JB National Tour ‘Boys’ on the Hit Show & More!
February 16th, 2007In today’s InsideBayArea.com, Chad Jones has a terrific interview with the quartet that plays the legendary Four Seasons in the national tour of Jersey Boys at the Curran Theatre.
Jones sat down with Eric Bergen (Bob Gaudio), Michael Ingersoll (Nick Massi), Christopher Kale Jones (Frankie Valli), and Deven May (Tommy DeVito) recently at a San Francisco hotel to talk about the hit show that keeps extending its run and will likely be in SF for many months.
Here’s a preview of this great interview!
The actors say they bonded during rehearsals last fall in New York before heading to the Bay Area. May said,
We got to know each other merely through the process of being scared out of our wits we weren’t going to accomplish what we needed to accomplish with this show.
Jones met with his Frankie Valli counterpart, Tony-winner John Lloyd Young, who was “incredibly helpful and gracious with his time. Frankie is onstage through a lot of the show, so John even pointed out spots in the show when I can get my fluids and stay hydrated.”
May added,
Every night is a party. Onstage, backstage, out in the house. I love this show. I’ve been in shows, like ‘Bat Boy,’ where I went home hurting after two hours onstage. In this one, I don’t have to wear crazy makeup or funny ears or die onstage. This is one of the most pleasant shows I’ve been in. Hardest show I’ve ever had to learn, but I look forward to doing it every night.
Jones continued,
I’ve been doing music theater for a long time, and I’ve never had a show as rewarding or as challenging as this one. I’ve never had a night where I finish and was just drained, but I’ve come close. I have to warm down my voice for a half hour after the show to relax the muscles so they don’t tighten up the next day and keep me from singing the 27 songs Frankie sings.
Ingersoll had a moment a couple of weeks ago when the reality of the story — four guys from the rough streets of Jersey make it big — got to him. He noted,
We put the show up so quickly that we almost had tunnel vision making sure we executed our roles well. When you relax a little and the show is more second nature, you notice what’s around and pick up moments. Last week, at the end of the show, I noticed this subtle thing. Frankie and Tommy, right before the lights go out, share a look of resolution and redemption and forgiveness. That really moved me.
Bergen reflected,
My father listened to this music 30, 40 years ago, and now the four us fit into the history of the Four Seasons, which is so weird. I am loving that we are helping keep this music and these stories alive.
