JERSEY BOYS Bids Farewell to Toronto Aug. 22 in Their Own Words

Celebrating two years on stage, more than one million customers, and three Dora Mavor Moore Awards, the Toronto production of JERSEY BOYS will say "Bye, Bye Baby, Baby Goodbye" to the city they have called home, on Sunday, August 22, 2010, their second anniversary.

JERSEY BOYS stars Michael Lomenda as Nick Massi, Jeff Madden as Frankie Valli, Daniel Robert Sullivan as Tommy DeVito and Quinn VanAntwerp as Bob Gaudio. The company also comprises: Gabriel Antonacci, Matthew G. Brown, Matt Cassidy, Jade Elliott, Élodie Gillett, Steven M. Goldsmith, Bryan Hindle, Victoria Lamond, Aaron MacKenzie, Adrian Marchuk, W. Joseph Matheson, Timothy Sell, Alison Smyth, Grant Tilly, Cleopatra Williams and Shawn Wright.

To catch the 'BOYS' before they go, visit www.jerseyboystoronto.com. Below, the JERSEY BOYS Toronto company bids farewell in their own words:

"Extra special is defined as having JERSEY BOYS run for two years in one of my favorite cities. Thanks to Aubrey Dan and a spectacular Canadian cast. To Canada with love."

Bob Gaudio, Composer

"I am thrilled with the Toronto response to JERSEY BOYS. When I was a young theatre artist, this kind of response to a show was virtually unimaginable and it gives me great pride to participate in such an enormous hit. JERSEY BOYS has definitely written a chapter in the history of Toronto theatre and I'm very proud as a native Torontonian to have been a part of that."

Des McAnuff, Director

"Playing Frankie Valli in JERSEY BOYS six days a week was certainly the most technically challenging and physically demanding work in my career to date, but this show was unquestionably the most rewarding work of my life. Seeing the audience leap up to give us a standing ovation every single show, hearing their stories at the stage door, and seeing so many return to watch our show again and again filled me with joy and a strong sense of purpose. We made a real difference. There may never be another show like it in Toronto, and I count myself lucky to have been a part of its magic."

Jeff Madden, "Frankie Valli"

"Two years ago, when we came to North York, I thought about how great the Toronto Centre was, how beautifully JERSEY BOYS played in it, and how proud I was for Des and Sergio to bring their hit show home. Two years, and a million customers later, I think about the people of Toronto, the fans who made the run historic, and the amazing actors and musicians and crew - some who've been with us from day one, some who've found love during the run, one who passed away after the fight of her life - who thrilled those fans, twice through each of the four seasons, night after night, week after week, during this record-breaking run. As Frankie says in the show, 'family is everything.' And our Toronto family is everything to me. I'm so grateful and proud to honor them."

Rick Elice, Co-author

"As live theatre actors, our life's work can feel, at times, intangible and unquantifiable, but, I've found, certain shows have the unmistakable ability to 'change' you and continue to affect you long after they close; the overwhelming sense of family and loyalty that resonates so vibrantly in the music and words of this show is something I'll gladly take with me. I've felt so lucky to share the stage, both on and off, every night with this family; to jump on this electrifying JERSEY BOYS train and share the experience of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons with Toronto's receptive audiences has been such an incredible gift for which I'm so grateful."

Michael Lomenda, "Nick Massi"

"Being a part of JERSEY BOYS and Dancap Productions has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my career thus far. Working together as a team to share the brilliant production that is JERSEY BOYS has been truly enjoyable. Thank you Dancap for being such a hands-on company and getting to know each and every one of your company members. It's been a wonderful journey portraying these real Jersey people and one I'll always hold dear."

Alison Smyth, "Francine"

"It's not easy doing a long-running show. There are lots of clichés people use to explain the experience: a family, a love affair, sometimes even going into battle. Sometimes they're a little overused, but in the case of JERSEY BOYS? We had a company member find out she was pregnant soon after we began. We lost another to cancer a year after that. And now, weeks from closing, one of our gang is planning her wedding while another is celebrating the arrival of his first child. We have become a family; fiercely loyal, mildly dysfunctional, and a little loose in the screws. It's not easy doing a long running show, but it's going to be a hell of a lot harder saying good-bye to it."

Joe Matheson, "Knuckles"

"The closing of JERSEY BOYS is bittersweet for me, but I couldn't be prouder of our homegrown production and everything we have all accomplished together. A special thank you to the citizens of Toronto and surrounding area who made this show a record-breaking success!"

Aubrey Dan, President, Dancap Productions

 

Directed by two-time Tony Award® winner Des McAnuff, JERSEY BOYS is written by Academy Award winner Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, with music by Bob Gaudio, lyrics by Bob Creweand choreography by Sergio Trujillo. The Canadian production of JERSEY BOYS is produced byDancap Productions Inc., Dodger Theatricals, Joseph J. Grano, Tamara and Kevin Kinsella, Pelican Group in association with Latitude Link and Rick Steiner.

 

 

Launched in 2007 by Aubrey Dan, Dancap Productions Inc. is a commercial theatre company dedicated to producing and presenting the best of Broadway-style theatre created in collaboration with acclaimed artists and award-winning creative teams based in Toronto, Canada. Current Broadway shows with producing and investment credits include: The Addams Family, Memphis (2010 Tony Award® for Best Musical), West Side Story, A Little Night Music, Come Fly Away, In The Heights and Jersey Boys. Past Broadway and international credits include: Wicked, Tom Stoppard's Rock ‘n' Roll, [Title of Show], Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, and Jersey Boys, the First National Tour, productions in Las Vegas, West End, Melbourne and the long-running show in Toronto.