Highly Anticipated JERSEY BOYS to Open On Tuacahn Stage

After months of anticipation, one of the greatest jukebox musicals ever created is opening in the Tuacahn Outdoor Amphitheatre, telling the fascinating behind-the-scenes story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons in a PG version of the hit musical, Jersey Boys.

Featuring roughly 37 of the songs that made Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons a household name in the 1960s (think Sherry, Big Girls Don’t Cry, Walk Like A Man and more), Jersey Boys puts the humanity of these legendary musicians on display in a way that serves to both enlighten and entertain.

“I think this show really humanizes these guys,” said Director Aaron De Jesus. “We tend to put artists and stars on a pedestal, but the truth is everyone is human. We all have issues.”

It is the raw, vulnerable nature of the story, interwoven with the nostalgic familiarity of the music in Jersey Boys, that De Jesus hopes will create a feeling of connection with the audience.

“In many ways, this is a cautionary tale, reminding us all that we are a product of the choices we make,” De Jesus said. “It really is, in my opinion, one of the best musicals ever put together.”

De Jesus comes to that opinion with plenty of years of experience with the show. His background with Jersey Boys begins when he was fresh out of college and auditioned to be part of the Broadway cast. He didn’t make it and spent the next eight years auditioning for the Broadway production before finally seeing his dream come true.

“I immediately fell in love with the script, music and characters and continued to do the show for 10 years,” he said.

Those 10 years included three years in the Las Vegas company, two years on the national tour and four years with the show in New York.

“It is so exciting to bring all that experience and massage it into the even larger production we will stage at Tuacahn this year,” De Jesus said. “Originally this show was conceived to be somewhat minimalistic, with minimal sets and a small cast, but we have an opportunity to create moments that are spectacularly huge, while maintaining other pieces of the show that are more intimate and heartfelt.”

Joining De Jesus and the rest of the cast in bringing Jersey Boys to the Tuacahn stage is Choreographer Candi Boyd, arguably the only person on site at Tuacahn whose experience with the production trumps that of De Jesus.

“I started as a swing for all three female roles in 2009 on the national tour,” Boyd said. “By 2011 I was the universal swing, meaning I was filling in for all three female roles in seven casts all over the country. I was working as the assistant dance captain and eventually started doing all the press work, including Broadway posters, commercials, performing at the Tony Awards and the Superbowl and more.”

Boyd’s time with Jersey Boys wrapped in 2022 with the off-Broadway closing, but when the offer came to re-open her Jersey Boys career, and to finally work at Tuacahn — something she’d had her eye on for many years — she was thrilled.

“When Aaron asked me to join him in this, I could not have jumped higher at the opportunity,” she said. “Tuacahn is one of those theaters you always hear about. It’s beautiful. High quality work. And everyone is so nice to work with.”

Together with the rest of the extremely talented cast and crew at Tuacahn, Jersey Boys is ready to offer Southern Utah the grit and glam of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, but with a script that is a little less gritty than the original.

“This is more of a PG-13 version of the show,” said Scott Anderson, artistic director for Tuacahn. “The original creators of the show put out a version that maintains all the great music and the depth of story, but without some of the stronger language of the original. We think it’s going to be a really great fit for our audiences.”

Jersey Boys opens July 13 and runs through Oct. 19, alternating with Disney’s Frozen and Anastasia the New Broadway Musical. And if you can’t get enough great music and great theater, don’t miss Ring of Fire: The Music of Johnny Cash and A Christmas Carol, The Musical in the Indoor Hafen Theatre. Get your tickets now at www.tuacahn.org or by calling 435-652-3300.

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