Jersey Boys Blog

The multi-talented Travis Cloer has just completed his new CD “Setting the Standard.” It is a collection of some of the greatest vocal standards from the American Songbook, including “Moody’s Mood for Love,” “On the Street Where You Live,” “I’m Beginning to See the Light,” “In the Still of the Night,” “Cry Me A River,” and “Orange Colored Sky.” It is available on iTunes and Rhapsody and an autographed copy may be ordered directly from Travis’s MySpace page for $20.

Also, Travis will be on as “Frankie” at the August Wilson Theatre at the Saturday, August 16th matinee!!

For the second consecutive week, Jersey Boys Original Broadway Cast Recording remained in the top position on Billboard’s Top Cast Album chart. This marks the 132nd week that the 2007 Grammy winner has been on this chart.

Following a couple of previews, Jersey Boys opened in Dallas last night at the Fair Park Music Hall and critics are raving about the 2006 Best Musical Tony Award winner!

Lawson Taitte in The Dallas Morning News: Talk about a buildup: We are two-thirds of the way through the first act of Jersey Boys before the Four Seasons come together for their first big hit. When “Sherry” finally does erupt, it’s as if a skyscraper-sized bottle of champagne exploded…Director Des McAnuff wove all the elements of Jersey Boys into a swirling, precisely choreographed showpiece that keeps on gaining momentum. Entertainment doesn’t get any slicker – or more accomplished.

Mark Lowry in the Star-Telegram.com: In the musical Jersey Boys, the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, performances of that group’s biggest hits — “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Sherry,” “Walk Like a Man,” “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” — are the biggest crowd-pleasers. But what makes this show, the 2006 Best Musical Tony winner that opened in Dallas on Friday, really take off are the other songs. It makes for one remarkably well-put-together bio-musical.

Playbill.com reports that J. Robert Spencer will star in Arena’s Michael Greif-directed production of the musical Next to Normal, about a family affected by a mother’s mental illness and grief. Bobby will play the father, Dan. It will play November 21, 2008-January 18, 2009 at Arena’s temporary home in Crystal City, Virginia.

Congratulations to Bobby on this exciting news!

Backstage Las Vegas Prize–Win Three Nights at the Palazzo – Enter Now Through 7/31/2008!!

There are some things in Vegas that only a few people are lucky enough to experience. Why not be one of them? Enjoy exclusive VIP tickets to and meet and greet with the cast of Jersey Boys, and Wayne Brady Making It Up and get VIP tickets to Le Rêve. Go behind-the-scenes at the French-inspired ALEX, and then be a dolphin trainer for the day. For an über luxurious experience, enjoy a makeover at Color: a Salon by Michael Boychuck and a Purifying Diamond massage.

Visit the Ultimate Vegas Escape Sweepstakes site to enter!!

Prize Specifics:

• Get VIP tickets to the Tony Award-winning Jersey Boys. After–meet the stars of the show!
• Wayne Brady is one of America’s most endearing comedians. Enjoy front row tickets to his Venetian-based show, Wayne Brady
• Making It Up, and a meet-and-greet with the star. Round off the evening with dinner at DJT at the Trump International Hotel.
• Receive VIP indulgence tickets to Le Rêve at Wynn Las Vegas, one of our most spectacular shows.
• Chef Alessandro Stratta hosts a special evening at the gorgeous, contemporary French-inspired Alex at Wynn Las Vegas, which includes dinner and an exclusive kitchen tour.
• Experience an exclusive grand tour of world-renowned chef Charlie Trotter’s, Restaurant Charlie at The Palazzo. An evening that begins with pristine tasting menus in Bar Charlie and The Main Dining Room and culminates in the private Kitchen Table Loft, which hovers above the kitchen activity, is guaranteed to be an unparalleled celebration of food and wine!
• Try your hand at a round of golf with a pro at the exclusive Wynn Golf Course and Country Club.
• Indulge in an enviable makeover, from eyelash extensions to bikini body art, at Color: a Salon by Michael Boychuck at Caesars Palace before heading over to The Spa at Trump for a Purifying Diamonds Massage, which uses the healing powers of the precious stone to make you feel like a million bucks.
• Take your chances at an exciting game of Baccarat. Learn to play the game that’s regarded as the most sophisticated in the casino, at the one and only Caesars Palace.
• The beautiful Fountains at Bellagio rank as one of the most popular tourist attractions in the United States. Now you have the chance to pick the song for the next fountain show during this VIP experience.
• Discover the secret behind Wolfgang Puck’s specialty dishes at the Springs Cafe by Wolfgang Puck located at the beautiful Springs Preserve. Join executive chef Peter Sherlock for a behind-the-scenes tour of the eco-friendly cafe, followed by a cooking lesson that you can really sink your teeth into.
• One of the hottest nightclubs downtown is Gold Diggers at the Golden Nugget. Enjoy the Fremont Street Experience up close and personal with VIP bottle service.
• $5,000 shopping spree at Tiffany & Co at Via Bellagio
• Helicopter ride over the Strip
• Celebrity Limo
• Three nights at The Palazzo

