Jersey Boys musical currently performing at Durham, NC from October 30 to November 18, 2012. One of the Jersey Boys musical main cast, Jason Kappus was interviewed by Dathan Kazsuk, Design Editor- Triangle Business Journal. Here is the interview below which revelas more about Kappus’ interests, future plans and so on.
Kappus, who’s admired the Jersey Boys since he first saw the show, is honored to be a part of this cast, which will be performing at the Durham Performing Arts Center from Oct. 30 – Nov. 18. Kappus has been in such successful Broadway performances as Legally Blonde, American Idiot, Hairspray and West Side Story.
Prior to a performance of Jersey Boys in Syracuse, N.Y., I was able to catch up with Kappus for a quick phone interview.
Question: A lot of people aren’t familiar with the story of The Jersey Boys. We all know the songs of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, but what about their history? Is this detailed in the performance?
Kappus: “Everybody knows this music to one degree or another. Even younger people come to the show and they’re like, ‘Oh, I didn’t know that was a Four Seasons’ song.’ Most people come for the music, and what they don’t realize is that the story is absolutely amazing.
“They weren’t some bubble-gum happy group. They had mob connections. Gambling debts. They were in and out of jail. These guys were really from the rough streets of New Jersey. Their rise to fame was really more of a rise and fall and rise and fall – it’s just an amazing story with what they went through. Even a lot of Four Seasons’ fans who grew up with the music didn’t know all the stuff they went through.”
Question: You play the role of legendary songwriter Bob Gaudio in The Jersey Boys. Gaudio wrote such Four Season classics as “Sherry,” “Walk Like a Man” and “Big Girls Don’t Cry.” Was it intimidating playing a role such as his?
Kappus: “It’s a little intimidating. Especially considering the fact that Bob was present at all my final callbacks, and in our tech rehearsals. It was strange being in a room watching me try to be him. What was nice is that they told me before my final audition that the person Bob cares about the least in the show is Bob … and that it’s his wife that you need to impress.”
Question: And impress he did, landing the role of singer/songwriter/keyboardist Bob Gaudio. The Jersey Boys features a whopping 33 songs during the performance, so Jason is bound to have a favorite song to perform live.
Kappus: “I love (the song) Beggin’. It’s actually not just one of my favorite songs in the show, it’s actually just one of my favorite songs. That one is just great. I also like the song Cry for Me, which is a lesser-known Four Seasons’ song. It’s the first time in the show that we all sing together, which is an exciting moment.”
Question: Being on the road for must have its ups and downs. What are some of the cons of being on the road?
Kappus: “Generally speaking, the hardest part about touring is being away from your loved ones and your family. Which for me, I circumvented that because I brought my wife and my dog with me. I have my family on the road, so that’s very nice. After that, I always say the worst part on the road is hotel Internet.”
Question: And the best part?
Kappus: “We get paid to tour the country. We get to go to all these great cities, most of which I have not been to before.”
Question: Is there a stop on the road that you really enjoy? Possibly stops in your hometown of Seattle?
Kappus: “Being from Seattle, it’s always my hope that we’ll be going through there – which I found out we will be. So that’s exciting for me. We had a great time in Dallas, Kansas City and Atlanta as well.”
Read the complete interview {Via Triangle Business Journal}
Jersey Boys musical tour will be visiting Seattle, WA from April 04 to May 11, 2013. Buy Jersey Boys Durham NC Tickets Online at discounted prices.
