Credit: Melissa Ruggieri
Credit: Melissa Ruggieri
BY MELISSA RUGGIERI
Most fans of the Four Seasons know that Frankie Valli is the Voice.
But who knows what would have happened with Valli, Tommy DeVito and Nick Massi if they hadn’t shaken hands with Bob Gaudio, the New Jersey-bred songwriter, musician and keyboardist in the group, one night in 1960?
Gaudio, now 72, is responsible for writing the group’s parade of hits (often with longtime producer Bob Crewe, who died last year).
“Sherry,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Walk Like a Man,” “Rag Doll,” “Bye Bye Baby” and Valli’s solo hit “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” formed the cornerstone of the Four Seasons’ career — and still, five decades later, continue to engage new fans thanks to the immense success of “Jersey Boys.”
The musical, which won a slew of Tony Awards in 2006, returns to the Fox Theatre Oct. 6-11.
Gaudio, who has lived in Nashville, Tenn., for 22 years, said he might venture a few hours east to check in on the show during its Atlanta run.
“I vowed to come see it at the Fox. It’s a beautiful, beautiful theater and I’ve not seen the show in a bigger venue,” he said last week from his home. “I’m dying to see the road cast since I haven’t in a while.”
The engaging Gaudio chatted amiably about his involvement with the musical, his continued friendship with Valli and the parts of the show that still give him chills.
Q: So how many times have you seen “Jersey Boys”?
A: I would say I'm probably at the top of the list of the people who have seen it. I ran into a couple of people who saw it 100 times but I surpass that. A lot of it is just fun, but sometimes it's to keep an eye on the production.
Credit: Melissa Ruggieri
Credit: Melissa Ruggieri
Q: Can you believe it’s almost been a decade since the show debuted?
A: No, I can't! November 6th is the 10th year anniversary, and I'm still here and Frankie is still here and he's out there performing and he's 80s-something. He was here (in Nashville) and we hung out together and I'm hobbling to get up the stairs and he's running up there. I'm gonna find out what he's taking!
Q: So that answered my next question of whether or not you stay in touch.
A: We talk a couple of times a week. I'm trying to do some things for him with his concerts but I try to stay away because it's his world. I'm just putting my ears to what he's doing and making some suggestions.
Q: How involved are you with “Jersey Boys” at this point?
A: Whenever there is a new Frankie or we're changing current Frankies, they will send him to Nashville. I'll spend a few days with him in the studio and try to bring the new Frankies to an understanding of where it started, how it started and what Frankie is all about as opposed to, here's how five Frankies before you have done it. This is home base.
Credit: Melissa Ruggieri
Credit: Melissa Ruggieri
Q: Even though you wrote the hits, I guess Frankie will always be in the spotlight.
A: It was a group effort but the truth is, but without Frankie on top of the vocals, it would have been a different group; his voice is so significantly different – that's the key in the show. There are a lot of guys who can sing like me or Tommy or Nicky, and there was a uniqueness about our individual voices, unlike the Beach Boys who were family and there was a camaraderie vocally because they came from a similar place.
Q: Why do you think the show has resonated so long while other jukebox musicals, like “Lennon” and “Good Vibrations,” never connected?
A: I told (book writer) Marshall Brickman when we first started on this, if at least the writing and producing and directing isn't equal to the music then we're going to have what everyone else might have- the music. And there's a lot of music out there. A couple of (jukebox musicals) opened before we did and didn't do well and scared the pants off us, but then we had a 'Mamma Mia!' sitting there for a few years already and that worked. (With 'Jersey Boys') the lighting was exemplary. They found a way to make this not too heavy, not too light – just walk the line, not falling off the tightrope. Enough music enough story. The production is incredible. It was the perfect storm. Sergio (Trujillo) did some amazing choreography, but not much because we weren't really dancers. Everybody got it right. It just worked, and hit a spot in everybody's memory banks.
Q: Why do you think the live show has worked so well, but the movie (released in 2014 and directed by Clint Eastwood) didn’t?
A: The film had a high mountain to climb. Clint, we loved the idea of working with him, he's made great movies. But the only musical he made was 'Bird,' which was more documentary style. It was dark and foreboding and he makes great films like that. We thought with the pop world he could find that happy medium and I think he came close, but I don't think he was able to do it as well as the Broadway show. But hey, we're still batting .500 and that's OK. You can't get them all. In many respects, (the movie) did a lot for the Broadway show because people saw the movie and then wanted to see it live.
Q: Do you think there’s still a place for the jukebox musical? “Beautiful” (the Carole King musical) is doing well and “On Your Feet!” (the upcoming Gloria Estefan show) sounds like it might work based on its Chicago run.
A: Yes, if they find a way to intertwine the story and it's compelling. I think we all evolved from 'Smokey Joe's Café,' which was a performance show, but the catalog is probably the best out there. They didn't do the story the way we did so they didn't have the same longevity, but it comes back around. I think the story is what leads to the longevity.
Credit: Melissa Ruggieri
Credit: Melissa Ruggieri
Q: I won’t ask you to pick your favorite Four Seasons song because I know that’s impossible for a composer. But is there a moment in the show that still gets you?
A: There are a lot of moments, as you might expect. But I'm in awe of what ('Jersey Boys' show director) Des (McAnuff) did to take a moment so dark, to lose a daughter or son (the scene when Valli learns of the death of daughter Francine) and then bring the show back to an uplifting, 'Rocky' ending. That's an astounding achievement. The moments for me that are passionate are vast; when 'Who Loves You' comes in, that's a big jolt. With Frankie's speech and then the music coming in from the background, when you combine that, it's lethal.
Q: I imagine the show brings in a continuous slew of new fans of your music.
A: Our catalog, many people are delving into now because they just saw the show. 'Beggin' was a Top 15 record for us and then (in 2008) Madcon (a Norwegian duo) came along and had a huge international hit with it. A lot of that is going on and hopefully there more to come. Seeing a song in a different venue than you've been used to hearing it, it snaps the life into it.
Q: Do you still write regularly?
A: You look at somebody like me who has written so many songs from so many gamuts, but I'm not compelled to get up in the morning and write a song. It's never been that – it's always been an inspiration. I don't write just to write. It's almost embarrassing to say that. I've come to a point where writing a song isn't as challenging as a theater piece that is more involved. Right now, there are a whole bunch of people in the process of trying to bring back 'Peggy Sue Got Married' as a show, so I might be rewriting stuff for that.
Q: So it doesn’t sound as if retirement is imminent.
A: (laughs) I think about retirement, but it's kind of like a screen that I put up.
THEATER PREVIEW
“Jersey Boys”
7:30 p.m. Oct. 6-8; 8 p.m. Oct. 9; 2 and 8 p.m. Oct. 10; 1 and 6:30 p.m. Oct. 11. $40-$150. Fox Theatre, 660 Peachtree St. N.E., Atlanta. 1-855-285-8499, www.foxtheatre.org.
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