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152-470: Jersey Boys is a jukebox musical with a book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice . It is presented in a documentary -style format that dramatizes the formation, success and breakup of the 1960s rock 'n' roll group The Four Seasons . The musical is structured as four "seasons", each narrated by a different member of the band who gives his own perspective on its history and music. Songs include " Big Girls Don't Cry ", " Sherry ", " December, 1963 (Oh, What

304-579: A 1962 description of the musical Do Re Mi , but that was a musical (with original music) about a man who sells jukeboxes. In a 1964 review of the Beatles film A Hard Day's Night , critic Andrew Sarris described that film as "the Citizen Kane of jukebox musicals", but he too may have had a meaning in mind other than the contemporary one, since most of that film's songs were original. Although jukebox musicals had achieved success for years (for example,

456-569: A December 2005 auction. In England, meanwhile, Harrison met sitar maestro Ravi Shankar , who agreed to train him on the instrument. During a tour of the Philippines the month after the Yesterday and Today furore, the Beatles unintentionally snubbed the nation's first lady, Imelda Marcos , who had expected them to attend a breakfast reception at the Presidential Palace . When presented with

608-416: A Man " follow "Sherry" to the top and establish their audience as the young American working class. With the band's newfound success, Bob cuts Frankie in on his songwriting royalties, while Nick takes Bob under his wing, helping him buy a new Cadillac and setting him up with a woman at a Christmas party, to whom Bob loses his virginity (" December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night) "). The band takes on a new opening act,

760-471: A Musical Adventure (1948, music of Heitor Villa-Lobos ), a 1949 reworking of the 1934 musical The Great Waltz (music of Johann Strauss I and Johann Strauss II ), Kismet (1953, music of Alexander Borodin ), and Anya (1965, music of Sergei Rachmaninoff ). The origin of the phrase "jukebox musical" in its current meaning is unclear. The word " jukebox " dates to around 1939. The first documented use of "jukebox musical" in print may have been in

912-676: A Night) ", " My Eyes Adored You ", " Stay ", " Can't Take My Eyes Off You ", " Walk Like A Man ", " Who Loves You ", " Working My Way Back to You " and " Rag Doll ". The musical premiered at the La Jolla Playhouse in 2004 and ran on Broadway from 2005 to 2017. Since its debut it has been on two North American national tours and two national tours of the UK and Ireland. The show has been produced in London's West End , Las Vegas, Chicago, Toronto, Melbourne and other Australian cities, Singapore, South Africa,

1064-682: A West End musical" and "longest-serving Frankie Valli". The production moved to the Piccadilly Theatre on March 15, 2014, the same day that John Lloyd Young assumed the role of Frankie Valli. The production closed after nine years on March 26, 2017. In October 2020, it was announced that Jersey Boys would return to the West End at the Trafalgar Theatre in April 2021. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in

1216-405: A backing band and electric instrumentation , and "dressed in the height of Mod fashion". As a result, Gould continues, the traditional division between folk and rock enthusiasts "nearly evaporated", as the Beatles' fans began to mature in their outlook and Dylan's audience embraced the new, youth-driven pop culture. During the 1964 US tour , the group were confronted with racial segregation in

1368-563: A bass guitar with the proceeds, joined in January 1960. He suggested changing the band's name to Beatals , as a tribute to Buddy Holly and the Crickets . They used this name until May, when they became the Silver Beetles , before undertaking a brief tour of Scotland as the backing group for pop singer and fellow Liverpudlian Johnny Gentle . By early July, they had refashioned themselves as

1520-624: A bright, joyous, original sound, filled with ringing guitars and irresistible melodies." That "ringing guitar" sound was primarily the product of Harrison's 12-string electric Rickenbacker , a prototype given to him by the manufacturer, which made its debut on the record. Touring internationally in June and July, the Beatles staged 37 shows over 27 days in Denmark, the Netherlands, Hong Kong, Australia and New Zealand. In August and September, they returned to

1672-492: A bunch of Jersey boys, and the name stuck. Little was known to the public about the Four Seasons' history before the musical, because magazines of the era did not write much about them. In their research, Brickman and Elice were surprised to find that the members had prison records, which might have prevented their music from being played if it had been publicized when they were active. According to Gaudio, "Back then, things were

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1824-461: A collection of singles. Now we were really beginning to think about albums as a bit of art on their own." Released in December, Rubber Soul was hailed by critics as a major step forward in the maturity and complexity of the band's music. Their thematic reach was beginning to expand as they embraced deeper aspects of romance and philosophy, a development that NEMS executive Peter Brown attributed to

