Show guide
Jersey Boys
"Jersey Boys" tells the true story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, from their scrappy New Jersey beginnings to pop stardom.
- Broadway premiere
- 2005
- Music by
- Gaudio & Crewe
- Genre
- Jukebox
- Setting
- 1960s
Jersey Boys: quick answers
What is Jersey Boys about?
- Jersey Boys tells the true story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, following four New Jersey guys from street corners to stardom and eventual breakup. Each of its four sections, or seasons, is narrated by a different band member.
When did Jersey Boys open on Broadway?
- Jersey Boys opened on Broadway on November 6, 2005, at the August Wilson Theatre. It ran for 4,642 performances before closing on January 15, 2017.
Is Jersey Boys a jukebox musical?
- Yes. Its score is built on the Four Seasons' hits, with music and lyrics credited to Bob Gaudio and Bob Crewe, woven into a documentary-style biographical story.
Where and when is Jersey Boys set?
- Jersey Boys begins in Belleville, New Jersey, in the early 1950s and follows the group through the 1960s to their 1990 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction.
Has Jersey Boys played in London's West End?
- Jersey Boys opened at the Prince Edward Theatre in London in February 2008 and ran until March 26, 2017. It won the 2009 Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Musical.
Is there a Jersey Boys movie?
- Clint Eastwood directed a 2014 film adaptation starring John Lloyd Young, reprising his Tony-winning Broadway role as Frankie Valli, with Christopher Walken as Gyp DeCarlo.
The story of Jersey Boys
Set primarily in the 1960s, the musical traces the rise of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons from working-class New Jersey streets to the top of the pop charts. Told from the alternating perspectives of the group's members, it covers their early struggles, brushes with trouble, and the friction and loyalty that held the band together through fame.
Because it is based on real history, the show doubles as a behind-the-scenes account of the music industry in that period, including the group's business dealings and personal conflicts alongside their musical triumphs.
The music and the makers
The songs are drawn from the real catalog written and performed by the Four Seasons, with music largely credited to Bob Gaudio and lyrics by Bob Crewe, making "Jersey Boys" a jukebox musical built on genuine hit records rather than a newly composed score. The songs are staged within the storyline so that performances double as narrative beats in the group's career.
That blend of authentic pop and doo-wop hits with dramatized biography gives the show a sound audiences already know, paired with the added context of the story behind the songs.
Jersey Boys on Broadway
The show opened in 2005 and became one of the most successful jukebox musicals in Broadway history, prized for pairing a beloved song catalog with a genuinely compelling, fast-moving story. Its blue-collar New Jersey setting and rags-to-riches arc gave it broad appeal beyond typical musical theater audiences.
Its popularity helped cement the jukebox musical as a durable Broadway genre, and it remains a favorite for audiences who grew up on the Four Seasons' music as well as newcomers drawn in by the story.
Jersey Boys: frequently asked questions
Where and when is Jersey Boys set?
Jersey Boys begins on a street corner in Belleville, New Jersey, in the early 1950s (after a short prologue set in Paris in 2000) and follows Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons through their rise and breakup. It ends with the group's 1990 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Is Jersey Boys based on a true story?
Yes. Jersey Boys dramatizes the real formation, success, and breakup of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, and its writers drew on interviews with surviving members Bob Gaudio, Frankie Valli, and Tommy DeVito. Each of its four sections, or seasons, is narrated by a different band member.
Did Jersey Boys win the Tony Award for Best Musical?
Yes. Jersey Boys won the 2006 Tony Award for Best Musical, plus three more Tonys that year for leading actor John Lloyd Young, featured actor Christian Hoff, and Howell Binkley's lighting design.
Is Jersey Boys still running on Broadway?
No. The original Broadway production closed on January 15, 2017, at the August Wilson Theatre after 4,642 performances. An off-Broadway production then ran at New World Stages from November 2017 until it closed in 2022.
When did Jersey Boys open on Broadway?
Jersey Boys opened on Broadway in 2005.
What genre is Jersey Boys?
It is a jukebox musical, built around the real songs of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons.
Who wrote the songs in Jersey Boys?
The songs come primarily from Bob Gaudio and Bob Crewe, the songwriting team behind the Four Seasons' original hits.
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