The Jersey Boys first national tour plays at Queen Elizabeth Theatre from September 5 to 23, 2012. Here is the Bob Gaudio’s interview with Liz Nicholls Via VancouverSun.com:
It’s the story, thinks Gaudio, now in his 60s, that sets Jersey Boys apart from the run-of-the-mill “jukebox musical” where “it’s ‘let’s find some music and just stick it together.’ ” True, that formula has hatched such colossal money-spinners as Mamma Mia! with its absurdly teensy narrative glue.
“A couple of weeks before we opened in La Jolla (Jersey Boys’ out-of-town première run in California), we got the wake-up call that, hey, the story is as strong as the music. And once that light bulb went on, we took another look at it, warts and all, an expression I hate.” Gaudio laughs. “There’s just no way to do a biography if you’re not going to tell the truth. Frankie and I had to face that. Sure, we winced. We’re still wincing. But if you whitewash everything, you just know, everyone knows, that it wasn’t really that way.”
“Besides,” he adds, “I wasn’t about to take on Mamma Mia” (more laughter). With Jersey Boys, “the setup is far more important than the song. I mean, I’ve heard Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You, well, a lot. Thousands of times. Two weddings a month. And yet, when I see the show, it’s a chilling moment because of its brilliant placement. Context. You care about the characters.
“For 50 years now, Frankie and I have been joined at the hip musically. That story had a freshness, a uniqueness, to it. We approached it that way. If you hate the music, you still can relate.” For the hardscrabble Jersey kids, “there were three ways out,” says Gaudio. “We found one. There are people who survive that world, and people who don’t. Who’s doing time, and so forth? Who’s still doing time?
Read the complete interview {Via VancouverSun.com}
Jersey Boys runs at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre from Wednesday September 5 to Sunday September 23, 2012. Buy Jersey Boys Vancouver, BC Canada Tickets Online at discounted prices.
