For some reason, we just couldn’t say so long. Jersey Boys is still the talk of the town and tops on the must see list. Wherever it plays, it continues to break box office records. What is it about this musical chronicling the story of 60s pop group The Four Seasons that attracts audiences crisscrossing all demographics? It obviously appeals to Boomers who are catapulted back to the naïveté of their youth and a familiar, optimistic time when, as Frankie Valli says, “the guy wants the girl, gets the girl, loses the girl and fights to get her back.”   

“You could say The Four Seasons provide the soundtrack for much of your memory of your own life,” suggests director Des McAnuff. “What actually is startling to me about the reaction to the show is how wide really the demographic is. You see teenagers in the audience going crazy and standing by the stage door.  This is that rare musical that really does touch all ages.” 

But, it isn’t a traditional musical.  “It is a story of guys and the post adolescent bonding that a lot of guys relate to,” explains co-writer Marshall Brickman. “And when you think about the songs, they’re not songs guys sing to girls. They’re songs guys sing about girls to other guys. It is funny and moving and the audience is not only connected to what is happening on stage but they are connected to each other.” 

Let’s face it, men generally don’t clamor about musical theater. Yet, word of mouth on this show is fueled by the fellas. With an anthem like Walk Like a Man, how could they not relate to this story and a time before our culture turned topsy-turvy on them. Not to say that women don’t adore the show and time travel with the music.  Maybe back to date night, sexy in stilettos and too good to be true as Frankie pines “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You.” Or to the “big girls don’t cry” era when it really was all about the guys—love ‘em or leave ‘em but can’t live without ‘em. “

The way men perceived what we were doing is that we were saying things they didn’t know how to say and wanted to say,” insists Frankie Valli. “That’s why they really did relate to our music.”  

The evolution of blue collar boys Frankie Valli, Bob Gaudio, Tommy DeVito and Nick Massi into one of the most popular U.S. bands of the 1960s is a swirl of astounding highs and unfathomable lows—revenge, betrayal, crime and passion. “It’s truly Shakespearean,” says co-writer Rick Elice. “We’re telling the story of a family. They love each other; they hate each other. It’s one dysfunctional family but the audience grows to accept them and celebrate relationships like that in their own lives.” 

It's not just those throwbacks to the 60s who can’t get enough of Jersey Boys. The mutual bond and devotion teetering on obsession that develops in a group, on a team, or a clique crosses all ages.  Even today’s Gen Yers, immersed in the reality of American Idol and The Next Great American Band, are fascinated with the gutsy story and sound of these four regular guys who achieved and struggled with superstardom.  

“The Four Seasons sound was really about Frankie,” insists Bob Gaudio. “He had an unusual tone to his voice and an amazing range and we could do things that other groups couldn’t do. No matter what we did with the tight harmonies, as long as Frankie was singing, you knew who it was.” 

They weren’t flashy or pretentious. Nor did they have a social or political agenda.They were just four guys from Jersey who sang about real-life love and produced over two dozen Top Forty singles that kept teenagers dancing from coast to coast. 

“We weren’t the glamour boys of the era, not The Beatles, not The Stones, not even the Beach Boys,” explains Bob Gaudio. “But ours is a story that has never been told.”  Jersey Boys returns to the Curran Theatre for a limited Holiday engagement.

Click here to read an in depth interview with Frankie Valli.

Jersey Boys photo credit: Joan Marcus

Photo of Bob Gaudio and Frankie Valli courtesy of David Sprague, L.A. Daily News

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