'Jersey Boys' Breaks Box Office Records

Jersey Boys set a new box office record in Minneapolis last week.  The Tony® and Grammy® award winning Best Musical that tells the story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, grossed $1,373,196 for the week ending April 13, 2008, shattering the previous record of $1,371,894 held by The Lion King.  Jersey Boys opened to critical acclaim on March 20 in Minneapolis at the Orpheum Theatre, where it will play through April 20, 2008.

Jersey Boys is the story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons – Frankie Valli, Bob Gaudio, Tommy DeVito and Nick Massi, and how this group of blue-collar boys from the wrong side of the tracks became one of the biggest American pop music sensations of all time. They wrote their own songs, invented their own sound and sold 175 million records worldwide – all before they were 30.

Jersey Boys is directed by two-time Tony® Award winner Des McAnuff.  The musical, which won a total of four Tony® Awards and continues to set new weekly box office records at the August Wilson Theatre on Broadway, is written by Academy Award winner Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, with music by Bob Gaudio, lyrics by Bob Crewe and choreography by Sergio Trujillo.

The production stars stars Erik Bates (as Tommy DeVito), Steve Gouveia (as Nick Massi), Christopher Kale Jones (as Frankie Valli) and Andrew Rannells (as Bob Gaudio) with Jonathan Hadley and Joseph Siravo.  The ensemble comprises Miles Aubrey, Matt Bailey, Holly Ann Butler, Sarah Darling, Christopher DeAngelis, Buck Hujabre, Jamie Karen, Brandon Matthieus, Zachary Prince, Nathan Scherich, Courter Simmons, Taylor Sternberg and Kara Tremel.

Jersey Boys premiered at La Jolla Playhouse, October 17, 2004, where the musical played a record-breaking run prior to the Broadway production. Jersey Boys opened at the August Wilson Theatre on Broadway to critical acclaim on November 6, 2005 and continues to set new weekly box office records, remaining among the five top grossing shows in New York.  The Jersey Boys National Tour opened to rave reviews in San Francisco on December 1, 2006 and played a 44-week, record-breaking run.  The Tour also played Los Angeles, Sacramento, Tempe, San Diego, Costa Mesa, Seattle and Houston.  The show is currently playing in New York, Chicago and in cities across the U.S. on a National Tour. Performances begin in London on February 28th (opening March 18) and Las Vegas on April 4th (opening May 3). After the Minneapolis engagement, the national tour will play St. Louis April 23 through May 18, 2008.

The Original Broadway Cast Recording of Jersey Boys, produced by Bob Gaudio, received the 2006 Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album and has been certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Jersey Boys: The Story of Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons (Broadway Books) is the official handbook to the smash Broadway hit and is now on sale.