[Photo 1 : JERSEY BOYS RECORDING. Photo credit: Joan Marcus.]
“Big Girls Don’t Cry”—unless they’re tears of joy, from sitting in the audience of the wildly popular Tony Award Winning Best Musical, JERSEY BOYS!
[Photo 2: JERSEY BOYS GIRLS. Photo credit: Joan Marcus.]
Based on the lives and careers of 1960s pop/rock band sensation Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons—and featuring spectacular covers of the band’s original music—JERSEY BOYS has captured the hearts of the nation through classic songs and a captivating storyline since 2005.
More recently, the production’s National Tour played to adoring audiences across the US, in a run beginning in August of last year and ending (with the current cast) on Sunday, June 24th.
Camp Broadway recently caught up with the Jersey Boys: Tommaso Antico (Bob Gaudio), Corey Greenan (Tommy DeVito), Chris Stevens (Nick Massi), and Ben Bogen (Swing, Frankie Valli Understudy) at the end of their year-long National Tour run.
Reflecting on their experiences, these four amazing actors shared their sources of inspiration, favorite music icons, and acting tips. Check it out!
[Photo 3: JERSEY BOYS TABLE. Photo credit: Joan Marcus.]
CB: This show centers on the music of The Four Seasons, but what people don’t realize is that there’s a huge range of raw emotions in the storyline. How do you prepare for your character’s emotional journey in the show?
Tommaso Antico: Luckily, the show is so well written that they do the work for us, for the for the most part: Rick Elice and Marshall Brickman are our writers, and they’re absolutely brilliant. We’re so fortunate to have such a great book. And obviously, the music is what brings people back to the show over, and over, and over again. So, the formula’s already set up there. We’re just the vessel for the story….
We are portraying real characters, so I think I just go back to the 1960s. What was Bob Gaudio feeling at that time?… He was 17. Really think about the character, where they were, where they grew up, and just go on the journey…. Just focus in, and try to tell the story.
[Photo 4: JERSEY BOYS STAGE. Photo credit: Joan Marcus.]
CB: JERSEY BOYS is filled with iconic songs and wonderful staging, and has so many memorable moments. What’s your favorite one?
Corey Greenan: I can name two, right off the bat.
The first one is the very opening, when I get the chance as Tommy to walk down and just start telling the story. There’s nothing like it when you get an opportunity to break that fourth wall and talk directly to the audience—and start to make your case, when you know the case is going to go very sour later on in the show!—I really enjoy that moment, to make that first impression on the audience…. It puts me right in the world of the show, and it’s such a fun moment.
My other moment is at the very end of the ‘big three’ songs: after “Sherry,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” and then “Walk Like a Man.” It’s that moment when the guys have all ‘arrived.’ They’ve gone through so much to get to where they are—years and years of struggle—and they get there! And it’s that moment when everything’s in unison, and we’re facing the audience, and we’ve made it. It’s just a real uplifting moment.
[Photo 5: JERSEY BOYS STEP. Photo credit: Joan Marcus.]
CB: In JERSEY BOYS, music inspires the characters. Does music inspire you in your own life? How?
Chris Stevens: Oh, absolutely. I grew up listening to Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, Billy Joel, my mom’s Celine Dion and Barbra Streisand records… You know, it’s all the icons. And to be able to work on a show about people who actually had an impact on pop culture? It’s kind of a dream come true!
Most everyone knows the music coming in, and I think the story is what takes them away and makes them keep coming back… But first and foremost, the show is about the music, and I’m just really grateful to be able to do it.
And yeah, absolutely, the music in my life is inspired by what I’m doing onstage with these guys… I listen to an eclectic mix of music from the ‘60s and ‘50s… and to be able to listen to current-day music today, and see how music has modernized and really made it through the times and reflects modern culture, is really amazing.
This show… fortunately, is timeless. It’s not going anywhere. Even the youth of today know this music. So, to be able to learn from The Four Seasons’ message of perseverance and brotherhood, and to sing this music the way they used to, is a complete dream.
[Photo 6: JERSEY BOYS MICS. Photo credit: Joan Marcus.]
CB: The role of Frankie Valli demands serious studying and vocal discipline. What are your tips for aspiring performers to gain control of their range and find their inner voice?
Ben Bogen: I honestly didn’t think I could sing this this role at all, two years ago. I saw the show—in high school—in San Francisco with my dad, and the thought didn’t even go through my mind that I could do this show. I was like, ‘nah!’ But then I thought, ‘why not go for it and try?’ So, it’s one of those things where I just had to say to myself over and over, ‘I can do this!’
Then I got the audition materials, and I just worked on it with my voice teacher: repetition, repetition… At first I knew I had high notes, but I didn’t know I had the middle range. It was like a muscle that I had to work on.
And even a year ago, when we first started the tour: the way I sang it then is not how I sing it now. It was one of those things where I had to go on for the role—now 35 times—to figure it out.
So I would just say, practice, practice, practice! Every day, you should be doing one thing that propels you towards your goal. Whether it’s taking a dance class, or a voice lesson, or learning a new song, or a monologue… if you are doing one thing every day that propels you towards your dream or your goal, then I think that you will reach it, if you are determined.
[Photo 7: JERSEY BOYS SHAKE. Photo credit: Joan Marcus.]
Don’t think twice about taking this golden advice from the stars of JERSEY BOYS, and you, too, might end up with a record deal, or a Broadway booking—or both!
If you haven’t yet gotten a chance to see the JERSEY BOYS National Tour, don’t worry! The tour continues with an all-new cast in October, and tickets are on sale now.
In the meantime, “Let’s Hang On” until the next Camp Broadway Blog post!
Are you inspired by music? Post your favorite tunes in the comments below.
Special thanks to Tommaso Antico, Corey Greenan, Chris Stevens, Ben Bogen, and JERSEY BOYS, from Anna Allport and Camp Broadway, for this pitch-perfect interview!