August 8, 2007

Jersey Boys Blog in NYC: The Stars Were In Alignment!

August 8th, 2007

August Wilson Theater

The stars were in alignment for Jersey Boys Blog to have an incredible weekend in New York–celebrating the Tech-Half’s Birthday (I did his chart–he’s a Leo!); meeting with marvelous JBB Fantastic Fans; seeing the big show on Saturday evening; and meeting and interviewing many Jersey Boys’ cast members!

Picture this: Flying in from Vegas on Thursday evening–rolling into our hotel about 3AM after a wild cab ride (this guy should have been in the Indy 500)! Following a great day at Bryant Park, a little shopping, and general NYC activities, we headed to the theatre for two great interviews with Bobby Spencer and Travis Cloer before their Friday evening performance.

After these two incredible interviews, it was time to celebrate Dale’s birthday and our big weekend! We discovered Ruby Foos, a Pan-Asian restaurant on Broadway. Although we hadn’t read any reviews, the place looked interesting, so we decided to give it a try. As we were toasting with Cocktail #1 of the evening, celebrating our interviews and his birthday, Dale looked out the window and said, “OMG, the Brill Building is across the street!” Without even thinking, I turned to him and said, “It’s a sign; destiny awaits!” Ruby Foos turned out to be fabulous!!

On Saturday afternoon, we joined JBB Fantastic Fan Irene Eizen, who arranged a phenomenal “sit down”! JBB Fantastic Fans were ubiqutious at the beautiful Petrossian Restaurant on 58th Street! Along with Irene and her husband Buz, JBB Fantastic Fan Beverley Micciche and her husband Charlie, JBB Fantastic Fan and Special Correspondent Howard Tucker, and Four Seasons’ historian David Cace and his son, Crist, came to the celebration! We had an amazing feast and lively conversation about Jersey Boys and The 4 Seasons! After such a great gathering, it was time for an incredible cast interview with Daniel Reichard!

Countdown to showtime! We flew back to the hotel to make ourselves look mildly “soave” (as Nick Massi would say) for the show. The crowd was on FIRE! The audience was both uproarious and appreciative, people were dancing in their seats, and the applause stopped the show on more than one occasion! No matter how many times we see Jersey Boys, it’s a completely new experience! The stage door? Never, ever have I seen a crowd like this one!

Our final day in New York was every bit as marvelous as the first two! We met Jennifer Naimo at Starbucks for some fun coffee talk. Then, at the theatre, we interviewed Jennifer, Sara Schmidt, and Erica Piccininni. It was great to catch up and see what the Jersey Girls have been up to since our last interview! Then, marvelous chat time at a pub on 46th Street with Special Correspondent Audrey Rockman before heading back to Vegas!

Thank you so much to Irene and Buz Eizen, Beverley and Charlie Micciche, Howard Tucker, and David and Crist Cace for the most amazing birthday celebration for the Tech-Half! My hand to God, Dale said it was his best birthday–EVER! Also, massive thanks to Audrey for a very entertaining ride (with great music in the background–take a wild guess what was playing!) to JFK Airport!

We also would like to extend special thanks and appreciation to Jersey Boys’ Publicist Susanne Tighe, Dodger Theatricals Marketing Manager Gordon Kelly, and the Jersey Boys’ cast for the awesome backstage experience!

Over the next several weeks, we will be presenting a series of interviews and photos of our incredible time with the cast!

12 Comments »

  1. Susie and Dale,

    It was a privilege and pleasure to celebrate Dale’s birthday with such a wonderful group of Jersey Boys friends. You do A MARVELOUS job on the blog and through it and the show have brought many great people together in the Jersey Boys family of friends.

    THank you for this wonderful tribute to everyone associated with the show – fans, performers, and others.. The thanks and tribute really goes to you for inspiring all of this. You take care of FAMILY. WE LIKE THAT! IE

    Comment by irene eizen — August 9, 2007 @ 5:21 am

  2. So happy that you two had a wonderful time and got to spend quality time with some fantastic fans!!Irene and I are working on some dates to try to get together to meet and to see the show. She’s an awesome lady. Looking forward to reading the interviews with the best cast in the world!!! Thanks so much for sharing all of this with us! You’re the best!

