Will Jersey Boys Succeed in London?
March 1st, 2008David Cote of the London Times has a marvelous feature about Jersey Boys’ London production at the Prince Edward Theatre. JB depicts four Italian-American youths from the mobbed-up industrial wasteland of New Jersey clawing their way to fame and fortune as the Four Seasons. It’s a jaunty rags-to-riches story with catchy songs such as Beggin’ and Can’t Take My Eyes Off You – but will English audiences relate to it?
Cote talks with director Des McAnuff, Four Seasons expert (and JBB contributor!) Charles Alexander, and London castmates Ryan Molloy (Frankie Valli) and Glenn Carter (Tommy DeVito) about the Jersey Boys phenomenon. Here’s a preview of this terrific article:
“Many of us knew the songs, but very few knew the story behind the songs,†points out the director Des McAnuff. The man who brought The Who’s Tommy to life on Broadway in 1993 certainly knows his way around a rock catalogue, and how to avoid making it look naff in a theatrical context. “You have these very recognizable tunes, and then bodies in trunks of cars. There is a weird juxtaposition.â€
McAnuff is referring to the extra spice that makes Jersey Boys stand out from the pack of nostalgic jukebox musicals: a true-crime backstory. Audiences who know the Four Seasons through their bubblegum hits showcasing Frankie Valli’s stratospheric falsetto will be surprised to learn that the band hid a steamy past.
Achieving musical authenticity will be key. Charles Alexander, a former editor for Time magazine and an expert on all things Four Seasons (he contributed liner notes to the box set “Jersey Beat”), cites Britain as second only to America in terms of Four Seasons fandom. “There aren’t Beatles-size numbers of Seasons fans in the world, but whether they are in Teaneck, London, Montreal or Santiago, they are devoted,†Alexander says. “Seasons fans tend to be fans for life. There is something about Valli’s voice that is like a drug to a suscept-ible mind.†He also notes that the Northern Soul movement around Manchester in the 1970s helped to sustain Valli and the Seasons’ popularity.
It’s daunting stuff and Ryan Molloy is keenly aware of the vocal challenge. “It’s the most singing that anyone’s done in a show, ever,†Molloy says after a rehearsal with a rueful laugh. “It’s a real Everest of a show.â€
I saw this show in Houston Texas 6 times and loved it more each time. I am going to be in London in May and already have tickets to see the London cast. The US touring cast is absolutely fantastic. It was one of the first shows that I HAD to see more than once during the tour. I already had my trip to London planned when someone told me Jersey Boys would be there during my visit…so…of course I had to get tickets.
Comment by GLADYS MARLIN — March 5, 2008 @ 10:57 am