Jersey Boys celebrates 2,500th performance

Jersey Boys celebrates its 2,500th performance in London. Picture: Brinkhoff & Mogenburg

Jersey Boys celebrates its 2,500th performance in London today (Thursday 20 February) at the Prince Edward Theatre, where it opened in 2008. Its last performance there will be on Sunday 9 March, and then it moves to the Piccadilly Theatre, opening there on Saturday 15 March. The show will celebrate its sixth birthday in London on 18 March. The musical has now been seen by more than 19 million people worldwide. The show will also be touring the UK for the first time from September 2014.

Tony Award-winner John Lloyd Young, who originated the role of Frankie Valli on Broadway in 2006, will open in the musical when it moves to the Piccadilly. Young will appear in the London production for a limited season from 15 March until 27 April.

As Frankie Valli, Young won the lead actor Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle and Theatre World awards, becoming the only American actor in history to win all four leading actor awards for a Broadway debut. The actor has re-created his award-winning Broadway turn on screen in Clint Eastwood’s film adaptation of Jersey Boys, due out in June 2014.

Leading man Ryan Molloy will leave the cast of Jersey Boys on 9 March after playing the iconic role of Frankie Valli for more than six years. Molloy took on the role in 2008 when the musical received its London premiere at the Prince Edward Theatre.

Also joining the new company at the Piccadilly will be Matt Nalton, making his West End debut as Nick Massi. Edd Post and Jon Boydon will continue as Bob Gaudio and Tommy De Vito, and Michael Watson will play the role of Frankie Valli at certain performances. Also in the cast will be Nicola Brazil, Sophie Carmen-Jones, Thomas Goodridge, Lucinda Gill, Matthew Hunt, Mark Isherwood, Charlotte Jeffery, Ben Jennings, Stuart King, Sandy Moffat, Sean Mulligan, Tom Senior, Emma Stephens, Matt Thorpe, Graham Vick, Ben Wheeler and Rob Wilshaw.

Jersey Boys is the true story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons and their rise to stardom from the wrong side of the tracks. The four boys from New Jersey became one of the most successful bands in pop history, were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and sold 175 million records worldwide, all before they turned 30.

Winner of Broadway’s Tony, London’s Olivier and Australia’s Helpmann Awards for Best New Musical, Jersey Boys is the winner of 55 major awards worldwide. As well as still running on Broadway and in the West End, the show can be seen in Las Vegas, across the United States on its US national tour, in the Netherlands and in Seoul, Korea.

Jersey Boys is written by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, with music by Bob Gaudio and lyrics by Bob Crewe. The London production is staged by the entire original Broadway creative team, led by director Des McAnuff and choreographer Sergio Trujillo, with scenic design by Klara Zieglerova, costume design by Jess Goldstein, lighting by Howell Binkley, sound by Steve Canyon Kennedy and projections design by Michael Clark. The orchestrations are by Steve Orich and the music supervision and vocal arrangements by Ron Melrose.