JERSEY BOYS

The Story of Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons

RECORDING STUDIO    (L-R)  Steve Gouveia, Christopher Kale Jones, Erich Bergen and Deven May.  Photo: Joan Marcus

FINALE    (L-R)  Erich Bergen,  Christopher Kale Jones, Deven May and Steve Gouveia.  Photo: Joan Marcus

DIRECTED BY DES McANUFF

 PLAYING HOUSTON ’S HOBBY CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

JANUARY 16 – FEBRUARY 9, 2008

Houston, TX (12/20/07) – Casting has been announced for the Houston engagement of JERSEY BOYS, playing the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts January 16 – February 9. The press opening night performance is Friday, January 18 at 8:00pm. The cast of JERSEY BOYS will be lead by Erik Bates (Tommy DeVito), Steve Gouveia (Nick Massi), Christopher Kale Jones (Frankie Valli) and Andrew Rannells (Bob Gaudio) as The Four Seasons, with Jonathan Hadley and Joseph Siravo.

The ensemble of JERSEY BOYS includes Miles Aubrey, Matt Bailey, Holly Ann Butler, Joseph Leo Bwarie, Sarah Darling, Christopher DeAngelis, Jennifer Evans, Jamie Karen, Nathan Klau, Brandon Matthieus, Michael Pearce, Zachary Prince, Nathan Scherich, Courter Simmons, Taylor Sternberg, Kara Tremel and Josh Weinstein.

WALK LIKE A MAN    (L-R)  Christopher Kale Jones,  Erich Bergen,  Deven May and Steve Gouveia.  Photo: Joan Marcus

Directed by two-time Tony^® Award-winner Des McAnuff, JERSEY BOYS won four 2006 Tony®  Awards including Best Musical and continues to break box office records at the August Wilson Theatre since opening in November 2005.  JERSEY BOYS is written by Academy Award-winner Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, with music by Bob Gaudio, lyrics by Bob Crewe and choreography by Sergio Trujillo.

JERSEY BOYS is part of the 2007-2008 Cadillac Broadway Across America – Houston Series, presented by Society for the Performing Arts and Hobby Center for the Performing Arts.

JERSEY BOYS is the story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons: Frankie Valli, Bob Gaudio, Tommy DeVito and Nick Massi.  This is the story 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 thirty.

THE HANDSHAKE    (L-R)  Christopher Kale Jones and Erich Bergen.  Photo: Joan Marcus

JERSEY BOYS premiered at La Jolla Playhouse, October 17, 2004, where the musical played a record-breaking run prior to the Broadway production. JERSEY BOYS opened at the August Wilson Theatre on Broadway to critical acclaim on November 6, 2005 and continues to set new weekly box office records, remaining among the five top grossing shows in New York .  The JERSEY BOYS National Tour opened to rave reviews in San Francisco on December 1, 2006 and played a 44-week, record-breaking run.  By popular demand, the show returned to the Bay Area for a limited engagement November 20 through December 30, 2007.  JERSEY BOYS played a record-breaking run in Los Angeles and broke house records in Sacramento , Tempe , San Diego , Costa Mesa and Seattle .  The show is also playing in Chicago and in cities across the U.S. on a National Tour. 

FINALE    (L-R)  Erich Bergen,  Christopher Kale Jones, Deven May and Steve Gouveia.  Photo: Joan Marcus

The JERSEY BOYS design and production team comprises Klara Zieglerova (Scenic Design), Jess Goldstein (Costume Design), Howell Binkley (winner of the 2006 Tony^® Award for his Lighting Design of JERSEY BOYS), 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 & Incidental Music).

JERSEY BOYS is produced by Dodger Theatricals, Joseph J. Grano, Tamara and Kevin Kinsella, Pelican Group, with Latitude Link and Rick Steiner.

BEGGIN    (foreground) Christopher Kale Jones (background, top to bottom) Deven May and Erich Bergen.  Photo: Joan Marcus

JERSEY BOYS will premiere in Houston , TX at the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts January 16 – February 9, 2008.  The performance schedule is Tuesday – Friday at 8PM; Saturday at 2PM & 8PM; Sunday at 2PM & 7:30PM; Thursday 2PM matinees on January 24 and February 7; and Monday, February 4 at 8:00PM..

Tickets for JERSEY BOYS range in price from $35.35 - $88.65 and are available at are on sale at these authorized outlets; Hobby Center Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, by calling (713) 629-3700 or online at www.BroadwayAcrossAmerica.com. Groups of 20 or more, call (800) 889-8457 or (713) 693-2692, or e-mail houstongroups@livenation.com.

For more information, please visit www.JerseyBoysInfo.com or www.BroadwayAcrossAmerica.com.