Many of you know JBB Fantastic Fan Mike Magbaleta, who has been a frequent contributor to the Blog and Forum.

Well, Mike emailed me about a situation that just occurred early last Friday morning at his twin son’s high school. For some sick reason, an individual or group of persons decided to torch a storage locker that the Drama Department uses for props and costumes. Their Fall musical, Gypsy was supposed to kick off next week with a “meet and greet” with their new Drama teacher/director as well as a workshop for potential cast members. The school is still wondering about preparations for the musical with the loss of props and costumes.

The San Mateo Daily Journal has a full report on the recent vandalism at Hillsdale High School.

Mike is working with other parents to help raise money for the school’s drama department. If you would like to help the Hillsdale High School Drama Department out, here’s the address: Mike B. Magbaleta, c/o Hillsdale High School Drama Boosters, 1900 South Norfolk Street, Suite 150 San Mateo, California 94403. Thank you!

By Audrey Rockman, Jersey Boys Blog Special Correspondent

It is just about time to get the show on the road for the third Old Neighborhood Mini-Bus Tour which explores the homes and haunts of former Four Season members around Jersey. Since there will be a couple of repeat offenders joining the tour for a second time, I have had to put on my detective’s hat to find even more featured sights and surprises, without cutting out all the good stuff already packed into the Tour’s four hour schedule!

To brush up on some of the new locations, Jersey boys and girls, please open your (JB) books to pages 16, 33, 36 and 40. Places like the Silhouette Club, as well as where the Jersey contract took place and where Bob sat at the piano one day to write Sherry before heading down the Garden State Parkway. Maybe we’ll even get a chance to venture inside one of the former Season’s homes and see the room where the group rehearsed. Not bad. Hmmm, next time, maybe a stop at the Jewelery Store on Frenchtown Road.

Be sure to check out coverage of the first bus tour just five months ago and the coverage leading up to the second tour a couple of months ago. There is still time to register for this tour which will be departing Sunday morning from Yesterday’s Treasures in Union. (Arrangements can be made for those traveling by train.) Although the date for the next tour has not been set, you can email me if you’d like to be notified when it is- possibly not until 2009. Email contact: JerseyBoysAdvocate@yahoo.com.

Jersey Boys Broadway continued its strong showing at the box office! For the week ending July 20, 2008, the show grossed $1,150,420 and had a 100.8% attendance rate.

The 29 shows on the boards grossed $19,305,800 for the week ending 7/20/08.

Below are the Top 10 Grosses from BroadwayWorld.com for the week ending July 20, 2008.

1. Wicked $1,522,706
2. The Lion King $1,321,116
3. Jersey Boys $1,150,420
4. The Little Mermaid $1,142,422
5. Mama Mia! $1,007,600
6. In The Heights $1,006,911
7. Mary Poppins $978,868
8. South Pacific $899,258
9. The Phantom of the Opera $863,776
10. Legally Blonde $855,990

Playbill.com reports that John Lloyd Young, in addition to a host of other Broadway favorites — including fellow Tony Award winners Laura Benanti and Cady Huffman will perform at an upcoming concert to benefit the Ross School’s theatre programs.

