February 7, 2008

Jersey Boys Opens in Tampa February 13!

February 7th, 2008

January Holmes of Bradenton.com states that people just can’t seem to get enough of Jersey Boys: The Story of Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons.

The show is touring the nation, making its Florida premiere at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center beginning 7:30 p.m. Wednesday February 13 through March 15.

Jersey Boys takes a look at how the blue-collar band worked hard to find success, becoming one of the biggest pop groups in the nation. The Four Seasons wrote their own songs, crafted a new sound and sold 175 million records internationally before the band members reached the age of 30.

“This show has a lot of heart,” said Sergio Trujillo, the show’s choreographer who is working on the show’s upcoming London debut. “It’s inspiring for people from all walks of life. As opposed to ‘American Idol,’ where people become stars overnight . . . to achieve success on any level takes a lot of work and perseverance.”

Trujillo has been with the show since the beginning, when it premiered at La Jolla Playhouse in California in 2004 before hitting Broadway a year later. He said he knew the musical would be special, but didn’t know it would spark the phenomenal attention that it has.

Since it debuted on Broadway, the Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice musical has won four Tony Awards, including Best Musical in 2006. It also has been one of the top five grossing shows on Broadway. At the end of January, it grossed more than $1.1 million dollars, placing second only to “Wicked,” according to The Broadway League.

Actor Steve Gouveia, who has played various roles in the production for several years, is still mesmerized by the musical’s success.

“It’s one of those shows we’re all so proud of,” said Gouveia, who is now playing Massi. “It was just a little show that became enormous.”

Gouveia said he plays the “mysterious” band member who is in charge of working out the group’s harmony. Since the real Nick Massi died in 2000, not much is known about him except what friends and family members remember of him, Gouveia said.

“People say he was meticulous about the way he looked and dressed,” said Gouveia. “He kind of was the quiet one of the four.”

One factor behind the musical’s popularity could be the choreography, which has the spirit of the 1960s with dances such as the Mash Potato, the Pony and the Twist. Some of the more complicated dance moves are performed by Frankie’s character, Trujillo said.

The show also uses original music from the Four Seasons, who Gouveia believes made a great contribution to the music industry with their catchy musically harmonies.

Gouveia said the musical unfolds like a “VH1 Behind the Music” program, which makes it very appealing to audiences of all ages, women and men.

“It appeals to guys a lot, which is really cool,” he said. “If you’re a guy and your wife is dragging you to the show, don’t worry about it. You’re really going to like it.”

No Comments »

No comments yet.

RSS feed for comments on this post. | TrackBack URI

Please leave a comment