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Just Too Good to Be True - John Lloyd Young Is Back in Broadway's Jersey Boys

There is a magical moment midway through the first act of Jersey Boys, when four doo-wop singers—who have had no success to date—turn into the Four Seasons.

It comes when John Lloyd Young lifts his three-octave voice into the brilliant falsetto of his character, Frankie Valli, as he sings the group’s first hit, “Sherry.” It is a spine-tingling performance and a reminder to fans with half-century-long memories—or an affinity for oldies radio—of the stunning effect of listening to Valli in the 1960’s.

And it is the turning point in the show, at the August Wilson Theatre.

John Lloyd Young as Frankie Valli

John Lloyd Young as Frankie Valli

Jersey Boys—which won four Tony Awards in 2006, including best musical—follows the lives of the 1960’s quartet as they struggle to discover their sound, cycle through names, are incarcerated, deal with mobsters, and survive the Beatles invasion by releasing hit after hit, from “Big Girls Don’t Cry” and “Walk Like a Man” to “Dawn,” “Stay” and “Rag Doll.”

READ: Jersey Boys summer 2014 Broadway review

Young, who originated the role of Valli on Broadway in 2005 and won a Tony for best actor in a musical, recently returned after a five-year hiatus during which he worked on his pop art, developed a cabaret act and recorded an album, My Turn.

The current actors playing the other members of the Four Seasons were new to him when he re-upped, but to Young, the appeal of Jersey Boys remains unchanged after more than since opening night.

Jersey Boys is a Cinderella story for guys that women also enjoy,” says Young. “It’s true in America that you can start with nothing and end up with more than you can imagine in your wildest dreams. The audience can see that in front of their eyes.” And, he adds, “There are these really great songs.”

Cast of Jersey Boys on Broadway

Gehling, Young, Karl, and Bogart as the Four Seasons

The still-resonant music was written by keyboardist Bob Gaudio (played by Drew Gehling), who was in the scheme of the group’s formation, the fourth Season. Bob Crewe, who produced the group and wrote the lyrics with Gaudio, is portrayed by Peter Gregus, another original cast member.

Their iconic songs do more than just illuminate Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice’s Tony-winning book—they provide a timeline for group’s rocky evolution as jealousies, stardom, touring and family problems impact these flawed, blue-collar Jersey guys: Tommy DeVito (Andy Karl), is arrogant and heavily in debt to the mob; Nick Massi (Matt Bogart) feels like a fourth wheel; and Gehling’s Gaudio comes across as a straight-laced and somewhat reluctant performer. Meanwhile, Valli, with his angelic voice that never falters, walks a personal life tightrope consistently frayed by mega-success.

Asked why Jersey Boys has remained strong (it still plays to sell-out audiences) while so many other jukebox musicals have died within months of opening, Young says, “I believe it’s the transformation of them from just guys with an ambition into the group everybody knows. People may have a feeling for Frankie Valli’s voice, but unless you’re a diehard fan I don’t think you have the same image in your mind as you do of John, Paul, George and Ringo. It’s discovering that back story.”

Young’s voice is a marvel, but his original career trajectory was to be an actor rather than a singer. Still, he could sing on key by age three. As a kid he was able to imitate the falsettos of the Bee Gees and Lou Christie and could mimic Tina Turner and Nell Carter in their actual keys.

Cast of Jersey Boys on Broadway

“It wasn’t a habit, but a parlor trick,” he says. “I never had to use it professionally until I was called upon to do Frankie,” he said, adding that Valli “…was on the outskirts of my consciousness of falsetto singers. I was aware of Frankie from those old Time Life commercials on TV that plugged Four Seasons music.”

And Jersey Boys the musical has built on the legacy of that music: it has been seen worldwide by more than 16 million people and it has played more than 3,000 performances on Broadway with a long-standing reputation for being one of hottest tickets in town.

“Do the math: six or seven productions around the world running constantly,” says Young. “Can you imagine anything better in your later years than this annuity that is Jersey Boys? Frankie’s life is so blessed by having his career encapsulated like this.”  

Jersey Boys is playing at the August Wilson Theatre, 245 W. 52nd St. For tickets, call 212-239-6200 or click here.

All photos: Joan Marcus

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