Jersey Boys Blog

As we’ve said before, no Broadway (or national tour!) show has fans quite like the fans of Jersey Boys! Jersey Boys Blog is thrilled to present our latest JBB Fantastic Fan Interview with Beverley Micciche, who has seen the show 20 times (and will be coming back again later this month)! Beverley talks about what makes JB so appealing, the incredible cast she has gotten to know, why she keeps coming back with her family and friends, and her love of the Four Seasons’ music!

JBB:Tell us a bit about yourself.

BM: I have worked in education for thirty years as a third grade classroom teacher, a reading specialist, and now as an elementary curriculum supervisor.

JBB: When did you first hear about Jersey Boys, and what sparked your interest in seeing the show for the first time?

BM: While the show was in rehearsals, my husband and I saw Hairspray, which is in a theater directly across from Jersey Boys. The August Wilson Theater had posters advertising the coming of the play, Jersey Boys. I was a big fan of the Four Seasons and their music when I was in college during the late sixties and early seventies. So, I knew right away that I had to see Jersey Boys.

JBB: What did you think of Jersey Boys upon seeing it for the first time?

BM: My husband and I both loved the show. We first saw the show on New Year’s Eve 2005. I came away realizing that even though I had seen the real Four Seasons perform several times and was a big fan of their music, I knew nothing about their life struggles as musicians. I watched the Tony Awards and was so excited that John Lloyd Young and Christian Hoff both won a Tony, and also that the show won Best Musical. It was after the Tony Awards that I started coming again and again to the show.

JBB: How would you describe Jersey Boys to people who have not seen the show and may not be familiar with the Four Seasons’ music?

BM: I believe that what is most compelling is that the story is a genuine true accounting of the lives of the Four Seasons. I also believe that the Jersey Boys look, sing, and dance better than the Four Seasons ever did. Bob Gaudio has actually said this in interviews he has done. If you have lived in New Jersey, you would be familiar with the many references made in the play to the state. Jersey Boys provides the audience with a humorous look at New Jersey’s quite colorful reputation.

JBB: Have you met any of the Jersey Boys cast members?

BM: Yes, I have met all the cast members. I am amazed at how much time the cast devotes to fans at the stage door. I have especially developed an interest in following John Lloyd Young’s career. On several occasions I donated money to John’s blog to support Broadway Cares and each time he has sent me a personal thank you card. John’s blog, along with the Jersey Boys Blog, really helps fans to follow day by day happenings regarding the play. This also helps to sustain a fan’s interest in the play.

JBB: What was your favorite line in Jersey Boys and why?

BM: I especially like when Christian Hoff in his opening dialogue refers to New Jersey as a state in which you must ride past a dump next to a landfill on a turnpike to get to a football stadium to cheer for a team who is from another state. I like the line at the end of the play when Bobby Spencer says, “When you’re “Ringo…” I also love when Jennifer Naimo tells Frankie that his name must end in a vowel as “y” is a bullshit letter, because it doesn’t know if it is a vowel or a consonant.

JBB: What’s your favorite Jersey Boys’ scene and why?

BM: I like the scene when the Four Seasons are in Ohio in a jail cell on toilets and Christian sings, “Me-oh-my-o…did some time in old Ohio!” I just love how Michael Longoria plays the role of Joey. He has that role down so well that he makes me laugh every time I see the show, especially when he says, “It’s a smooth blend.” I also love the scene when they sing “I Go Ape.” John Lloyd Young dances with ape-like motions and it is just really comical.

JBB: Do you have a favorite Jersey Boys musical number?

BM: Of course I love the three hit songs that come back to back in the show, “Sherry,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” and “Walk Like a Man.” However, I have come to really enjoy the song, “Cry for Me,” because that is the first time the audience gets to hear the Four Seasons blend their sound, and it always gets such a big applause from the audience when they finish. Daniel Reichard’s voice is just so exceptional in this song. I also like at the beginning of the show when Christian Hoff sings, “Earth Angel.” I have always liked this oldie song. I also believe the French song that opens the play sets the tone for the whole play, and gets the audience’s attention, because you don’t expect to hear one of the Four Seasons’ songs sung in French.

JBB: Why do you think people keep coming back again and again to see Jersey Boys?

BM: I believe it is the entire cast and especially John, Christian, Daniel, and Bobby. They are such superb actors, their singing is brilliant, and the choreography is outstanding. The play also has so many lines interwoven within the story that are just so amusing, and there is always something magical about watching rock stars perform.

JBB: How many times have you seen Jersey Boys, and what keeps bringing you back?

