December 6, 2006

Jersey Boys: Great Music with a Compelling Story

December 6th, 2006

Karen D’Souza of the Mercury News has a great interview piece with Jersey Boys’ director Des McAnuff and book writers Marshall Brickman and Rick Ellis. Jersey Boys, the 2006 Tony Award winner for Best Musical, kicks off its national tour Sunday at San Francisco’s Curran Theatre. The director and the writers talk about how the concept of Jersey Boys began, and what has made the show such a huge success.

McAnuff sees Jersey Boys as a soundtrack to America’s past. He stated,

Biography has been part of the theater for centuries. In fact, if you go back to the Jacobean days, we used to call these plays `histories.’ And I think you can argue that celebrity has replaced royalty in our culture. So instead of writing about Richard II, we write about Frankie Valli; that’s our obsession.

Another key to the show’s success may be its multi-demographic appeal. Not only does it tap the well-mined vein of boomer nostalgia, but it also seems to appeal to the under-30 set with its hottie-filled cast and “Sopranos”-esque backdrop. According to Elice,

The boomers are there, but they’re bringing their kids. Remember, this is a story about four young guys played by four young guys. They seem as if they’re actually the Four Seasons.”

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