Jersey Boys Blog

One of the most exciting things about running Jersey Boys Blog is getting to know all of the amazing fans that have such a special connection to the show! We are delighted to present JBB Fantastic Fan Interview #11 with one of Jersey Boys’ most loyal fans, Kathryn Hanson! Kathryn talks about how she became hooked on JB; her recent amazing time in NYC to see the show for the first time; the excitement of meeting the cast; her many websites saluting Jersey Boys cast members; and more!

JBB: Tell us about yourself.

KH: My name is Kathryn Hanson. I am 15 years old, and I will be 16 in May (can’t wait!) I live in north Georgia with my Mom (Tina), Dad (John), and sister (Helen). We have three cats and three dogs. I love my family; we are all very close. I am home-schooled and have been all of my life, and I love it. It keeps me away from all of the weird and bad things that happen in public schools. I enjoy web design, being with my friends and family, and reading.

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

KH: I first heard about Jersey Boys when I saw them at the Macy’s Day Parade. I loved them–they could sing, and they were great to the eyes [laughs]. Anyway, I thought they did a great job and they made me want to see the show.

JBB: You have created quite a few Jersey Boys fan websites. Tell us about your sites and why you decided to create them.

KH: I run nine Jersey Boys fan pages. I had started one on bebo.com, way before I knew much about the show, then I came over to MySpace. That’s when I started the Jersey Boys Fans MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/jerseyboysfans, I made that one because I felt there was a need for it. There were two or three already on MySpace, but they weren’t updated frequently, and they weren’t online to talk to fans. So I started one, and now I have over 1,000 friends! I have a wonderful new assistant named Natalie. I cannot tell you how much she has helped me to make that page a great place for fans. The next one I started was for the Jersey Girls. They were not getting the praise they needed from fans, so I thought I would start a MySpace page for them: http://www.myspace.com/jerseygirls00. Then, I started one for the tour cast, as they needed one as well. I did it so that the Broadway fans would pick and take the touring group under their wing just like they did with the Broadway cast and it worked! (http://www.myspace.com/jerseyboysnationaltour). After I started that one, I thought that they needed a music page so I made one: http://www.myspace.com/jerseyboystourmusic. Just the other day, I made a MySpace page for the second tour of Jersey Boys, and hope to get that going once the say who’s in the cast: http://www.myspace.com/jerseyboysnationaltour2.

I run four websites off of freewebs.com: One for the Jersey Boys show that my friend Marisa and I run: http://www.freewebs.com/jerseyboysfans; one for Daniel Reichard: http://www.freewebs.com/daniel_reichard_fans; one for John Lloyd Young: http://www.freewebs.com/jlyfans; and one for Christian Hoff: http://www.freewebs.com/christian_hoff_fans.

I have a lot of fun running all of the sites, and I have made a lot of wonderful friends since I have started running them.

JBB: You recently saw Jersey Boys for the first time. Tell us all about your big event!

KH: Wow, yes I saw Jersey Boys for my first time. It was incredible–everything, the show, the cast, the theatre–it was like I was living a dream. I went to the show with my dad (who loved it as well). We had wonderful seats and could see everything that went on on-stage. For me, it was kind of like seeing a video come to life before my eyes. All I had seen of these guys were on video clips for a year and half, and then to watch them come out on stage, Wow, it was great! Everyone did an amazing job. This was my first time to NYC and my first time to a Broadway show. I had a wonderful time at the show and in the city. I was only in the city for 39 hours, but in that time I fell in love with it. We stayed at the Novotel hotel across the street from Jersey Boys. From our hotel window, we could see Times Square– it was wonderful! I had the time of my life!

JBB: Lots of Jersey Boys big fans are from the Baby Boomer generation. As a high school student, what makes this show and the music so appealing to you?

KH: I grew up listening to the Four Seasons and music from the 50′s, 60′s and 70′s. I have never really enjoyed the music of today, so when I heard about Jersey Boys I fell in love with it.

JBB: Considering you’ve been following the show and the cast for a long time before seeing them live on Broadway, did anything surprise you about the show?

KH: How incredible the actors are. You don’t get an idea of how good of actor/actress they are from just seeing a video clip; you have got to see it in person. I know all of them will go far.

JBB: You had the chance to meet some of the Jersey Boys cast members at the show. Tell us about that experience.

KH: That was great! I was a bit flustered, it being my first time in New York and being at a Broadway show, so I didn’t even think to get a picture with the girls, or with Peter and Donnie, who all came out the stage door to greet me, but I did get to talk to them. Maybe next time, I will think to take a picture with them [laughs]. After the show, I went backstage to meet John, so while I was waiting backstage, I met Bobby. I would have gotten a picture with him, but he was carrying tons of bags and looked like he was in a hurry to get home, but I did talk to him. Next, Christian came down. I had met him in the show, but had still not really talked with him. When he came down, we talked for a bit while he signed my autograph book. While I was talking to Christian, Daniel came down the stairs and started talking to some people that were also there. Then, he turned and saw me and said something like ‘OMG, look who’s here!’ That made my night! All of the guys and girls are wonderful people, all very down to earth. I have seen actors who could not care less about their fans, but these people really do care. They all make the fans feel like family; I am so glad I got to meet them.

JBB: Now that you’ve seen Jersey Boys, what is your favorite scene?

KH: I loved the scene with the fake shooting. John in that scene is great! I also love the “Fallen Angel” scene. It was very touching, and John was did a wonderful job.

JBB: What is your favorite musical number in Jersey Boys?

KH: I love the three songs, “Sherry,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” and “Walk Like A Man.”

JBB: Do you have a favorite line from the show?

KH: I have a few:

• “You wanna talk about towels? The man cannot be in a hotel without using all the towels. I’m talking face towels, bath towels, mats, the little washcloths – it’s like he’s living alone! You need a towel, you know where it is? In a wet pile on the floor”
• “That’s why I’m still out there singing. Like that bunny on TV with the battery, just keep going, and going, and going. Chasing the music, trying to get home…”
• Tommy: “Hey Nick remember when we couldn’t get arrested Bob:When was that, when you were three?”
• “Fish gotta swim and birds gotta fly…choose to be happy.”

JBB: Although you were born many years after the Four Seasons’ heyday, you said that you grew up listening to the Four Seasons’ music. Do you have a favorite Four Seasons’ song?

KH: Since I grew up listening to the Four Seasons, I was pretty familiar with some of their songs, i.e. “Sherry,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Walk Like A Man,” “December, 1963.” You know, the ones they play on the radio, but I think they should play all of them. My favorite Seasons’ song? Well let’s see, I have a few. They are: “Swearin’ to God,” “Who Loves You,” “My Eyes Adored You,” and “I’ve Got You Under My Skin.”

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

KH: To anyone who hasn’t seen the show, go see it, either on Broadway or on tour. The show and both casts are amazing. I can promise you, you will have a great time. I also want to say thank you to the Jersey Boys Blog for letting us fans do these interviews and for running such a wonderful site! (Wow! Thank you, Kathryn!)

Jersey Boys Blog would like to thank Kathryn Hanson once again for taking the time for this marvelous interview about Jersey Boys! If you would like to be featured in an upcoming JBB Fantastic Fan Interview, we’d love to hear from you! Please click on the Contact Page and send us your contact information.