December 30, 2012

It’s Jarrod Spector Day–Share Your Favorite Memories & Well Wishes!!

December 30th, 2012

As we all know, Jarrod Spector’s final performance as Frankie Valli will be this afternoon, Sunday, December 30 at the August Wilson Theatre. It is now officially Jarrod Spector Day on Jersey Boys Blog!

Jarrod has spent the last six years and over 1,500 shows in the Valli role, wowing audiences first in the national tour, in Chicago, and since 2008, on Broadway!

So many amazing, unforgettable memories of Jarrod shining on stage in the Frankie role! He truly embodied Valli so much and made it all look so effortless, from the youthful kid with the big passion and dreams to the toughness of the guy who kept chasing the music! No matter how many times we have had the opportunity to see him in the role, Jarrod has always given 150%, kept it amazingly fresh, and actually grew more and more into the role!

We’d like to send the biggest shout-out to Jarrod for all of his support for Jersey Boys Blog over the years and thank him for sharing his thoughts in one of our most exciting JBB EXCLUSIVE Interviews this past spring! Thank you, Jarrod for your most awesome performances, interviews, and for always acknowledging and supporting your fans!

Although we will miss Jarrod in JERSEY BOYS, we can’t wait to see what is next for this tremendously talented performer!

We would love for Jersey Boys Blog readers to share your well wishes, farewells, and memories of Jarrod Spector on his day!

4 Comments »

  1. He will be missed. Such a talent. I can only hope that for my own selfish reasons, he returns to Jersey Boys. I’ve seen 3 Frankies in NY and he just owns it. His interpretation of the roll can’t be matched. His sound is a remarkable compliment to Frankie Valli.
    Jarrod, I hope your dreams come true, but my dream is you return someday to play FV on on Broadway so we can see you again, and again, and again…….

    Comment by Shana — December 30, 2012 @ 8:59 pm

  2. The first, and in some ways most memorable, flashback involving Jarrod was seeing him for the FIRST time on the Emmy Awards in September 2007. That was an exciting night, finally seeing the man there had been so much talk about, performing on national TV.

    Another notable memory of Jarrod for me was the night of the Broadway’s fifth anniversary. I spoke to him at the stage door and related Katie Agresta’s profuse praise of his natural (and trained) singing talent, as well as his eagerness to find room for improvement when first signed. Jarrod’s emotions, when thinking and sharing about the impact which Katie has had on his life, were quickly evident and very touching.

    I also remember that he started his Broadway run on Rosh Hashanah and thought ‘for someone who is Jewish, is that style or what?!’ Well, another new year is about to begin and I wish you, Jarrod all the joy and inspiration you’ve shared with JB audiences from San Francisco to Broadway!

    Comment by Audrey — December 30, 2012 @ 11:51 pm

  3. My first memory of Jarrod was at the Curran in SF when he was with the Nat’l Tour. His performances as Frankie always rocked the house! For 21 of my 52 viewings of the musical, Jarrod was on and it was always a performance to anticipate because he always “brought it”!!! We were sad when the tour left for Chicago, but I had to see the cast there at the BofA Theatre, then was fortunate to watch him on Broadway for one show.

    Whether it be running into him on the street heading to the Curran, tagging along with Craig Laurie backstage there and being greeted and recognized by Jarrod, his acknowledgement of our group during the “East meets West” show before “Who Loves You” in SF, or meeting him at stage door, he is a true showman, a professional at all he does and a great human being because he always accommodated his fans! Least we all know all of his future gigs will all be successful because that’s what he’s all about! From Star Search, numerous Nat’l TV appearances to headlining Broadway is a great start to a career for anyone in entertainment! Good luck, Jarrod and I’m so glad to have met you! Thanks for the memories!

    Comment by Mike B. Magbaleta — December 31, 2012 @ 11:55 am

  4. I will never forget Jarrod’s performance in JB. This was a very different musical than the Rodgers & Hammerstein, Leonard Bernstein, Lerner/Lowe musicals I’d grown up on. I still love those great productions, but JB was more like a concert than a typical musical, and I mean that in a very positive way. My experience of JB was made even more poignant in that I attended the play w/a dear friend from college who I had not seen in 40 yrs. I recall just B4 the curtain went up, my friend, looking at the electronic synthesizers etc., saying “THIS is going to be a PRODUCTION”! She was soo right!

    I recall getting quickly caught up in the music, as well as absorbing the acting & choreography. There were 2 shows being watched/experienced, Jarrod leading the group on stage, and all the memories coming up on my “inner screen”. All these flashbacks I had not been expecting, I think I teared up for much of the show. Whatever spell Jarrod was weaving over his audience, it was very potent. On FB, many of the other JB/Spector fans recalled having same experience. Lots of Jarrod’s fans fortunate enough to live in NYC, went back to JB again & again, to feel that catharsis.

    It’s a bittersweet time in Jarrod’s career, as he walks down a new path, after giving Broadway one of the most powerful performances, in the history of American Theater. I just pray he will keep giving us the gift of his musical talent, I’d hate to see him drift into action films at this point. I know he will be heavily in demand and look forward to seeing his next project.

    Bright Blessings 2 U Jarrod! There may be a doz. Frankies on any given stage, but there is only one of U!

    Comment by frosty7530 — January 22, 2013 @ 11:21 am

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