1976-600: A condom in a concrete corridor; the authorities deported them. Lennon returned to Liverpool in early December, while Sutcliffe remained in Hamburg until late February with his German fiancée Astrid Kirchherr , who took the first semi-professional photos of the Beatles. During the next two years, the Beatles were resident for periods in Hamburg, where they used Preludin both recreationally and to maintain their energy through all-night performances. In 1961, during their second Hamburg engagement, Kirchherr cut Sutcliffe's hair in

2128-505: A controversy with Christians in America's conservative Bible Belt region. The Vatican issued a protest, and bans on Beatles records were imposed by Spanish and Dutch stations and South Africa's national broadcasting service . Epstein accused Datebook of having taken Lennon's words out of context. At a press conference, Lennon pointed out, "If I'd said television was more popular than Jesus, I might have got away with it." He claimed that he

2280-536: A copy of the British single "I Want to Hold Your Hand" in mid-December 1963 and began playing it on-air. Taped copies of the song soon circulated among other radio stations throughout the US. This caused an increase in demand, leading Capitol to bring forward the release of "I Want to Hold Your Hand" by three weeks. Issued on 26 December, with the band's previously scheduled debut there just weeks away, "I Want to Hold Your Hand" sold

2432-415: A faster tempo, a studio session in late November yielded that recording, of which Martin accurately predicted, "You've just made your first No. 1". In December 1962, the Beatles concluded their fifth and final Hamburg residency. By 1963, they had agreed that all four band members would contribute vocals to their albums – including Starr, despite his restricted vocal range, to validate his standing in

2584-568: A fictional plot, one common approach is to center the plot around one or more (fictional) singers or musicians, thus letting some of the songs be performed as songs within the show. Examples of such musicals include Boogie Nights (1998), Mamma Mia! (1999), We Will Rock You (2002), Hoy no me puedo levantar (2005), Bésame mucho, el musical (2005), Rock of Ages (2005), Daddy Cool (2006), Never Forget (2007), Viva Forever! (2012), All Out of Love (2018), and Jukebox Hero (2018). Some jukebox musicals are adaptations of

2736-468: A film, in which songs from the film's soundtrack are now sung by the characters; examples include Saturday Night Fever (1998), Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (2006), Cruel Intentions: The '90s Musical (2015) and My Best Friend's Wedding (2024). Some shows and films combine original and previously-released songs; it may be a matter of opinion whether these qualify as jukebox musicals. For example,

2888-516: A firm decision on a name, which they take from the same alley where Tommy was running his scam (leading the owner to chase them off when the band tries to audition): the Four Seasons. Crewe schedules the group's first true recording session, and minutes before it begins, Bob writes their breakthrough hit: " Sherry ", which explodes in popularity after a disc jockey plays the song repeatedly . Bob's fears of again being relegated to one-hit wonder status are eased when " Big Girls Don't Cry " and " Walk Like

3040-434: A further progression outside the traditional boundaries of popular music. As the lyrics grew more artful, fans began to study them for deeper meaning. While some of Rubber Soul ' s songs were the product of Lennon and McCartney's collaborative songwriting, the album also included distinct compositions from each, though they continued to share official credit. " In My Life ", of which each later claimed lead authorship,

3192-448: A group. Of the three surviving members, they approached DeVito last, who told them: "Don't listen to those guys. I'll tell you what really happened." Elice said that getting DeVito's version was a "eureka moment" and the contradiction in their stories was incorporated in the musical for a Rashomon effect . Family members of the late mob boss Gyp DeCarlo also contacted the writers to ensure that he would be portrayed respectfully. Gaudio

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3344-407: A little clean-cut, don't forget, so the idea of our story getting out was horrifying to us." Other bands of the time projected street-tough images, but The Four Seasons cleaned themselves up to be palatable to mainstream listeners. Brickman and Elice also used material from interviews with surviving Four Seasons members Gaudio, Valli and Tommy DeVito . Nick Massi was aware of Gaudio's plans to make

3496-404: A million copies in under four weeks. It became their first single to sell a million copies, and remained the biggest-selling record in the UK until 1978. The success brought increased media exposure, to which the Beatles responded with an irreverent and comical attitude that defied the expectations of pop musicians at the time, inspiring even more interest. The band toured the UK three times in

