Cast and Creative Team Set for for the 'Built in Chicago' Premiere of JERSEY BOYS at Mercury Theater

Mercury Theater has revealed the cast and creative team for the first built-in-Chicago production of Jersey Boys, the Tony Award winning story of Frankie Vallie and The Four Seasons. Jersey Boys features a book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, with music by Bob Gaudio and lyrics by Bob Crewe. This production is co-directed by L. Walter Stearns and Brenda Didier, with co-music direction by Eugene Dizon and Linda Madonia, and choreography by Christopher Chase Carter. Jersey Boys runs March 15 – May 19, 2024 at Mercury Theater Chicago, 3745 N. Southport Avenue. The press opening is scheduled for Tuesday, March 28 at 7:30pm.

The cast of Jersey Boys includes Adrian Aguilar (Tommy DeVito), Grant Alexander Brown (Joey Pesci), Jason Michael Evans (Nick Massi), Adam Fane (Bob Crewe), Amanda Handegan (Lorraine), Carl Herzog (Gyp DeCarlo), Eric Lewis (Barry Belson), Andrew MacNaughton (Bob Gaudio), Maya McQueen (Francine), Michael Metcalf (Frankie Valli), Jason Richards (Norm Waxman), Kayla Shipman (Mary Delgado), TBD(Nick DeVito). The understudies are Hannah Efsits, Peyton Knowski and Isaac Ray.

The creative team for Jersey Boys includes L. Walter Stearns (co-director), Brenda Didier (co-director), Eugene Dizon (co-music director), Linda Madonia (co-music director), Christopher Chase Carter (choreographer), Johnnie Schleyer (production manager), Bob Knuth (scenic designer), Steven Abbott (assistant scenic designer), Emmanuel Jimenez (scenic supervisor), Denise Karzcewski (lighting designer), Mark Brown (lighting supervisor), Rachel Boylan (costume designer), Stefanie M. Senior (sound designer), Danni Monico (audio engineer), Lonnae Hickman (properties designer), Alison Dornheggen (fight & intimacy choreographer), Amanda Axel (dramaturg), and Kathy Logelin (dialect coach). The production stage manager is Daniel J. Hanson and the assistant stage manager is Rachel Campbell.

Producer L. Walter Stearns remarks: “A decade ago, we embarked on the journey of bringing Jersey Boys to Chicago. We were chosen as the inaugural Chicago theater to make this iconic production uniquely ours. Jersey Boys at Mercury Theater Chicago is set to offer an intimate, and consequently, deeply impactful experience. This Broadway classic will be reimagined to suit our jewel box theater and resonate with our Midwestern audience.”

Jersey Boys follows the fascinating evolution of four blue-collar kids who became one of the greatest successes in pop music history. Winner of Best Musical at both the Tony Awards® and Olivier Awards®, Jersey Boys takes you behind the music of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons to discover the secret of a 40-year friendship as the foursome work their way from the streets of New Jersey to the heights of stardom. Audiences will be thrilled with electrifying performances of chart-topping hits including “Sherry,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You,” “Dawn,” and “My Eyes Adored You,” which brought The Four Seasons the highest honor: induction into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame.

Jersey Boys premiered at the La Jolla Playhouse in October 2004 and opened on Broadway in November 2005, running for 11 years and 4,642 performances. It became the 12th longest-running show in Broadway history. Jersey Boys won four Tony Awards, including Best Musical, and the 2009 Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Musical, as well as two Drama Desk Awards, and the Grammy for Best Musical Show Album. A movie adaptation with Tony-winner John Lloyd Young reprising his role as Frankie Valli and directed by Clint Eastwood, was released in 2014.

Tickets for Jersey Boys, priced $60-$90, are on sale now at the box office, 3745 N. Southport Avenue in Chicago, www.mercurytheaterchicago.com. Mercury Theater Chicago is upgrading its seating. Arts enthusiasts are encouraged to buy a ticket for Jersey Boys for $500 and their name will be adorned on a plaque on their new seat (no tax savings available).

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