Jersey Boys Becomes Longest Running Production at La Jolla Playhouse

La Jolla Playhouse is thrilled to announce that its world premiere musical Jersey Boys, based on the life story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, has become the longest running production in La Jolla Playhouse history. Jersey Boys, directed by the Playhouse's two-time Tony Award-winning Artistic Director Des McAnuff, had played 120 performances when it closed on Sunday, January 16, 2005. The Playhouse's 1992 production of The Who's Tommy, also directed by McAnuff, is the second longest running production with 114 performances.

Featuring The Four Seasons' hit songs "Sherry," "Big Girls Don't Cry," "Rag Doll" and "…Oh What a Night," among others, Jersey Boys is the story of how four blue-collar boys from the wrong side of the tracks became the biggest doo-wop sensation of all time.

Jersey Boys features a book by Academy and Emmy Award-winner Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice and music by Bob Gaudio and lyrics by Bob Crewe. Sergio Trujillo serves as choreographer, Ron Melrose is the musical director and orchestrations are by Steve Orich.

On January 24, Jersey Boys received four San Diego Theatre Critics Circle Awards. Des McAnuff received an award for Direction of a Musical, Jersey Boys for New Musical, David Noroña for Lead Actor in a Musical for his performance as Frankie Valli and Ron Melrose won for his musical direction.

La Jolla Playhouse is supported, in part, by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts; California Arts Council; the City of San Diego, under a program managed by the Commission for Arts and Culture; and the County of San Diego. Leadership donors to The Campaign for La Jolla Playhouse are Joan and Irwin Jacobs; The Hughes and Sheila Potiker Family Foundation; the James S. Copley Foundation; Joel and Rosanne Holliday/the Holliday Family Foundation; Dorothy L. Johnston; Charmaine and Maury Kaplan; Audrey Geisel/the Dr. Seuss Foundation; Ellen Revelle/the Revelle Family; the Weingart Foundation; the Estate of Mrs. Ruth Shepherd; The William Hall Tippett and Ruth Rathell Tippett Foundation; Leslie J. Cohen; the Kathryn C. Fishback Family Foundation; the S. Mark Taper Foundation; Helen Korman; The James Irvine Foundation; The Shubert Foundation; the Mandell Weiss Charitable Trust; Faiya and Micky Fredman; Mary Ann and Arnold Ginnow; Mickey Stern; Armando de Peralta, Sr.; American Airlines; The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; and the Pew Charitable Trusts, administered by Theatre Communications Group.

La Jolla Playhouse Education and Outreach programs are supported by Qualcomm, Inc.; Wells Fargo Foundation; The JP Morgan Chase Foundation; Union Bank of California; the ResMed Foundation; Salomon Smith Barney/ Citigroup Foundation; Macy's; Cubic Corporation; Cush Automotive Charitable Foundation; the California Arts Council Exemplary Arts Program; Anonymous; the Crawford Smith Foundation; the Samuel H. French, III & Katherine Weaver French Fund/Maurice J. Masserini Charitable Trust; the Ellen Browning Scripps Foundation; the Junior Seau Foundation; and the Weingart-Price Fund.