The Broadway smash hit Jersey Boys will be on stage at RiverCenter for the Performing Arts for two performances this week. The national tour runs through January and has been so well-received that two performances were booked to ensure enough seats were available. Performances will be Tuesday and Wednesday evening at 7:30 p.m. in Heard Theatre.
Jersey Boys debuted on Broadway in 2005 and won four Tony Awards including Best Musical. The show ran for ten years, making it the 12th longest running show on Broadway. Numerous tours have been launched since, including both national and international touring productions.
The tour coming to RiverCenter this week stars Jonathan Cable (Nick Massi), Eric Chambliss (Bob Gaudio), Corey Greenan (Tommy DeVito), and Jonny Wexler (Frankie Valli). All of the male leads in the show have previous tour experience in shows ranging from West Side Story to Fiddler on the Roof. Several cast members are making their Jersey Boys debuts with this tour. Jonny Wexler however, who is in his second year playing Frankie Valli, spent his first three seasons with the production playing Joe Pesci.
Image courtesy of RiverCenter for the Performing Arts.
Jersey Boys tells the off-stage story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons. Until Jersey Boys debuted, little was known about The Four Seasons. Since their rise to fame coincided with The Beatles debut, magazines didn't write much about them at the time. It wasn't until the writers and producers of the musical interviewed the band members for background information that the real story was discovered.
According to the tour's promotional material, "The Four Seasons were just four guys from Jersey until they sang together—they had a sound nobody had ever heard and the radio couldn’t get enough of. But while their harmonies on stage were perfect, off stage it was a very different story - a story that has made them an international sensation all over again."
Norman Easterbrook, RiverCenter's Executive Director, is thrilled to have such a fun and vibrant musical on stage this week. “Jersey Boys goes behind-the-scenes of the meteoric rise of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons. Group member Bob Gaudio wrote many of their hits; he really knew how to showcase Frankie Valli’s voice and created the harmonies that set their music apart from the other artists of the time."
Audience members can expect to hear some of The Four Seasons' greatest hits like “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Sherry,” “Walk Like A Man,” “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You,” and “December, 1963 (Oh What A Night).”
Parents should know that the show does come with a content warning. According to the production's public relations guide, "Jersey Boys contains authentic, 'profane Jersey language' and is recommended for ages 12 and over."
Jersey Boys is presented at RiverCenter as part of the TSYS Broadway on Broadway series and is sponsored by Greystone Properties and Stifel. RiverCenter’s 2018-19 Season is sponsored by Aflac.
Tickets are still available and are on sale at the RiverCenter box office, 900 Broadway. Hours are Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. Tickets are also available by phone at 706-256-3612 and online at rivercenter.org. Pre-show dinners are available for both performances, but reservations must be made in advance. ◼︎
Video via the Jersey Boys YouTube channel found here.
If You Go:
What: Jersey Boys
When: December 11 and 12 at 7:30 p.m.
Where: Heard Theater, RiverCenter
Cost: $59-$64
Call: rivercenter.org
More to Know: Jersey Boys contains authentic, “profane Jersey language” and is recommended for ages 12 and over.**