BM: I have seen the show twenty times and I have several more tickets already purchased up until June. I don’t know if this is a record, because one night recently at the stage door, I met Matthew Scott’s mother, who told me she has seen the show twenty-two times. But I will soon break her record! The main thing that makes me come back so often is the music. I love all the four Jersey Boys, but I have come to especially admire and love to see John Lloyd Young not only sing, but act as well. The play brings a smile to my face every time I see or even just think about it. Because I have seen it so many times, I have my favorite lines and scenes memorized.

Another aspect of the play that is fascinating to me every time I attend is how each audience responds in different ways to the play. It is an interesting study to determine why certain audiences clap in certain places and others do not. I talk about the show so much at work that on my birthday my director made a big Jersey Boys’ sign (see photo), tied it to a railing where we park, and dedicated this reserved parking spot to me for the day! So, I became a certified Jersey Girl for a day! That night, I went to the show, and afterwards the cast members autographed a picture of my sign.

JBB: Well, you may hold the one of records for seeing Jersey Boys so many times! Who have you brought with you to see the show, and what did they think about the show?

BM: I have brought my daughter to the show, and she met John Lloyd Young at the stage door. He told her that coming so often to Jersey Boys was ‘a good hobby for your mother!’ I have tickets in March to bring her and her boyfriend back for her birthday. My husband has seen the show three times with me. However, now he goes to another Broadway show while I go to Jersey Boys. Because I have come so many times to Jersey Boys, he has seen just about every Broadway show, so I am running out of shows to have him see. The end of January, I am bringing a co-worker with me to see the show. She is excited about coming with me.

JBB: You’ve seen many other theatrical and other entertainment events. Has there been anything unique about Jersey Boys that you haven’t experienced with other shows?

BM: I believe the quality of the music and how the play is narrated makes it special. Each Jersey Boy gets to directly address the audience on how they perceive their experience within the group to be. In doing this, each of them connects to the audience in such a real way. Especially at the end when they reunite at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and they share what each of them are doing today, the audience concludes what interesting lives they all had and they come to personally understand their great careers. I always like true stories, even with movies.

I must also mention that I am amazed at Matthew Scott who is an understudy for Tommy DeVito, Bob Gaudio, Frankie Valli, Joe Pesci, and I recently saw him in the role of the French Rap Star! He once told me at the stage door that about every couple of weeks the understudies rehearse. I asked him how he knows which role to rehearse when he is expected to know all of these parts! I have seen him perform in all of these roles, and he is exceptional in all of them.

JBB: Anything else you’d like to share about Jersey Boys?

BM: I recently listened to a radio interview that the Jersey Boys did and they talked about how they are relaxed and comfortable now that the pressure from winning all of the awards is over. When they sing their closing song and the audience dances along with them, you can see how they truly enjoy performing every night. This is also evident when they greet their fans every night at the stage door. They have set a high standard for excellence and they certainly live up to that in each performance I have seen. Even the understudies portray their roles superbly.

JBB: You’ve been a Four Seasons fan for many decades. How did you get into their music?

BM: I always loved their music. I was able to identify with the lyrics at that time in my life. I was attracted to the Four Seasons’ unique sound and their upbeat melodies. They were songs that you could sing along to. The songs would also stay in your head because of the nature of the simple, repetitive lyrics.

JBB: Wow! You saw the Four Seasons back when you were in college and went back stage to meet them. Could you tell us about that experience?

BM: One performance was at William Paterson University, where I attended college. One time my roommate and I actually got to meet the Four Seasons behind stage after a performance. During the performance, their stage manager sat behind us. We spoke to him throughout the show, and he let us in afterwards. Unfortunately, because it was so long ago, I know we got everyone’s autograph, but I forget specifically what we said to them.

JBB: How many times have you seen Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons in concert?

BM: I have seen them four times back when they were performing in the late sixties and early seventies. Then, I recently saw Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons perform this past Thanksgiving at the Rose Theater in New York City.

JBB: How was Frankie’s concert at the Rose Theatre? What was most memorable about Frankie’s performance?

BM: Frankie Valli, despite his age, can still sing. It was certainly evident that night that he still has a thriving, loyal, and supportive fan base. He has four new guys who tour with him as the Four Seasons. However, I believe the Jersey Boys performance is in every way still first class in comparison.

JBB: What’s your all-time favorite Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons’ song?

BM: My all-time favorite song is “Stay.” The lyrics, “Stay just a little bit longer!” remind me of the time back in college when we had a curfew imposed upon us. I would hear this song and wish that I could have stayed longer at the party instead of having to return to the dorm.

Jersey Boys Blog would like to thank Beverley Micciche once again for taking the time for this terrific interview! If you would like to be featured in an upcoming JBB Fantastic Fan Interview, we would love to hear from you. If you’re interested, please click on the Contact Page and send us your contact information.