The August 18 event will be held at the Ross School’s Upper Campus in East Hampton, NY. Among those scheduled to lend their voices to the evening are Benanti, Huffman and Young as well as three-time Tony nominee Kelli O’Hara, Movin’ Out Tony nominee Michael Cavanaugh and Rent Tony nominee Daphne Rubin-Vega. Showtime is 8 PM. The Theater @Ross evening will also include cocktails and hors d’oeuvres. Doors open at 6:30 PM.

The Ross School’s Upper Campus is located at 18 Goodfriend Drive in East Hampton, NY. For more information and details on VIP packages, call Diana Aceti at (631) 907-5112 or e-mail daceti@ross.org.

With Jersey Boys opening in Dallas on Wednesday, Lawson Taitte of Dallas Morning News has an interesting feature on jukebox musicals that includes interviews with Bob Gaudio and Rick Elice.

“People don’t realize how hard it is to put a catalog of songs together and make a show work,” says Bob Gaudio, the member of the Four Seasons who wrote the music for all their songs and helped create Jersey Boys. “It may be easier to just start from scratch and write book and music together.”

For Jersey Boys, Marshall Brickman, Woody Allen’s Oscar-winning collaborator and a former musician himself, and Rick Elice, a playwright and former ad man, turned the lives of the Four Seasons into a finely wrought work of art.

Although Mr. Gaudio doesn’t mind the comparison with Mamma Mia!, Mr. Elice isn’t comfortable with calling Jersey Boys a jukebox musical.

“I would bet that they went about the process of creating Mamma Mia! exactly the opposite of what we did, that they came up with a list of songs and then retrofitted the plot around them,” he says. “With us, it was here’s the story of this group. Let’s use the song to move the story forward.”

Read the full story on DallasNews.com.

News from BBB-Blogger: JERSEY BOYS set a worldwide production box office record with the week ending July 21, 2008 at Cleveland ’s PlayhouseSquare Theatre. The Tony and Grammy award winning Best Musical that tells the story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, grossed $1,883,450 last week, shattering all records set by the production in New York, Chicago, Las Vegas, London and other tour cities. JERSEY BOYS opened to critical acclaim on June 20 at Cleveland’s Playhouse Square Theatre , where it played its final performance on July 20, 2008. The national tour will next play Dallas , Texas , July 23 through August 16, 2008.

This figure also represents a new Playhouse Square record for gross sales in one week. The previous record was established by the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, December 11-16, 2001. While the Radio City record took fourteen performances to set the previous mark of $1,854,894, JERSEY BOYS beat the previous mark by $28,556 and established the new record with only eight performances.

Additionally, JERSEY BOYS broke the Playhouse Square Attendance Record for a regular 8-show week. The previous record was set in June of 1993 by the original tour of The Phantom of the Opera. Phantom’s weekly attendance record of 24,466 was unbroken for the past 15 years until JERSEY BOYS established a new record of 24,655.

By Pamela Singer, Jersey Boys Blog Special Correspondent

Just when you thought the whole Jersey Boys phenomenon couldn’t possibly get any more exciting, another spectacular production comes along that raises the already high bar even higher, and reconfirms the ongoing, universal appeal of this show. Recently returned from across the pond, I’m thrilled to report that London’s Jersey Boys are rocking the West End as never before. From the moment one enters the magnificent Prince Edward theatre, you can sense a palpable excitement. Resplendent in plush, Rococco decor (red velvet, gold inlay, stained glass ), the Prince Edward is warm and welcoming. It’s also huge; 3 levels, many side boxes, an upper level outside balcony, and an expansive stage. Walking into the theatre, you are immediately enticed by the familiar sounds of the OBC album playing, even before the performance. Is that style or what?!