Can't Take My Eyes Off You Lyrics
 » Frankie Valli

You're just too good to be true.
Can't take my eyes off you.
You'd be like Heaven to touch.
I wanna hold you so much.
At long last love has arrived
And I thank God I'm alive.
You're just too good to be true.
Can't take my eyes off you.

Pardon the way that I stare.
There's nothing else to compare.
The sight of you leaves me weak.
There are no words left to speak,
But if you feel like I feel,
Please let me know that it's real.
You're just too good to be true.
Can't take my eyes off you.
 

THE JERSEY BOYS IN HOUSTON, 2008    (L-R)  Christopher Kale Jones and the Company of JERSEY BOYS.  Photo: Joan Marcus

I love you, baby,
And if it's quite alright,
I need you, baby,
To warm a lonely night.
I love you, baby.
Trust in me when I say:
Oh, pretty baby,
Don't bring me down, I pray.
Oh, pretty baby, now that I found you, stay
And let me love you, baby.
Let me love you.

You're just too good to be true.
Can't take my eyes off you.
You'd be like Heaven to touch.
I wanna hold you so much.
At long last love has arrived
And I thank God I'm alive.
You're just too good to be true.
Can't take my eyes off you.
 

BOB AND PARTY GIRL    (L-R) Melissa Strom and  Erich Bergen.  Photo: Joan Marcus

I love you, baby,
And if it's quite alright,
I need you, baby,
To warm a lonely night.
I love you, baby.
Trust in me when I say:
Oh, pretty baby,
Don't bring me down, I pray.
Oh, pretty baby, now that I found you, stay....

MY BOYFRIEND'S BACK    (L-R)  Jackie Seiden, Sandra DeNise and Melissa Strom.    Photo: Joan Marcus

CAST BIOGRAPHIES

Jackie Seiden as MARY DELGADO.  Photo: Joan Marcus

ERIK BATES (Tommy DeVito) Just off tour with Frankie Valli as one of the Four Seasons. Broadway: Miss Saigon (Chris). Regional: Romeo and Juliet (Benvolio), West Side Story (Riff). Special thanks to Frankie Valli. Love to Audrey. Check out his original music at www.erikbates.com.

CHRISTOPHER KALE JONES (Frankie Valli) began his singing career as a boy soprano in the first grade, so you could say he’s been preparing for this role all his life. Career highlights: working on the new musicals Zhivago (Dir: Des McAnuff, La Jolla Playhouse) and The Ballad of Little Jo (Dir: Tina Landau, Steppenwolf Theatre). For more: www.christopherkalejones.com

ANDREW RANNELLS (Bob Gaudio) Broadway: Link Larkin in Hairspray.  Regional: Chris in Miss Saigon, Jimmy in Thoroughly Modern Millie, Billy in The 60’s Project, Hedwig in Hedwig and the Angry Inch.  Andrew has provided voices for characters in numerous animated series and commercials.

The Original Broadway Cast Recording of JERSEY BOYS, produced by Bob Gaudio, won the Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album.  The cast recording is now available on Rhino Records. JERSEY BOYS: The Story of Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons (Broadway Books) is the official handbook to the smash Broadway hit.

For more information on JERSEY BOYS, go to  www.JerseyBoysInfo.com or www.BroadwayAcrossAmerica.com.

CALENDAR LISTING:

January 16 – February 9, 2008 – Cadillac Broadway Across America - Houston presents JERSEY BOYS at the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts, 800 Bagby. Opens Wednesday, January 16 at 8PM; Performances are Tuesday – Friday at 8PM; Saturday at 2PM & 8PM; Sunday at 2PM & 7:30PM; Thursday 2PM matinees on January 24 and February 7; and Monday, February 4 at 8:00PM. Limited engagement – four weeks only. Wheelchair accessible. Tickets ($35.35 - $88.65) are on sale at these authorized outlets; Hobby Center Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, by calling (713) 629-3700 or online at www.BroadwayAcrossAmerica.com. Groups of 20 or more, call (800) 889-8457 or (713) 693-2692, or e-mail houstongroups@livenation.com.

Melissa Strom as MISS FRANKIE NOLAN.    Photo: Joan Marcus

About Broadway Across America

Broadway Across America presents first-rate touring Broadway shows, family productions and other live theatrical events throughout a network of over 40 North American cities. A leader in subscription series programs and group ticketing, Broadway Across America is dedicated to creating memorable and accessible experiences for all guests, selling over 5 million tickets to over 3,000 performances each year. As a producer, current and recent Broadway productions include: Hairspray, Chicago , Monty Python’s Spamalot and The Producers.  It also manages, operates or consults in the operation of 13 theatres across North America .  For more information or to purchase tickets through an authorized agent go to BroadwayAcrossAmerica.com.

THE JERSEY BOYS WAY BACK IN 1967.  (L-R) LONG, VALLI, GAUDIO & DEVITO