2012 Tony Awards Clip Countdown - Day 7: Oh, What JERSEY BOYS!

By: May. 18, 2012
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Having more influence on subsequent seasons than many a Tony Award-winning Best Musical before it or since, the pioneering and trend-setting jukebox Four Seasons biomusical answer to worldwide mega-hit MAMMA MIA -  JERSEY BOYS - in many ways bucked the trends of previous song-catalog shows by utilizing a dazzling set design, inventive staging and fast-paced direction by Des McAnuff to tell the more-or-less true tale of Frank Valli and the other boys who rose to the top ranks of pop music in the 1960s with their falsetto-outfitted pop anthems and what the price of fame ultimately cost. Not since DREAMGIRLS had a music industry story been told so compellingly, smoothly and innovatively and the show went on to win four awards that night: Best Actor In A Musical, Best Featured Actor In A Musical, Best Lighting and Best Musical.

Oh, what a night - or, in this case, what nights! For today we have three clips featuring the various iterations of the faux Four Seasons, kicking off in this performance from the 2006 Tony Awards, which showcases Tony Award-winning original cast members John Lloyd Young - who will soon be returning to the Broadway show, incidentally - and Christian Hoff, as well as fellow Four Seasons Broadway originators Daniel Reichard and J. Robert Spencer, as they lead the cast in this thrilling medley of the show's biggest chart-toppers climaxing in a theatrical tour de force that is a true sensory explosion.

Next, check out the original Broadway Four as they return to the stage of Radio City to sing a bit of “Oh, What A Night” and then present the creative arts awards at the 2007 Tony ceremony.

Lastly, here are the Jersey Boys in their most recent major appearance on the Tony Awards, this time featuring five Frankies - taken from the touring company, Las Vegas, Toronto, Chicago and Broadway - in this sensational performance from 2009 that we are not soon to forget. Only at the Tonys do moments like this arise - and take flight!

So, what is your favorite JERSEY BOYS performance on the Tony Awards to date out of these three choices? Furthermore, what is your favorite Four Seasons 60s pop confection featured in the show's songstack? There are so many great choices - beyond even the handful in these three terrific clips. Many musicals have imitated JERSEY BOYS since, attempting to achieve the same success by using the songs of similarly successful - or, in the case of The Beach Boys, even more successful - groups and failing. JERSEY BOYS is special and stands out from all other jukebox shows.


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