The opening bars of “Ces Soiree-La” portend amazingly lush orchestrations, and a resonant sound system. Could the air be any heavier with anticipation? The song ends, and our Boys swagger to center stage; scanning the audience, pausing a second before starting; a perfect moment. If it’s possible to build on perfection, the show takes off from there. Our 3rd row center seats gave us a fabulous vantage point. Ladies and gentleman, I can tell you that this cast DELIVERS!! To a person, they are seamless, and fit together like a glove. The Jersey accents are flawless, enhanced by an occasional British undertone. We saw several understudies, but wouldn’t have known by the polished performances.

Jye Frasca (usually on as Joey) makes a dynamite Frankie. Wearing his emotions on his sleeve, Jye is heartwrenching, taking us with him through every single one. We literallly see Frakie grow up before our eyes. Jye’s voice was a bit weak in the first act, but projected beautifully in the second. His “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” was magnificent. Glenn Carter is terrific as Tommy, juxtaposing a gorgeous physical exterior with not so pretty actions. His bedroom eyes and facial gestures tell stories that aren’t in the script, pulling the audience in closer. Loved the dance moves as well. Stephen Ashfield is fabulous as Bob Gaudio, a perfect combination of vulnerability and maturity. His voice is gorgeous, and soared on Cry For Me. As Nick Massi, the excellent Philip Bulcock expertly captures his inner turmoil and reticence. When Nick finally leaves the Four Seasons, we feel it along with the Boys. Read the rest of this entry »

Jersey Boys national tour begins performances next Wednesday through August 16 at Fair Park Music Hall in Dallas. Mark Lowry of the Star-Telegram.com has an interesting Q&A session with Bob Gaudio. Here’s a sneak peek to the article:

Q: Did Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice approach you and Frankie with an idea for the show, or was it something you’ve always wanted to do?

Bob Gaudio: Ever since I saw The Deer Hunter and the pool-hall scene, and how our music was treated and the impact it had, I’ve wanted to create a stage musical. It was a revelation for me. Then I worked on the musical Peggy Sue Got Married, and the theater got in my blood. Read the rest of this entry »

After a week in the Number Two spot, Jersey Boys Original Broadway Cast Recording has returned to the top spot on Billboard’s Top Cast Albums chart. The Grammy-winning recording has now spent 131 consecutive weeks on this chart.

Visit KNPR.org to listen to the recent interview with Vegas Jersey Boys Erich Bergen, Rick Faugno, Jeremy Kushnier, and Jeff Leibow!

Chicago Jersey Boy Michael Ingersoll is busy preparing a one-man concert, “The Long Road Home,” at Arlington Heights’ Metropolis Centre for the Performing Arts that will take place on July 21 and again on August 25 at 7:30 p.m. The Metropolis Performing Arts Center is located at 111 W. Campbell St., Arlington Heights and tickets are $35. Visit www.metropolisarts.com for details.

Catey Sullivan of PioneerLocal.com has a really interesting piece on Michael Ingersoll’s early days and his life today as an actor: At age 21, Michael struck out trying to land a job at both Trader Joe’s and The Gap. Nobody thought he had he personality to work the sales floor. He plowed on, focusing on his career as an actor, making $100 a week working 10-hour shifts doing repertory in Ohio. By 27, his savings were almost gone. His successful college career — marked by academic excellence and continual roles at Miami University of Ohio where he majored in theater — seemed like part of a distant, dubiously relevant past.

Flash forward a year: Ingersoll, 28, is starring as Nick Massi–first in the Jersey Boys national tour, and now in Chicago!

Read the full story on PioneerLocal.com.

Thanks to Jersey Boys‘ fans CharlyCA and Josh, we have found out that West End’s Nick Massi, Philip Bulcock is in the Batman movie “Dark Night”! Philip plays street-clothed Detective Murphy and is in several scenes and has a few lines/exchanges with the late Heath Ledger’s “Joker.”

On July 18, 1964, The Four Seasons’ “Rag Doll” hit Number One on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart and remained in the top spot for two consecutive weeks. Check out this 1977 television appearance of the Seasons singing the classic!

Having a not-so-exciting Thursday? Check out BBB-Blogger to watch some great joke telling by Chicago Jersey Boys Drew Gehling, Michael Ingersoll, Bryan McElroy, and Jarrod Spector to brighten your day!