Jersey Boys Blog

Doug, Frank & Terry Delle Donne (whose family owned 4 Seasons Bowling Alley), Audrey Rockman, Annie Egan (4 Seasons cocktail waitress for 30 years), and Joe LaGregor (manager, 4 Seasons Bowling Alley)

A week ago, in addition to Walt Gollender, Tom Austin, Charles Alexander and, of course THE guests of the day- the family members of the Four Seasons, JB Blog Correspondent Audrey Rockman shared some thoughts with the crowd about Jersey Boys, the Four Seasons Bus Tour and a little about the “Four Seasons Play and Recreation Center.”

By Jersey Boys Blog Special Correspondent Audrey Rockman

Like the Four Lovers, Mark Anzalone, of the Four Seasons Bowling Alley, and his family had a vision for the new business and it involved relaxing piano playing as former manager, Joe LaGregor has said. The Golden Branch Room was beautiful- designed by a man from California who incorporated waterfalls, plush seating with both tables and booths. The place had businessmen lunch groups and a reputation for quality. The family built and nurtured the business on this spot for 30 years from 1958 to 1988; Frank Della Donne, here today to celebrate this occasion, says the family also owned a Japanese Steak House across the street called Shiki- the translation of which means…you guessed it! Four Seasons!

Personally I have come to love the Four Seasons, not because I was a fan many years ago, although I’ve always loved their songs, but because of the Tony award winning show, Jersey Boys. The Four Seasons tradition of perseverance was still necessary about five years ago when the notion of a Broadway show was evolving. For those of you who might know Broadway trends, the show Jersey Boys was pitched to producers at a time when industry conversations about ‘juke box musicals’ sounded like money being burned. Like the original Four Seasons, Dodgers, though, was willing to look beyond the dangers and take the risk.

Just as the Four Seasons took their show on the road- touring campuses and venues across the country (or as the writers of JB put it- all the places you pass over on the way to Los Angeles), so too is the musical hit the road. Taking into account past locations and the upcoming schedule, the show will reach about 25 different cities around the world- with more plans evolving all the time. Just like the original group, the touring has jumped the pond over to the UK with tremendous success and will be migrating to Toronto this summer and will be showing UP- DOWN under in Australia next spring. Jersey Boys, benefiting from a talented creative team and five separate casts, stands on the shoulders of the work that began in the 1950s and tapping into that momentum, continues to log unprecedented, record breaking ticket sales since opening in La Jolla, California.

After seeing this show some twenty times since the fall of 2005, I just had to know more about the real life men behind such an intriguing story. Like the band that was “just four guys under a street lamp” for a while… my tours are just fans fascinated by the Four Seasons who say “Hey, let’s get a vehicle big enough to cruise around- getting a taste of an era, since curbed by ipods, Blackberries and downloads.” [OK, so the tours are chuck full of information and insight, too.] We see their homes from years ago and the spot where the famous ‘Jersey Contract’ handshake took place. We pass the place Bob Gaudio quickly wrote Sherry before heading down the Garden State Parkway. We take pictures in front of the first spot where Tommy brought Frankie up on stage and see the places of some promotional shoots, back when it was all still ahead of them.

I started the first tour in the winter, with the second one following in the spring. You guessed it- the next one is this summer, July 27. I’m going to proceed with the lessons I’ve learned from some Jersey boys that you and I know; lessons about pursuing my goals. The tours have been a labor of love and respect for men and their families who have been living life full out- with all the ups and downs. All the while creating music that was masterful.