Jersey Boys

I'm Isa Goldberg with the buzz on JERSEY BOYS.

The latest jukebox musical opens at the newly renamed August Wilson Theater on November 6th.

The story, as you've probably heard, is based on Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, kids who grew up in a tough Italian neighborhood and topped the charts with their songs, "Sherry", "Big Girls Don't Cry" and many other hits. These are beautiful harmonies; just the tunes are a great reason to see the show.

But the word on the street is about the young actor, John Lloyd Young who plays Frankie Valli. This guy is like the energizer bunny. Young makes his Broadway and singing debut in this show and may yet be likened to Hugh Jackman as a sheer force of nature. He captures everything you can imagine about Frankie Valli.

Speaking to the actor Peter Gregus after a preview the other evening, he confided that they worked with Young very carefully to build his stamina. He's onstage almost constantly and ages from being a teenager to a mature adult.

The show is also different from other jukebox musicals in creating the behind the scenes story about the Four Seasons, a story which is filled with sadness as well as success. Of course Gregus confided, "it's a theatricalization of their lives so it's not entirely accurate. Frankie might not have been so completely innocent and Tommy DeVito who started the group wasn't always the bad guy. But on stage you need to have a villain, and a good guy and a hero. And I think we've come pretty close to capturing them."

So does Frankie Valli, apparently, whose seen the show and loves it.

That’s This Week on Broadway. I’m Isa Goldberg.