John Byrne meets the cast of Jersey Boys as the phenomenally successful stage show returns to Dublin's Bord Gais Energy Theatre.
If you were unfortunate to miss Jersey Boys when it came to Dublin the first time around, the great news is that the show is coming back for a second run by the Liffey.
Running from January 13 to 23, the show tells the remarkable, rags-to-riches story of pop legends The Four Seasons, and features many of their most-famous songs including Beggin’, Can’t Take My Eyes off You, December 63 (Oh What a Night) and loads more.
Stephen Webb (Tommy Devito), Sam Ferriday (Bob Gaudio) and Lewis Griffth (Nick Massi) revive their roles, while Matt Corner makes his Dublin debut as Frankie Valli. The show's been running either side of Christmas at Glasgow’s Theatre Royal, and I was there to see Jersey Boys and meet the cast, including newcomer Matt Corner.
A phenomenal success since it debuted in 2004, the show has won 55 major awards worldwide, including the Olivier Award for Best New Musical. Hollywood legend Clint Eastwood directed a film version of Jersey Boys in 2014. It's bona fides are obvious, but live it's a magnificent night out, and far from being a mere sing-a-long nostalgia trip, the songs are uniformly excellent.
The Four Seasons were one of the best of the the 1960s pop crop, and Matt Corner is in doubt about the pulling power of Jersey Boys. "There's no coincidence as to why it's become a smash hit musical, and more recently made into a feature film, " says the 25-year-old. "It's the kind of story people want to watch," .
"We perform this show eight times a week and we know it inside out, and we know where the audience will sigh, where they will laugh, the ebb and flow of their reactions and what happens. We're really looking forward to bringing it back to Dublin."
Lewis Griffiths, Matt Corner, Sam Ferriday and Stephen Webb. (Credit Helen Maybanks)
Corner also insists that he's not just being show-bizzy by mentioning Dublin in semi-reverential terms. "It's one of the most vibrant, cosmopolitan cities in terms of culture. I think it's a really great city and I'm not just saying that. I didn't go to Dublin the last time, so this time I am very excited to play it for the first time – like all the other guys have done."
Smiling and nodding in agreement, Lewis Griffith – who portrays Four Seasons' bass player Nick Massi – recalls the last time the show was in the Irish capital. "We generally thought it was like a holiday for us. It was genuinely one of the best audience reactions."
Fans of the Four Seasons may also recall that Frankie Valli, now 82, was also a recent visitor to Dublin, playing the 3 Arena last summer. When I point that out to the Jersey Boys cast, it makes them laugh.
"He follows our tour," says Matt Corner. "He uses it as a marketing tool! On the US tour he turns up about three or four weeks after the show has left."
Sam Ferriday chips in by recalling a date the cast had with Valli. "We were performing in Liverpool and he was in Manchester, and we actually met the man, for BBC Breakfast," he recalls. "It was great to meet a legend, while we're portraying his life story, and he's talking it back to us." Laughing, he adds: "It was kind of like: 'We're, well, we kind of know that.'"
But Matt can better that tale. "In December 2014 I was in Glasgow and I saw him live. I saw him perform. My best friend had bought me the tickets for my birthday.
"Afterwards, I went to his dressing-room and spoke to him for half an hour, which was incredible. To be chatting with the guy that you're playing – and he's got all this insight and these anecdotes. It was incredible.
Sam Ferriday, Stephen Webb, Matt Corner and Lewis Griffiths. (Credit Helen Maybanks)
"He's 82 and he's still going. So that's one thing I took away from it: if you're tired or feel worn out, God, get on with it, Matt. You're 25! One thing he did say was never underestimate the power of the audience, they make the show. He said, always go and serve them. Give them the music. Give them what they came to see and tell them the story truthfully, night on night. And that's what we try to do."
While praising Valli, Stephen Webb is eager to add: "It's not just about one individual guy, it's about the four of us. And he said that the best time he had in his career was when he was working in a band with four guys, making that original sound."
It's a fair point, and Jersey Boys is very much an ensemble piece, although Matt wants to add another anecdote. "Another thing Frankie said when I met him was 'I was a tough little kid. I was tough.' And there were some things that I did that I'm not proud of, and there were some things that I did that I wouldn't talk about. He would pick up a bat or a crowbar and go and sort out the thing himself. That was what he was. He was like a terrier.
"And that's the world you were coming from. It wasn't where you'd talk about it and try and shake hands, these guys were more like 'Give us what we want.' Tommy used to get a gun out of his bag to get the money for the gig. That's the world they were living in. It's incredible. We don't really show that in Jersey Boys, but we think it!"
Ultimately, Jersey Boys isn't about the songs, or the story - it's about both, and it all ties together in a magical way, and that's why it's been such a huge success.
"It's a play shrouded in a great back catalogue of songs," says Stephen Webb, who is the show's standout performer as Tommy Devito. "The songs kind of give a narrative to the story as well. It's the story of these four guys with their brilliant hits.
"I don't think you'd get too many shows that show things going wrong," he adds, pointing to the fact that no one comes out smelling of roses. "And the story's told four different ways by four different guys. It's totally relatable, and that's what makes it work."
Jersey Boys runs at the Bord Gais Energy Theatre January 13-23
