Jersey Boys Blog

Out of any show that is currently running on Broadway, without a doubt, Jersey Boys has the most dedicated, energized and enthusiastic fans! The response to the JBB Fantastic Fan Interviews is beyond amazing!

It is with great pleasure that we present 2007′s first JBB Fantastic Fan Interview with Elle Doherty! Elle talks about how she became interested in JB; the incredible cast; what makes JB so unique from other shows she has seen; and Big Men in Town, the wonderful fansite she has created that pays tribute to Jersey Boys!

JBB: Tell us a bit about yourself

ED: Well, I’m Elle, and I’m a high school senior living in Virginia. I’m hoping to go to college in New York City next year and major in something related to theatre management. I’m somewhat of a Broadway nerd.

JBB: When did you first hear about Jersey Boys, and what sparked your interest in seeing the show for the first time?

ED: I first heard about Jersey Boys from BroadwayWorld.com, and I wasn’t too excited about it. It didn’t seem like something I’d enjoy. However, when the cast recording came out in November, I decided to buy it off of iTunes. I didn’t like it at first, but I kept listening and started to love it. It ended up being all I played for months!

JBB: What did you think of Jersey Boys upon seeing it for the first time?

ED: I thought the show was absolutely amazing in every way. Everything from the book to the staging to the lights and the actors’ portrayals, I just felt it was an absolutely amazing show. I went back the next night, and the night after that.

JBB: Many of Jersey Boys biggest fans are from the Baby Boomer generation. As a high school student, what makes this show so appealing to you? What is it about the story and the music that makes you feel so connected to Jersey Boys?

ED: I’ve always loved music not from my generation – I’m told sometimes that I should’ve been born in the fifties! I feel that a great song is a great song no matter what decade it is from, whether it be the forties or this decade, and the Four Seasons made some great songs. Also, most of my family lives in New Jersey. The fact that the accents of these characters are the accents of my relatives makes it feel a bit like home. My grandfather spoke almost exactly how Christian Hoff speaks as Tommy DeVito.

JBB: Have you taken any of your friends with you to see Jersey Boys? What has been their reaction?

ED: After I first saw the show, I couldn’t stop raving about it, and my friends wanted to know what I was raving about. I stayed in New York this past summer, and I brought every friend I could find to see the show. Every time the show ended, I would hear, ‘So that’s what you’ve been raving about.’ I love introducing this show to my friends so they can see why I can’t stop talking about it.

JBB: Last year, you created the Big Men in Town fansite that pays tribute to Jersey Boys. Tell us about the site and why you decided to create it.

ED: I’ve always loved designing websites, and playing around in Photoshop, and other programs. I felt that Big Men in Town was a way to combine two things I loved, and just to pay tribute to a show I love so much. I never dreamed that the show would blow up so big, and that so many people would actually visit my site! A friend of mine who lives in California told me that a girl came into her class raving about Jersey Boys and was talking about my website. It was mind-blowing! To know that all these people out there are learning about the show makes me very happy.

JBB: Have you met any of the Jersey Boys cast members?

ED: I have! The cast members are an absolutely huge part of the show. You can have a great script, but without someone to play the role, the story doesn’t really come to life. Besides being fantastic actors, all of the cast members are wonderful people, and they really do appreciate the fans of the show.

JBB: You were born quite a few years after the Four Seasons’ heyday. Were you familiar with the Four Seasons’ music before seeing Jersey Boys?

ED: I was only familiar with a few of their more popular songs, such as “Walk Like a Man” and “December 1963″. I didn’t know the extent of their popularity, or how much of their songs I’d heard before until I heard the Jersey Boys cast album!

JBB: If you were given Des McAnuff’s job for a day, what changes would you make to Jersey Boys?

ED: I think Des has done amazing work with the show – on the last note of “Rag Doll,” each of the Seasons has their hand in a different position, and the first time I noticed that, I thought, ‘Wow, that was an amazing choice.’ I really cannot think of a thing I’d change at this moment.

JBB: What is your favorite line in Jersey Boys?

ED: “We weren’t a social movement like The Beatles. Our fans didn’t put flowers in their hair and try to levitate the Pentagon. Maybe they should have. Our people were the guys who shipped overseas and their sweethearts. They were the factory workers, the truck drivers, the kids pumping gas, flipping burgers, the pretty girl with circles under her eyes behind the counter at the diner. They’re the ones who really got us, who pushed us over the top.”

JBB: What’s your favorite Jersey Boys scene?

ED: I don’t think anything can ever beat “Who Loves You,” and how you feel once the Frankie monologue is finished, and John Lloyd starts to sing. I absolutely love when the Four Seasons come out and the audience yells for each of them. The end is basically a big party, and I love that. I am also a huge fan of the scene where Bob and Frankie go to different record executives and ask them about their demo. It’s hilarious!

JBB: Do you have a favorite Jersey Boys song?

ED: The second part of “Sunday Kind of Love,” which is not on the CD, is my favorite. It’s sung right before Mary Delgado is introduced into the story. The way Christian and John Lloyd sing it is so beautiful!

JBB: Why do you think people keep coming back again and again to see Jersey Boys?

ED: I think they keep coming back because this show is like nothing else. People could argue that it’s like A Chorus Line or something like that, but in A Chorus Line, they’re talking to Zach, the director, and not directly to the audience. The audience feels more for the characters in Jersey Boys, I believe, because it’s like they’re talking directly to them. Everyone can relate, and everyone can see himself or herself in a bit in each character.

I also believe the Internet has something to do with it as well, especially with the younger and teenage fans. Technology has become such a big part of everyone’s life, and for people out in other countries to watch a video preview of Jersey Boys, and for it to spark their interest is great. Also, especially since some of the actors involved with the show (John Lloyd, Jennifer Naimo, Matthew Scott, and Eric Gutman with the tour) keep blogs, this helps to draw people into the show as well. The Internet is definitely a huge way many people got hooked!

JBB: How many times have you seen Jersey Boys, and what keeps bringing you back?

ED: I’ve seen Jersey Boys thirteen times. I think I keep coming back because this show makes me feel things that other shows don’t. I’m smiling throughout the first act, I feel scared during the table scene, and I feel like crying at the end. The “Who Loves You” finale always makes me want to get up and dance.

Also, I feel the actors contribute to it somewhat. The way they perform these roles is absolutely perfect, and the way they are at the stage door is even better. They are such wonderful people, and it really brightens your day a little bit to talk to them.

JBB: Anything else you’d like to share about Jersey Boys?

ED: Just that this show is one of the best things on Broadway right now, and I’m very glad that it’s on Broadway, and doing what it’s doing. This show is introducing more people to theatre, and that’s such an important thing to do. Jersey Boys is fantastic!

Jersey Boys Blog would like to thank Elle Doherty once again for taking the time for this very insightful interview about Jersey Boys! If you would like to be featured in an upcoming JBB Fantastic Fan Interview, we’d love to hear from you! Please click on the Contact Page and send us your contact information.