Associated Press
Associated Press
NEW YORK — The Broadway smash “Jersey Boys” is about to get some tough competition — from an original Jersey Boy.
Frankie Valli, whose falsetto fuels The Four Seasons’ music, on Wednesday announced plans to make his Broadway debut with seven shows at the Broadway Theatre from Oct. 19-27. The band is celebrating its 50th anniversary.
That will put him up against “Jersey Boys,” the behind-the-music musical about the doo-wop group. Valli will sing many of the same songs that appear in the show at his concerts.
“I’ve performed around the world in every size theater imaginable, but it has always been my dream to play Broadway,” Valli, 78, said in a statement. Tickets go on sale Aug. 23.
Producers of “Jersey Boys” took the news in stride. “We are thrilled that Frankie is making his Broadway debut,” they said in a statement Wednesday.
The musical, which opened in 2005 at the August Wilson Theatre, tells the story of the band — Valli, Bob Gaudio, Tommy DeVito and Nick Massi — and features 20 Four Seasons songs, including “Sherry,” ”Big Girls Don’t Cry,” ”Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” and “Oh, What a Night.”
It won the Tony for best musical, a Grammy Award for best cast album and has been seen by over 13 million people across the world and grossed over $1 billion worldwide.