Jersey Boys - Prince Edward Theatre

SYNOPSIS

Jersey Boys

Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons are one of the most celebrated rock n' roll groups of the 20th century. They are the only US act to have scored Top 100 Billboard hits in every decade from the 1950s through to the 1990s -- and now for the first time in London's West End you can discover their amazing rags-to-riches story in the exciting new musical - Jersey Boys. The show is hard-edged drama at it's best. A musical score that includes hits like Big Girls Don't Cry, Sherry, Can't Take My Eyes Off You, and December 1963 (Oh What A Night) will grip your senses and hold you spellbound! Simply put it is one of the hottest new shows in London's theatreland for 2008 - an absolute 'must see'!

Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons

Jersey Boys faithfully reproduces the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. It tells of their humble beginnings on the back streets of Newark in the early 1950s, and their continual battle against poverty in the early days while putting themselves out there in an attempt to gain recognition. Known originally as the 'Varietones' and then the 'Four Lovers', the group suffered rejection after rejection, eventually taking their 'Four Seasons' name from a bowling alley in New Jersey where they failed an audition.

But the determination and belief of Frankie Valli with his stunning falsetto voice, and that of the other band members Tommy DeVito, Bob Gaudio and Nick Massi, proves that triumph can indeed rise out from adversity. Sherry - their first #1 hit - catapulted them to stardom, and between 1962 and 1964 they scored a massive 16 Top 40 hits stateside in just 28 months!

Jersey Boys breathes life back into these golden classics. It charts the bands roller coaster ride through success and fame, and their struggle against self-destruction in a rock n' roll lifestyle - a lifestyle that would eventually lead to the band's demise. But this story does have a happy ending. The finale of the Jersey Boys musical sees Frankie and the boys reuniting in their later years to bring back the good times to a new generation of fans.

The West End Production

Jersey Boys hit the West End for the first time in February 2008. It plays at the Prince Edward Theatre on Old Compton Street, and has been well received by critics and audiences alike. In scripting the original Broadway musical the writers interviewed each member of the band so as to build a catalogue of different viewpoints on situations they encountered. Critics believe this approach has paid dividends, and has allowed the musical to take on a more dramatic edge. Indeed, some critics have even gone as far as to suggest that Jersey Boys is out in a class of it's own. As the real Bob Gaudio describes it Jersey Boys is more "a drama with music as opposed to a musical, because I think the story is so strong."