Award-winning musical Jersey Boys to perform in SA
The smash hit musical Jersey Boys - currently playing in major cities worldwide including New York, Las Vegas, London, Auckland and Brisbane - makes its South African première at the Teatro at Montecasino in Johannesburg on Wednesday, 3 April 2013 and at Artscape in Cape Town from Wednesday, 19 June 2013.
This multi-award winning musical tells the true real-life story of how four poverty-line kids from the wrong side of the tracks became one of the greatest successes in pop music history. The Four Seasons - Frankie Valli, Bob Gaudio, Tommy DeVito and Nick Massi - wrote their own songs, invented their own sounds and sold 175 million records globally - all before they were thirty!
These names may not be instantly recognisable but for generations since the early 60's to modern day the unique sounds of the Four Seasons are often echoed with responses such as "I know that number!" when familiarity and recognition of the band's hit songs such as Sherry, Walk like a Man, Rag Doll, Oh What a Night and Can't Take My Eyes Off You kicks in.
Storyline is about friendships and hardships
Jersey Boys, winner of 54 major awards including the 2006 Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album, 2009 Olivier Award for Best New Musical and winner of the Best Musical Tony Award on Broadway, in London and Australia is not a tribute band but a full-scale Broadway musical with a true-life story. The show takes audiences behind the music to tell the story of the group through each of the four members' perspectives. The storyline weaves a tale about friendships, hardships, fights and the success resulting from a New Jersey handshake.
Jersey Boys opened to critical and popular acclaim on Broadway on 6 November 2005 only to break this theatre's box office record 30 times. The production has since been seen by over 14 million people across the globe.
Preparations are finalised in Singapore
The remarkable aspect about this company is that they begin rehearsing in Johannesburg and then finalise on-stage preparations in Singapore where the show first opens internationally at the Marina Bay Sands in November 2012 for a 14 week season before returning to South Africa.
Jersey Boys is written by Academy Award-winner Marshall Brickman & Rick Elice with music by Bob Gaudio, lyrics by Bob Crewe and is directed by Des McAnuff and choreographed by Sergio Trujillo with music direction, vocal arrangements and incidental music by Ron Melrose. It is presented by Dodger Theatricals, Base Entertainment, Showtime Management, Joseph J. Grano Tamara and Kevin Kinsella Pelican Group in association with Latitude Link Rick Steiner.
Ticket prices range from R100 to R400 at the Teatro at Montecasino and R100 to R390 at Artscape.
