Musical: Jersey Boys
Music: Bob Gaudio
Lyrics: Bob Crewe
Book: Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice
Broadway Premiere: 2005
Based on the ups and downs of the musical group the Four Seasons,
Jersey Boys
consists of four different parts. Different members of the band narrate each part or season. Altogether, audiences are given a full perspective of how the musicians developed their sound, came together and dealt with challenges that came their way. The show premiered at the
La Jolla Playhouse
in San Diego in 2004. It ran for several months, and then it officially opened on Broadway at the
August Wilson Theatre
in the fall of 2005. It ran until 2017 before moving to an off-Broadway location at
New World Stages
. The musical has been on several tours, allowing more audiences to enjoy the story and the timeless songs, such as Earth Angel, Big Girls Don't Cry and You're the Apple of My Eye. You can hear all the music firsthand when you see a live performance. Find your
Jersey Boys
tickets at StubHub.
The songs from the musical include hits that the Four Seasons originally released. A few years before the show premiered, an original Four Seasons member, Bob Gaudio, had the idea to make a musical based on his group's experiences. He brought in the writing team of Rick Elice and Marshall Brickman, and after interviewing group members, they found that there were several individual stories that would be interesting to tell. Gaudio ultimately took a step back from the creative team, allowing the Elice/Brickman duo, along with director Des McAnuff, to work objectively. The musical became a success, winning four Tony Awards in 2006, most notably for Best Musical. In total, it received eight Tony Awards nominations and seven Drama Desk Awards. It won the 2007 Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album.