Dancing with the Stars champion Mark Ballas is the final actor to take on the role of Frankie Valli—the part created by Tony winner John Lloyd Young. Ballas is making his Broadway debut in the long-running production.
Jersey Boys opened on Broadway November 6, 2005, at the August Wilson Theatre. It is now the 12th longest-running show in Broadway history. It is one of only five currently running shows to play over 10 years on Broadway. Jersey Boys has set the box-office record 30 times and has gone on to become the longest-running tenant in the August Wilson Theatre’s (formerly the Virginia Theatre) almost 100-year history.
Jersey Boys has grossed more $2 billion worldwide and has been seen by over 24 million people.
Jersey Boys had its world premiere at the La Jolla Playhouse in 2004 before opening on Broadway in the fall of the following year. The national tour was launched at San Francisco’s Curran Theatre in December 2006. Internationally, the show has been performed in 162 cities around the world and in 11 countries.
Jersey Boys is the recipient of the 2006 Tony Award for Best Musical and the 2009 Olivier Award for Best Musical. The Original Broadway Cast Recording, produced by Bob Gaudio, received the 2006 Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album and has been certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
The hit musical is described as such: “Jersey Boys is the behind-the-music story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons. They were just four guys from Jersey, until they sang their very first note. They had a sound nobody had ever heard… and the radio just couldn’t get enough of. But while their harmonies were perfect on stage, off stage it was a very different story—a story that has made them an international sensation all over again.” The show features all their hits, including “Sherry,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Oh What A Night,” “Walk Like A Man,” “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You,” and “Working My Way Back To You.”
Jersey Boys is written by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, with music by Bob Gaudio, lyrics by Bob Crewe, direction by two-time Tony Award winner Des McAnuff, and choreography by Sergio Trujillo. The production includes music supervision, vocal/dance arrangements, and incidental music by Ron Melrose and orchestrations by Steve Orich.
The design and production team includes Klara Zieglerova (scenic design), Jess Goldstein (costume design), Howell Binkley (lighting design), Steve Canyon Kennedy (sound design), Michael Clark (projection design), Charles LaPointe (wig & hair design), Steve Rankin (fight director), Richard Hester (production supervisor), John Miller (music coordinator), Andrew Wilder (music direction), Molly Meg Legal (production stage manager), Peter Fulbright (technical supervisor), Tara Rubin Casting / Merri Sugarman C.S.A. (East Coast casting), Sharon Bialy C.S.A. / Sherry Thomas C.S.A. (West Coast casting), and Sandra Carlson (company manager).
Jersey Boys was produced on Broadway by Dodger Theatricals, Joseph J. Grano, Tamara and Kevin Kinsella, Pelican Group in association with Latitude Link, Rick Steiner / Osher / Staton / Bell / Mayerson Group. Associate producers are Lauren Mitchell, Rhoda Mayerson, and Stage Entertainment, and the executive producer is Sally Campbell Morse.
Visit JerseyBoysBroadway.com. (The new musical Groundhog Day will be the next tenant in the August Wilson Theatre, beginning previews March 16.)
(Updated January 15, 2017)