Classic tale comes to life

From Nov 9 to Jan 13, the Jersey Boys, a hit musical, will tour China visiting Shanghai, Guangzhou and Beijing

"It's a classic American story. It's rags to riches, and back to rags." American screenwriter and director Marshall Brickman said this about four young men from New Jersey, who rose from obscurity and troubled early lives to become an internationally celebrated group known as Four Seasons.

Four Seasons, the American poprock group, which achieved success in the 1960s for its hits, including Sherry, Walk Like A Man, Rag Doll, and Can't Take My Eyes Off, comprised Frankie Valli, the pop singer, famed for his falsetto; keyboardist and vocalist Bob Gaudio; guitarist and vocalist Tommy DeVito and bassist and bass vocalist Nick Massi.

Their story was adapted into a musical, titled Jersey Boys, co-written by Brickman.

And since its 2005 premiere in New York, the musical has won 57 major awards worldwide, including Tony Awards for Best Musical, the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Musical, and the Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album.

In 2014, a film based on the musical, Jersey Boys, also written by Brickman, was directed by Clint Eastwood.

After its long run on Broadway from 2005 to 2017 and at West End from 2008 to 2017, Jersey Boys, is now doing an international tour, organized by its production company Selladoor Worldwide.

From Nov 9 to Jan 13, the Jersey Boys show will tour China visiting Shanghai, Guangzhou and Beijing.

According to Selladoor Worldwide, the tour will see a brand-new production of the musical, which will feature Luke Sheppard as director, Mark Crossland as music director and Cressida Carre as choreographer.

Speaking about his role, the London-based director Sheppard, who has worked on several high-profile musicals, including Matilda, Singin' in the Rain and In the Heights, says: "My first experience with Jersey Boys was hearing the music, discovering Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons all over again through the soundtrack of the musical.

"I remember that I listened to it with my mother and we were so excited and we went to buy tickets while we were visiting America.

"I just fell in love with the show, the writing and the story. These are people who we feel we know so much about, but actually the whole story never really came into the public. I found it absolutely fascinating, witnessing their rise to fame and everything that went on behind the scenes.

"I believe the story of Jersey Boys is universal. It is about a group of underdogs who went on to achieve something extraordinary. That tale never gets old. There is also a whole new generation that I think know their music through all kinds of media, but actually don't know who Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons are. It's a great sense of joy in discovering the truth behind the music we know and love. As long as music is around, which I think will be for a very long time, people will always have a place for the Jersey Boys," the director adds.

"Of course, with music we work on so many levels, beyond whether it's in English, whether it's in French, whether it's in German and whether it's in Mandarin. That's something about music that touches you, it really is a unique way to transcend and goes beyond words."

For the international tour, the creative team did research on the original versions from Broadway and West End.

The casting for the show was among the most challenging part since the roles are demanding and they are specific in terms of acting and vocal quality.

"Frankie Valli has the most extraordinary voice and finding people to step into those shoes is not easy. Luckily, we managed to find two brilliant people who absolutely love the challenge. They share the role, which is so demanding," Sheppard says referring to actors Luke Street and Jonathan Vickers.

Speaking about the choreography, Cressida Carre, who was trained in the Northern Ballet School in the United Kingdom, says: "The success of the musical is the true story of four guys. My choreography will be different from Sergio Trujillo's, in a sense, that it comes from a different person.

"We are both creating the same world. My angle has been influenced by his choreography, but just taking a step back to where I can go with a similar style in a way that doesn't replicate it, and give my own take. What I am focusing on is the physicality of the guys who were very much guys of the street and became a sensational group."

chennan@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 11/04/2017 page17)