    Comment by Wanda — August 9, 2007 @ 7:33 am

  3. Wow sounds like a great time in NYC with the Jersey Boys. Can’t wait to read all of the interviews. Great job guys!

    Comment by A — August 9, 2007 @ 8:07 am

  4. I agree 100% w/ what these fans said. I’m SO happy you enjoyed your trip! You deserve it!

    Comment by Lauren — August 9, 2007 @ 11:54 am

  5. Loved reading about your week-end. My sister and I had a similar “stars in alginment” week in NYC in mid-July. Saw JB for the 4th time from orchestra seats. Met with the guys backstage afterwards. This was their first time back together all summer. What energy!! It was infectious all around! Love to join your “in group”. I live in Texas! Gayle

    Comment by Gayle Kamen — August 9, 2007 @ 12:18 pm

  6. It was fun meeting the creative genius of Susie and Dale, the force behind this great Jersey Boys Blog, who diligently provide fans with the latest JB happenings. We all come from different walks of life, but came together over lunch to share our passion for this wonderful play and its cast members. Sharing stories and experiences about the play and the career of the Four Seasons provided for great conversation. My husband and I were pleased that we able to be a part of this gathering!

    Comment by Beverley Micciche — August 9, 2007 @ 1:24 pm

  7. What a nice vacation trip for Dale’s birthday! Now, I’m definitely planning another trip back to New York to see Jersey Boys and have a chance to revisit a part of my past in New Yawk and Joisey, which was very exciting for me when growing up.

    I’ll definitely get a chance to chat with Irene next Thursday in SF and learn more about the JBB’s trip back east. Can’t wait to see the pics and hear more about it soon on the blog.

    When I take my usual trips to Las Vegas, I hope to be able to meet up with Susie and Dale when the show starts up at the new venue there.

    Thanks for sharing the excitement of Broadway with us!

    Comment by Mike B. Magbaleta — August 9, 2007 @ 2:34 pm

  8. Susie and Dale

    You’re welcome. It was our pleasure. Crist and I had a great time and he wants to know when we can go back to the fancy restuarant so he can have his shrimp and cranberry juice again.

    Comment by David Cace — August 9, 2007 @ 6:16 pm

  9. So Glad to hear you all had a fantastic time and Susie & Dale got to meet some of the JBB Fans. Thanks for sharing your experience in NYC with us.
    I would have loved to have been there with you guys but couldn’t make it.
    Hopefully one day we will all be able to meet each other and share the Love for Jersey Boys!

    Comment by Damaris Dugan — August 9, 2007 @ 6:52 pm

  10. Sounds like a wonderful time. I can’t wait to read the interviews. Thanks again for creating this great website. I get to Las Vegas twice a year so I’m hoping to catch the show out there as well. Maybe we’ll bump in to each other. :)

    Comment by Melissa — August 9, 2007 @ 7:20 pm

  11. Hi, everyone,

    We will be working our way to more gatherings like this. We take care of family! Jersey Boys family! IE

    Comment by irene eizen — August 9, 2007 @ 10:10 pm

  12. Dale, I did not have Internet access yesterday, so everyone above took all the best comments!

    Dale, life is full of miracles and you and Susie certainly accomplished a huge one this past year by bringing so many of us Jersey Boys Bloggers together in friendships that will probably last our lifetimes. It was a genuine privilege to be part of your wonderful birthday celebration.

    I must admit, though, that the “high point” of the afternoon for me was when David’s adorable son Crist chose ME as his preferred seatmate. Those inexpensive balloons went a long way with Crist.

    Finally, Dale, I loved your thank you e-mail to our entire group after the lunch, noting that, “as you recalled, it ended much too soon”. I wish you and Susie many more miracles in your new birthday year ahead, My best wishes go with you.

    Comment by Howard Tucker — August 1, 2007 @ 10:33 pm

    Comment by Howard Tucker — August 10, 2007 @ 6:55 am

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