Jersey Boys Extends in L.A.; Casting Announced

Due to a high demand for tickets, the Ahmanson Theatre engagement of Jersey Boys, the 2006 Tony Award-winner for Best Musical, has been extended three weeks through Sunday, August 26. (The musical was originally scheduled to close August 5.) The added weeks to Jersey Boys will go on sale Sunday, May 13, at 10 a.m.  Previews begin Friday, May 25. Opening is set for Sunday, June 3 at 4 p.m.

The musical "is the story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons – Frankie Valli, Bob Gaudio, Tommy DeVito and Nick Massi, and how this group of blue-collar boys from the wrong side of the tracks became one of the biggest American pop music sensations of all time. They wrote their own songs, invented their own sound and sold 175 million records worldwide – all before they were 30," according to press materials.

The production will star Erich Bergen as Bob Gaudio, Michael Ingersoll as Nick Massi, Christopher Kale Jones as Frankie Valli and Deven May as Tommy DeVito.  Also in the cast are John Altieri as Bob Crewe, Joseph Siravo as Gyp DeCarlo, Miles Aubrey, Erik Bates, Sandra Denise, Jennifer Evans, Rick Faugno, Eric Gutman, Nathan Klau, Brandon Matthieus, Jackie Seiden, Courter Simmons, Taylor Sternberg and Melissa Strom.

Bergen's (Bob Gaudio) recent theatrical credits include Pure Heaven: The Music of Kay Thompson (O'Neill Theatre Center), The Three Musketeers (Chicago Shakespeare Theatre), and White Christmas (Pantages Theatre, Los Angeles). On television, he appeared on "The Dana Carvey Show." He has appeared in dozens of off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway shows. At the age of 12, Bergen's voice made its Broadway debut in the Tony-winning An American Daughter. 

Ingersoll's (Nick Massi) Chicago credits include I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change (Metropolis Performing Arts Center); reading of The Three Musketeers (Chicago Shakespeare Theater); world premiere of Josephine Tonight! (Theatre Building Chicago); Romeo & Juliet (A Crew of Patches); and Jonathan Larson in Tick, Tick … Boom! (Pegasus Players).  

Jones (Frankie Valli) most recently made his La Jolla Playhouse debut in Zhivago, also directed by Des McAnuff. Regional credits include Chris in Miss Saigon (Worcester Foothills Theatre); Mercury in Olympus on My Mind (Bristol Riverside Theatre, 2005 Barrymore nomination); Young Scrooge in A Christmas Carol (Fulton Opera House) and The Ballad of Little Jo (Steppenwolf Theatre). New York credits include House of Desires (Storm Theatre); Swimming Upstream (NY Fringe Festival), and most recently, a reading of the new musical Warsaw.

May (Tommy DeVito) appeared Off-Broadway in the title role of Bat Boy, earning a Theatre World Award for Outstanding New York Debut, as well as Drama Desk and Lortel Award nominations.  He originated the role with the Actors' Gang in LA where he won the 1998 Ovation Award for Best Lead Actor in a Musical, and also revived the part last year in the UK productions at The West Yorkshire Playhouse and The Shaftesbury.  His other stage credits include A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Goodspeed), Camelot and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. 

The design and production team includes Klara Zieglerova (scenic design), Jess Goldstein (costume design), Howell Binkley (winner of the 2006 Tony Award for his lighting design of Jersey Boys), Steve Canyon Kennedy (sound design), Michael Clark (projections design), Charles LaPointe (wig and hair design), Steve Orich (orchestrations) and Ron Melrose (music direction, vocal arrangements and incidental music).

Jersey Boys is produced by Dodger Theatricals, Joseph J. Grano, Tamara and Kevin Kinsella, Pelican Group , in association with Latitude Link and Rick Steiner.

The Los Angeles engagement marks the return of Jersey Boys to Southern California, where the musical premiered at the La Jolla Playhouse on October 17, 2004, and played a record-breaking run there prior to the Broadway production.

The Original Broadway Cast Recording of Jersey Boys, produced by Bob Gaudio, received the 2007 Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album.

The show is directed by two-time Tony Award winner Des McAnuff.  The musical, which won a total of four Tony® Awards and continues to set new weekly box office records at the August Wilson Theatre on Broadway, is written by Academy Award winner Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, with music by Bob Gaudio, lyrics by Bob Crewe and choreography by Sergio Trujillo.

Tickets are on sale now and may be purchased by calling (213) 972-4400, online at www.CenterTheatreGroup.org, or in person at the Center Theatre Group box office at the Ahmanson Theatre.  Up to the minute ticket availability can be obtained by visiting www.ahmansontheatre.org/jbtips.  For group sales, call (213) 972-7231.

Photo of Michael Ingersoll, Christopher Kale Jones, Erich Bergen and Deven May by Joan Marcus