog prior to the beginning of Sherry, when "Bob Gaudio" is narrating how a "tune popped into his head". Right after he says that, Sherry begins. Gianna didn't know the name of the song and assumed it was "pop your head." To this day, we refer to Sherry as Pop Your Head.
Over the next seven years, both girls came to know quite well, all the words to mostly every Four Season's song from hearing both the soundtrack and original Four Seasons music in the car regularly. In the Fall of 2012, I heard that Frankie Valli was coming to Radio City for a limited engagement. I ordered tickets for that faster than you can say "pop your head." I decided to take all three girls, thinking it would be pretty awesome to have my two youngest girls see the same "first concert" as their mom had seen more than 30 years earlier! Rebecca and Gianna thoroughly enjoyed the concert from the moment it started right to the end. Kelsey (6 at the time), fell asleep a quarter of the way through. (Sorry Frankie!) At 8 years old, Gianna was so mesmerized to see the "real" Frankie Valli. The concert was truly a memorable one. He was so natural, so engaging with the audience and quite funny. And that voice! Not much more to say about that. One after the other, he sang the classic, iconic songs I grew up with and now, my daughters, were also growing up with. It was truly priceless. Bob Gaudio, original member of the Four Seasons, and the writing genius of the group's success was in the audience that night as well.
At intermission - purchasing Jersey Boys Soundtrack From that night on, Gianna was begging me (more like haunting me) to take her to see Jersey Boys on Broadway. At first, I was a bit hesitant because the show does have a great deal of cursing and the f-bomb is dropped regularly. I also wasn't sure if she would enjoy the story itself, and if it was a bit too sophisticated for her. But, in the end, I broke down and decided to surprise her with tickets for her 9th birthday in May 2013. She was thrilled and so was I because this would be my third time to see one of my favorite shows! So, off we headed, into Manhattan for a Mommy and Gianna day, to see Jersey Boys! The weather that May Sunday was terrible. Raining, wet, just plain nasty! But, inside the theatre, the sun was shining brightly as the show played on and John Lloyd Young's voice filled the air! Interestingly enough, I hadn't realized till after the show and was doing a little reading, that Mr. Young had taken a leave from the show and had just returned for a brief engagement, for Sunday performances only! How's that for fate! If I had gotten tickets for any other day, my story would have a different ending. I guess it was all meant to be.
The wait in the rain was worth it! Gianna with John Lloyd Young ("the original Broadway "Frankie Valli" and star of Jersey Boys: The Movie)
Gianna did not take her eyes off the stage - she was enthralled with the story, the music, the dancing and the characters themselves. Calling each one of them by name, she recounted the narrative of the play for days. At intermission, we went out in the lobby, where I told her she could get one souvenir of her choice. She wanted her own cd soundtrack, which we promptly put on in the car and sang the whole way home that day! When the show was over (and it was raining just as hard), I asked Gianna if she would like to wait by the stage door to meet and get autographs from the member of the cast as they left the theatre. I had never done this before at the other shows to which she had been. Her answer was a wide-eyed, definite YES! There wasn't much of a crowd at the stage door, and it dwindled very quickly after the stars did not come out right away. In the end, it was me, Gianna and another couple braving the elements. The doorman manning the door was extremely sweet and friendly to Gianna, who looked so cute, playbill in hand, standing under a pink polka dot umbrella. Calling her "Sweetheart" and "Princess", he gave her the inside skinny on when the various cast members were coming out. Our persistence paid off! Not only did Gianna secure autographs from three of the four leads, but also from one of the original cast members who played the role of Bob Crewe, the group's producer! Then the moment came, John Lloyd Young came out (after a quick warning to get our cameras ready from our doorman friend). Gianna was beaming from ear to ear as he said hello, and he too referred to her as "Princess." He was all too happy to take a photo with her and give her his autograph. He even told her that he could never forget her name because Gianna was the feminine version of his name! The whole day was just so perfect all around.
 Original hand written letter from John Lloyd Young to Gianna |  Original script sheet from Jersey Boys, the Musical on Broadway |
But the story doesn't end there. Gianna decided she wanted to send a copy of the picture we just took with John to him along with a note. I suggested she include a self-addressed stamped envelope in case he wanted to write her back. She did just that. Each day for the next month, she waited with baited breath for the mail to see if there was a letter from him. Then one day, she got her self addressed envelope back! John Lloyd Young not only wrote back to her, but, did so on the opposite site of one of the script sheets! What an item for her scrapbook! Now, Gianna can say, when she watches Jersey Boys, The Movie, (which debuts in theaters next month), that she was up close and personal with the star!!! You can bet my calendar is marked for June 20th, when the movie opens! Check out the link below for the movie trailer! Today, Jersey Boys can still be seen on Broadway at the August Wilson Theatre in New York as well as in Las Vegas and London. It tours around the country and throughout Europe, so check the official Jersey Boys site for more information to see it live. The cast may have changed since I've seen it, but it will always remain a the story of American success, and friendship! As for me, I'm sure this is not the last of my Jersey Boys addiction!
~Elisa
~Elisa
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