Des McAnuff & Richard Hester Discuss the Creation of the Smash Hit Jersey Boys!
October 1st, 2010Myra Yellin Outwater has a terrific interview with JERSEY BOYS director Des McAnuff and production supervisor Richard Hester, who have both been with the hit show since its beginnings at La Jolla Playhouse. Here’s a preview:
But from McAnuff’s enthusiastic tone, it is obvious that there is always time to talk about his role in creating the Broadway smash, “Jersey Boys,” the musical bio of the 1960s hitmakers Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. “Jersey Boys” is at Philadelphia’s Forrest Theatre through Dec.12.“I knew from the moment we began working on it in our rehearsal rooms that we had something special,”‘ says McAnuff, who was then artistic director of the La Jolla Playhouse, a California theatrical landmark founded in 1947 by Gregory Peck, Dorothy McGuire and Mel Ferrer.
“We had such a strong demand for tickets almost immediately that I told our marketing people we would have to put in more phone lines. Eventually we had 25 phone lines, all with call waiting.”
McAnuff and Broadway Tony Award winning choreographer Sergio Trujillo went to work to get Marshall Brickman’s and Rick Elice’s musical ready for the stage.
Production supervisor Richard Hester has also been with the show since LaJolla. Today he is in charge of all the touring companies.
“No one had ever read the script until the first day of rehearsal,” recalls Hester. “I grew up in New Jersey and remember the effect of their first hit, ‘Sherry.’ I also remember the song ‘Oh What a Night.’ But at that time, I had never heard of the Four Seasons and just knew the songs. But from the beginning every aspect of this production was so perfect.”
Visit mcall.com to read the full interview.
