Jersey Boys First Natl Tour Returns to Detroit 12/12-1/6!
December 11th, 2012
JB 1st Natl Tour Four Seasons: Michael Lomenda (Nick Massi), Nick Cosgrove (Frankie Valli), Miles Jacoby (Bob Gaudio), and John Gardiner (Tommy DeVito) (Photo Credit: Jeremy Daniel)
The JERSEY BOYS first national tour is returning to Detroit tomorrow through January 6, 2013 at the Fisher Theatre and reporters around town have posted some terrific previews! Check out highlights from previews in Detroit newspapers:
John Monaghan, Detroit Free Press: “Detroit audiences were so welcoming and enthusiastic,” says Michael David, the “Jersey Boys” producer who grew up in Grosse Pointe Park. “Detroit is alongside the very top markets in the U.S. in terms of the show’s premiere engagement sales.”
The Motown connections don’t stop there. “The Four Seasons were signed to Motown for a while in the ’70s, so the group has always had a real connection to Detroit,” says Rick Elice, who co-authored the show with Marshall Brickman. “And Detroit’s Roostertail was the scene of Frankie Valli’s greatest triumph, and the high point of a career full of high points — namely, it’s where he first performed “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” — and our entire show builds to that moment of triumph in his life.”
Snapshot of Andrea Daniel’s interview with Nick Cosgrove on Detroit News.com: “I wanted to go to college to study to do this role,” he says.
The actor/singer says his character doesn’t leave the stage for nearly two hours during the show, and he sings 27 songs.
“It’s like running a marathon,” he says.
Joining Cosgrove as the three members of the Four Seasons are John Gardiner as Tommy DeVito, Miles Jacoby as Bob Gaudio and Michael Lomenda as Nick Massi. While the three, plus Cosgrove, didn’t work together prior to the production, Cosgrove says the ability to gel in their roles is part of the magic of live theater.
“In the show, when the character Bob joins the group, he plays the song ‘Cry for Me’ at the piano. They form their sound for the first time with that song. So it’s like we (actors) get to find each other every night, and each performance breathes new life into the show,” Cosgrove says.
