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“Jersey Boys” was developed for the stage by a world-class creative team that included the show’s director, Des McAnuff (two time Tony Award Winner for “Best Direction Of A Musical” for his work on “Big River” and “The Who’s Tommy”), writers Marshall Brickman (who won the “Best Original Screenplay” Oscar for co-writing the movie, “Annie Hall”, with Woody Allen) and Rick Elice, choreographer Sergio Trujillo, and music supervisor, Ron Melrose, all of whom worked closely with Frankie Valli and Bob Gaudio to ensure that their story and their music were given the care and specific detail that they deserved.
All these years later, Frankie and Gaudio continue to be very “hands on” in the various “Jersey Boys” productions
around the world – whether approving casting choices or periodically checking in on the show and talking with the cast members about their specific choices in recreating the show’s characters, stories, and musical sound. After the musical became a bona fide Broadway blockbuster and international smash hit, the battle to obtainthe rights to adapt the show into a feature film became one of the most highly contested and lucrative deals in Hollywood history. Ultimately, Oscar-Winning producer, Graham King, and his company, GK Films, won the bidding war in 2010 and acquired the rights to produce a film version of the musical. Originally, Jon Favreau was tapped to helm the movie after having achieved enormous success directing films such as “Elf”, “Iron Man”, and “Iron Man 2”. For reasons unknown (or, at least, not made public to this date), plans to begin production on the film fell through and it looked as though the future of a “Jersey Boys” movie was in jeopardy. That is until international Hollywood legend, Clint Eastwood, stepped in in 2013, took up the reigns, and signedon to direct the movie version after attending live “Jersey Boys” performances in Las Vegas, San Francisco, and on Broadway. Mr. Eastwood chose to use the original screenplay adaptation by “Jersey Boys” co-writers, Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, and, by the summer of 2013, auditions for the film were underway. He shocked many Hollywood insiders by choosing to cast relatively unknown actors who were veterans of the show’s stage productions in several of the movie’s principal and pivotable roles rather than enlisting the services of some bigger Hollywood stars. Oscar Winner, Christopher Walken, who plays mob boss, “Gyp DeCarlo”, is, really, the only well known “star” to appear in the film. Three of the four “Four Seasons” who star in the movie have, collectively, racked up thousands of live performances on stage in their respective roles.
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