THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2024
Team Café
What did four youngsters in their 20s, Frankie Valli, Tommy DeVito, Nick Massi and Bob Gaudio have in common? Besides being the founding members of the Four Seasons, a rock and roll and doo-wop quartet, they were all from Newark, New Jersey in the United States of America which made them Jersey Boys.
The Four Seasons was formed in 1960 in Newark, New Jersey. They were also known as The Four Lovers (1956–1960) and The Wonder Who? (1965–1967). Since 1970, they have also been known at times as Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. The band included Frankie Valli as the lead singer, Bob Gaudio on keyboards and tenor vocals, Tommy DeVito on lead guitar and baritone vocals, and Nick Massi on bass guitar and bass vocals. They performed songs in different genres including pop rock, pop, soul, doo-wop and rock and roll. The original members of the original members of the Four Seasons were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990 and the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1999 and the New Jersey Hall of Fame in 2017.
Based on the biography of the four members and their popular hits in the 60s and 70s, ‘Jersey Boys’, a musical play directed by Des McAnuff, premiered at La Jolla Playhouse and opened on November 6, 2005. The musical follows the evolution of four boys who became one of the greatest successes in pop-music history and the secret behind their 40-year friendship. With their musical hits, the show is a journey of their story from rags to riches which won multiple Tony Awards after its move to Broadway. The original cast included John Lloyd Young as Frankie Valli, Daniel Reichard as Bob Gaudio, Christian Hoff as Tommy DeVito, and J Robert Spencer as Nick Massi Frankie Valli also performed the title theme for the musical film, ‘Grease’ as John Travolta And Olivia Newton John.
‘Celebrating Jersey Boys’ is the international musical phenomenon that takes the audience behind the scenes and the music of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons. After successful shows on Broadway in the US and West End Theatre in the UK, the phenomenal production, ‘Celebrating Jersey Boys’ is coming to India. Brought to the Indian sub-continent by Melwyn Camara in association with United Artist Entertainmenttours India, the musical will be performed in Goa on January 23 at Kala Academy, Panjim and January 24 at Ravindra Bhavan, Margao followed by two shows in Mumbai.
The play portrays the history of the Four Seasons in four parts, with each part narrated by a different member of the band and supposedly reflecting that band member’s perspective on the band’s history. The author of the book of the play, Rick Elice, interviewed Frankie Valli, Bob Gaudio, and Tommy DeVito in writing the play, and pieced together Nick Massi’s point of view based on those interviews as Nick died before the play was written.
The original cast recording of ‘Jersey Boys’ on the Rhino label won the Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album in 2007. It was also the winner of Best Musical at both the Tony Awards and Sir Lawrence Olivier Awards. The Broadway production won four 2006 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Actor (John Lloyd Young as Frankie Valli), Best Featured Actor (Christian Hoff as Tommy DeVito), and Best Lighting Design. It went on to win five 2009 Sir Lawrence Olivier Awards for Best New Musical, Best Actor in a Musical (Ryan Molloy), Best Theatre Choreographer (Sergio Trujillo), Best Director (Des McAnuff) and Best Sound Design (Steve Canyon Kennedy).
Filled with sing-along hits, ‘Celebrating Jersey Boys’ is a world class experience with a young, dynamic and talented cast from the West End production of Jersey Boys. ‘Celebrating Jersey Boys’ is an exhilarating revue of the best of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, presented as a live all-singing, all-dancing fully-staged show that has impressed audiences throughout the world.
Jersey Boys sold over 1.7 Billion USD worth of tickets worldwide, ran for 11 years and was viewed by 24 million people across the globe. The musical was also a major motion picture directed by Oscar winner and Hollywood icon Clint Eastwood in 2014 with John Lloyd Young, Erich Bergen, Michael Lomenda and Vincent Piazza as the four main leads.
The Four Seasons were one of the biggest American bands in Britain throughout the 20th century.
They sold over 100 million records at the peak of their career. With the production right here in Goa, this is a great opportunity for music lovers to enjoy a fast-paced musical.
