Four Seasons Story Comes to Melbourne!
May 19th, 2009
JERSEY BOYS Melbourne’s Four Seasons: Stephen Mahy (Bob Gaudio), Scott Johnson (Tommy DeVito), Glaston Toft (Nick Massi), and Bobby Fox (Frankie Valli)
The Sunday Herald Sun has a great write-up from Catherine Lambert about the upcoming Melbourne production of JERSEY BOYS that opens at the Princess Theatre on July 4!
Lambert speaks with Bobby Fox, who will play Frankie Valli and Stephen Mahy, who will play Bob Gaudio in the Melbourne production, along with production supervisor Richard Hester.
“The show’s appeal is that as much as it’s set in Jersey, it’s really not about Jersey at all,” Mahy says.
“It’s a story about four guys aspiring to more than what they had. It’s a story of brotherhood, mateship and larrikinism among guys who happened to be megastars. Of course, the Mafia thing is a big drawcard for people who don’t see musicals, too.”
Production supervisor Richard Hester says it is the sense of triumph that is at the heart of the show.
“It’s about 10 years of not making any money and then within three to four months having three No. 1 hits in a row,” Hester says.
“When you really go on that journey with these guys, it’s inspiring because that’s something we all want to achieve ourselves.”
Both of these roles are big breaks for Fox and Mahy. Fox is primarily a dancer and was four times world Irish dance champion. He moved to Australia seven years ago and worked on Mamma Mia!, Spamalot and Dusty, but always as a dancer.
His role in Jersey Boys sees him singing falsetto and showing broad vocal range.
He is discovering a new skill and appreciation for Valli’s voice.
“Frankie’s famous falsetto voice was more of a gimmick than anything else in the beginning, but he became so naturally able to do it that it was beautiful ornamentation. It became iconic,” Fox says.
Visit community.livejournal.com for this full fantastic article!
This is just another reason why people should follow Jersey Boys – it improves one’s vocabulary and literary horizons (if nothing else it forces you to consult the dictionary): first “ubiquitous,” then
the “objective correlative,” and now “larrikinism.”
While the definition may work, let me go out on a limb here and say that I doubt Frankie ever referred to Tommy as a “larrikin”* on the streets bordering Belleville and Newark New Jersey.
* American Heritage College Dictionary: Larrikin – a person given to comical or outlandish behavior.
Comment by David Cace — May 20, 2009 @ 8:19 am
I am saving for a trip!
Comment by GLADYS MARLIN — May 20, 2009 @ 11:05 am
Perfect day in Melbourne:
* hanging with my friend JG
* going to the Queen Victoria Market
* seeing Jersey Boys!
Hopefully this can happen…
Comment by Leanna — May 21, 2009 @ 1:03 am