Has it been eight years already? In 2005, the world was a different place though I was more or less the same: just another movie exec music maniac. It was during the winter of 2005 that there was a transit strike and I had to spend the night at the office because I had tickets for the newly opened “Jersey Boys” at the August Wilson on Broadway.
The story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, a band I was already a huge fan of and had seen Frankie live on stage several times, but I was there because for what amounted to a Jukebox show, the reviews were deafening! Raves all and not just because the songs were masterpieces and Bob Gaudio, ho composed em, was responsible for putting together the show. But also Marshall Brickman co-wrote the book. Brickman co-wrote “Sleeper”, “Annie Hall” and “Manhattan” with Woody Allen.
Watching the show I was bowled over by John Lloyd Young’s Valli. He had the falsetto (with the help of background singers but whatever…). So while I am not sure Clint Eastwood is the right guy to bring “Jersey Boys” to the big screen, getting JLY for the lead is a great move. Eastwood did “Bird” -a downbeat movie bio on “Charlie Parker”; certainly the lightnight might be beyond him. It’s been a long time since “Any Which Way But Loose”.
Still, who else? Scorcese maybe -he’d get the New York of the 60s a lot better. Rob Marshall…?
According to Broadway.com, Eastwood wanted to fill the cast with stage actors and joining JLY are: “Erich Bergen as Bob Gaudio, Christopher Walken as Gyp DeCarlo, Mike Doyle as Bob Crew, Joey Russo Joe Pesci, Erica Piccininni as Lorraine, Donnie Kehr as Norm Waxman, Jeremy Luke as Donnie and Johnny Cannizzaro as Nick DeVito, and Kathrine Narducci as Mary Rinaldi.”