The musical made its Toronto premiere as a limited engagement Aug. 21, 2008. After opening to rave reviews, Jersey Boys became a resident production on Dec. 12, 2008. It is now the longest-running musical in the history of the Toronto Centre for the Arts.
"We owe a huge thanks to the City of Toronto," stated Aubrey Dan, president, Dancap Productions. "Toronto embraced Jersey Boys from the start and it was thrilling to see audiences celebrate this incredible story and timeless music. We are very proud of the accomplishments as we share this great success with the entire Company of Jersey Boys, our partner Dodger Theatricals from New York, our employees and the Toronto Centre for the Arts. We especially thank the audiences that came from all over the world who made it all possible."
The cast currently features Michael Lomenda as Nick Massi, Jeff Madden as Frankie Valli, Daniel Robert Sullivan as Tommy DeVito and Quinn VanAntwerp as Bob Gaudio with Gabriel Antonacci, Matthew G. Brown, Matt Cassidy, Jade Elliott, Élodie Gillett, Steven M. Goldsmith, Bryan Hindle, Victoria Lamond, Aaron MacKenzie, Adrian Marchuk, W. Joseph Matheson, Timothy Sell, Alison Smyth, Grant Tilly, Cleopatra Williams and Shawn Wright.
Jersey Boys, according to press notes, is "the story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons: Frankie Valli, Bob Gaudio, Tommy DeVito and Nick Massi. It's a journey of how a group of blue-collar boys from the wrong side of the tracks became one of the biggest American pop music sensations of all time. They wrote their own songs, invented their own sounds and sold 175 million records worldwide — all before they were 30."
The creative team includes Tony-winning director Des McAnuff and choreographer Sergio Trujillo as well as Klara Zieglerova (scenic design), Jess Goldstein (costume design), Howell Binkley (lighting design), Steve Canyon Kennedy (sound design), Michael Clark (projections design), Charles LaPointe (wig and hair design), Steve Orich (orchestrations) and Ron Melrose (music direction, vocal arrangements and incidental music). Jersey Boys arrived in November 2005 at Broadway's August Wilson Theatre. The Broadway production garnered four Tony Awards: for stars John Lloyd Young and Christian Hoff, lighting designer Howell Binkley and for Best Musical.
The award-winning production features music by Bob Gaudio, lyrics by Bob Crewe and a book by Marshall Brickman & Rick Elice.
Jersey Boys is produced by Dodger Theatricals, Joseph J. Grano, Tamara and Kevin Kinsella, Pelican Group, with Latitude Link and Rick Steiner. The original Broadway cast recording is available on the Rhino Records label.
The Toronto Centre for the Arts is located at 5040 Yonge Street. Tickets range from $25-$125 and can be purchased in person at the box office of the Toronto Centre for the Arts, by calling (416) 644-3665 or online at www.JerseyBoysToronto.com.
