Jersey Boys Blog

Jersey Boys Fantastic Fans continue to amaze us! We are pleased to present (drum roll please) our 20th JBB Fantastic Fan Interview with Pamela L.! Pamela talks about how she became so hooked on the show; her favorite scene, musical numbers, and lines; how she has introduced friends and family to Jersey Boys; and much more!

JBB: Tell us about yourself.

PL: Hi, my name is Pam L. and I live in San Francisco, California. I’m almost 21 and am a Public Relations major. I am a self-confessed shopaholic and pop culture junkie. I guess you can add Jersey Boys fanatic to that as well. When I’m not slaving away at my retail job, you can find me hanging out with my friends and family having a good time.

JBB: When did you first hear about Jersey Boys national tour, and how did you become interested in the show?

PL: I heard about the show in late October, early November through word of mouth and the newspaper ads. It was actually by accident that I ended up going to see the show. My Mom’s boss had purchased tickets to the show on December 9th (which actually was the ‘Sherry’ casts’ final preview show) as a Christmas gift for my Mom and one of their co-workers but they weren’t able to make it so my Mom bought the tickets and took my Dad and I. I wouldn’t say that I was necessarily interested in the show at first since all I knew about it was that it had something to do with Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons but it was a Saturday night were I had nothing to do and it was probably one of the only times where I’d be able to get center orchestra seats at the Curran for $50.

JBB: How many times have you seen Jersey Boys in SF, and what was your reaction the first time you saw the show?

PL: I’ve seen the show 7 times now. I’ve seen the ‘Sherry’ cast perform 6 times, including their final show in San Francisco, and I was in the audience when the Chicago cast opened on May 4th. When I first saw the show I was completely blown away. I do have to admit that I was confused when “Ces Soirees-La” started since I knew it wasn’t a song by Frankie Valli or the Four Seasons but then Deven started his monologue and I was drawn in right away. Then Erich came out and sang “Cry for Me” and that really solidifed my love for the show. Each number after that only added to my love for the show. The performance was so tight it was hard to believe that the cast had only been together since late October. It completely amazed me.

JBB: What keeps bringing you back to the show & what makes you feel so connected to Jersey Boys?

PL: It’s not just the music and the story presented that make the show for me, one of the major things that keeps me going back to the show is the cast. It’s extremely evident to the audience how close all the performers are to each other and for me, that makes the performances each actor/actress gives that much better. The closeness they share extends to the audience and for me at least, makes me feel like I’m actually a part of the show. It’s also really interesting how the saying “life imitates art” can somewhat be applied to the cast as well. Here they are presenting the story of how Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons went through so much and worked so hard to get to the point where they are today and for some of the cast members of the National Touring Cast, the same can be said. For some of them, the success they’ve achieved from being a part of this phenomenon is the result of years of hard work. Hearing them share their personal success stories and knowing how hard they work to make sure they give a good show with each performance and having them take out time to say ‘hi’ at the stage door make me feel connected to the show.

JBB: You’ve noted that you’ve introduced people to Jersey Boys with your “incessant raving” about the show. Who have you introduced to the show, and what was their reaction upon seeing the show for themselves?

PL: I’ve introduced friends, family, co-workers, family friends and co-workers of my family members to the show. When I first told them about the show and how many times I’d seen it and my plans to continue seeing the show in various locations they told me I was crazy. Then after seeing the show they’ve told me they can understand why I keep going back. Some of them are now just as into the show as I am and ask me to keep them updated on things that are going on with the show. A bunch of us will be taking a trip to LA later on in the summer to visit the ‘Sherry’ cast and a trip to NY is still in the works.

JBB: Have you met any of the JB national tour cast members?

PL: Yes. I’ve met Erich, Deven, Michael, Chris, the girls and multiple ensemble members. In addition to them, I’ve also met Jarrod and Drew from the Chicago cast.

JBB: What’s your favorite Jersey Boys scene and why?

PL: I love a different number of scenes but if I had to narrow it down my favorite would be when the guys do their final monologues. You really see how far they’ve come both musically and in their relationships with each other.

JBB: What about your favorite musical number in Jersey Boys and why?

PL: This is SUCH a difficult question to answer because all of the numbers are so good. I love “Sunday Kind of Love,” because the vocal performances given make me want to go to church; “Cry for Me” because that’s when you get to see them start to come together as a group; “Dec. 1963 (Oh, What A Night)”/”I Go Ape” for their comedic value; “Dawn (Go Away)” since you feel like you’re at a Four Seasons concert; and “Beggin’” and “C’mon Marianne” for the dance moves that Chris does. But if I had to choose my favorite, it’d be “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You.” That song has always been a favorite of mine and knowing what they went through to get the song released makes me love it even more. I get chills each time that song is performed and you can see Bob looking down at Frankie from the catwalk. Plus, the vocals are nothing short of amazing during this number.

JBB: Do you have a favorite line from the show?

PL: I have a few lines that I love. The first few are said in all companies but the last one, to my knowledge, is exclusive to the ‘Sherry’ cast.

• Waitress to Bob: “You’re not from around here, are you?”
• Bob Crewe to Bob: “Young, young, young, young, young, young man.
• Bob to Tommy: “I’m on a toilet in a jail cell you cretin!”
• Nick when he’s trying to sell Bob the car based on the “headlights and the rear end” and how the car is saying “I want you inside me!”
• Tommy (after being asked how Vegas is): “Like Siberia…with tits!”

JBB: Prior to seeing Jersey Boys, were you familiar with the Four Seasons’ music? If so, do you have a favorite 4 Seasons’ song?

PL: Prior to seeing the show, I was familiar with Four Seasons music but I just didn’t know it. I knew the songs but didn’t realize that it was the Four Seasons who sang them until I saw them performed in the show. It’s so hard to narrow down my favorite Four Seasons song but after thinking long and hard about it, I’d have to say “Stay.” It’s such a simple song but to me it’s really powerful. Plus I love the backing vocals.

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

PL: Even though everyone here knows it already, I still can’t help but stress how good the show is. It’s been a little over the month since I’ve last seen the show and I’m going through withdrawals. I’d also like to express my gratitude to all the cast members for being so amazing. Not only for giving exceptional performances all the time, but also for being so kind at the stage door and continually keeping us fans updated through their blogs/websites. I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank all of the fans who take the time out to run fansites and who spend time researching various things about the show/cast and post them on various sites. See you guys at the show!

Thank you to Pamela for this terrific interview! Can’t wait to do a follow-up with her after her upcoming summer trip to see Jersey Boys in Los Angeles and her future trip to Broadway!

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