The musical ‘Jersey Boys’ will open at Little Theatre of Wilkes-Barre on Sept. 6.
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Little Theatre of Wilkes-Barre presents ‘Jersey Boys’
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If you enjoy the songs Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons made famous, from “Oh What A Night” and “Working My Way Back to You” to “Big Girls Don’t Cry” and “Dawn (Go Away),” Michael Speranzo hopes you’ll stop by the Little Theatre of Wilkes-Barre to hear the cast of “Jersey Boys” sing them.
“I hope people will come for the songs, then stay for the story,” said Speranzo, of Scranton, who is directing the musical, set for Sept. 6 through Sept. 15 at the historic theatre.
While the show isn’t a tribute act —and the director said he would consider it a failure if it came across that way — there are some numbers that Speranzo describes as “picture perfect, spot on” as far as capturing the style of the original artists.
And just how does a singer manage to reach a Frankie Valli-style falsetto?
“I have a high voice by nature,” said Jovon Barnes, who recently moved to Wilkes-Barre and no longer has a long commute to Little Theatre rehearsals. “I spend a lot of time with vocal warm-ups,” he said, adding with a laugh, “so I won’t sound like a dying goat.”
Barnes isn’t the only cast member reaching for the vocal mountain peaks.
“I’m a notch below Jovon,” said Jarrett Gorham of Ashley, who portrays tenor Bob Gaudio in the show. “The notes are sky high.”
As for Tate Elliott of Bear Creek, who portrays the Four Seasons’ manager Bob Crewe for part of the show, when he sings with the ensemble he’s called upon to hit a very high G5. “It’s always a relief to get it right,” he said with a smile.
Even though many songs released by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons were hits of the early 1960s, decades before most of the Little Theatre cast members were born, they recognize them as timeless.
“My parents played his music and I grew up hearing it,” said Amanda Donalyn of Harveys Lake, a classically trained singer who portrays a character for whom Frankie and his bandmates sing backup. “I love Frankie Valli and I love his voice.”
“I think the group was America’s response to The Beatles,” Barnes said, adding that audiences may be surprised to see that Valli and the others had a darker side.
“This biopic doesn’t whitewash them,” he said.
“It’s exciting to see a show about people who are still alive,” said ensemble member Sam Lipperini of Scranton.
“Yeah, Frankie Valli is 90 years old and still touring,” Gorham said. “God bless him.”
“Jersey Boys” will run two weekends at Little Theatre of Wilkes-Barre, 537 N. Main St., Wilkes-Bare, from Sept. 6 through Sept. 15 with shows at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 3 p.m. Sundays.