3648-684: A million copies, becoming a number-one hit in the US by mid-January. In its wake Vee-Jay released Introducing... The Beatles along with Capitol's debut album, Meet the Beatles! , while Swan reactivated production of "She Loves You". On 7 February 1964, the Beatles departed from Heathrow with an estimated 4,000 fans waving and screaming as the aircraft took off. Upon landing at New York's John F. Kennedy Airport , an uproarious crowd estimated at 3,000 greeted them. They gave their first live US television performance two days later on The Ed Sullivan Show , watched by approximately 73 million viewers in over 23 million households, or 34 per cent of

3800-505: A monologue explaining their lives at the time Jersey Boys was written: Tommy works for Joe Pesci; Bob has retired to Nashville, Tennessee ; Nick stayed in New Jersey with his children until he died on Christmas Eve in 2000; and Frankie continues to tour, reflecting that the band's streetcorner days were his favorite and that he continues "chasing the music, trying to get home" (" Who Loves You "). The ensemble—portrayed by various actors from

3952-399: A musical in the last months of his life and enthusiastically approved of the project, but died in December 2000 before he could contribute any interviews. While the Four Seasons as a group made headlines, as individuals they did not receive much press, as groups like the Beatles dominated the media. Brickman noted that each member had his own perspective on what happened during their tenure as

4104-474: A pass at Frankie's new girlfriend, Lorraine; in response, Tommy escalated his gambling even further until Waxman calls in the debt. Frankie redeems his claim check with DeCarlo (" Beggin' ") to resolve Tommy's debts. At a basement meeting with the Seasons, Waxman and DeCarlo, Nick, Frankie and Bob each call Tommy out on his faults, nearly leading to fistcuffs. Bob suggests the remaining trio buy out Tommy's share to pay

4256-530: A pin-setting scam at a bowling alley, Tommy's co-conspirator Joe Pesci introduces the group to a singer-songwriter from Bergenfield who he thinks will be a great fit: Bob Gaudio. Bob takes over the narration, telling the audience that he already had a hit single with " Short Shorts " and not to believe Tommy plucked him from obscurity. Bob goes with Joe to see the band perform, and is immediately impressed by Frankie's voice on " Moody's Mood for Love ". In an on-the-spot audition, Bob plays his song "Cry for Me" with

4408-482: A problem". As a result, six covers from their extensive repertoire were chosen to complete the album. Released in early December, its eight original compositions stood out, demonstrating the growing maturity of the Lennon–McCartney songwriting partnership. In early 1965, following a dinner with Lennon, Harrison and their wives, Harrison's dentist, John Riley, secretly added LSD to their coffee. Lennon described

4560-438: A radio program director named Davis (based on CKLW 's Paul Drew), and singers Hal Miller , Miss Frankie Nolan, and Billy Dixon, among various unnamed onlookers. ☆ On the cast album in "The Early Years: Scrapbook" ★ Not on the cast album □ On the cast album in "Backup Sessions" ■ On the cast album in "Medley: Stay/Let's Hang On/Opus 17 (Don't You Worry 'Bout Me)/Bye, Bye, Baby" The score for Jersey Boys requires

4712-448: A replacement for himself and a new drummer so he can move into a background role; they compromise, as Bob agrees to stay and Frankie takes on a solo side project to make more money. Back in New Jersey, Frankie's daughter Francine has run away to the city, prompting renewed fighting between Frankie, Mary and Francine; when Frankie asks Lorraine to take Francine in, she refuses and breaks up with him (" Bye, Bye, Baby (Baby, Goodbye) "). As

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4864-401: A rock-and-roll musical with existing songs could work. Frankie Valli , in 2024, recalled that he and Gaudio had conceived the idea of a Four Seasons life story production as early as the mid-1990s but that the only offers they received were for television movies that they felt would not do the band justice. Gaudio hired book writers Rick Elice and Marshall Brickman , who had difficulty finding

5016-407: A series of articles in which Mann offered detailed analyses of the music, lending it respectability. With the Beatles became the second album in UK chart history to sell a million copies, a figure previously reached only by the 1958 South Pacific soundtrack . When writing the sleeve notes for the album, the band's press officer, Tony Barrow , used the superlative the "fabulous foursome", which

5168-440: A severe toll on his family life and that he needed to return home. Frankie takes over narration (" Let's Hang On! "), admitting he had tolerated Tommy's embezzling out of loyalty, but that he was hurt and baffled by Nick's departure (" Opus 17 (Don't You Worry 'Bout Me) "). Frankie and Bob hire replacements to keep the band a quartet, fellow New Jersey natives Charlie Calello and Joe Long , but Frankie balks when Bob wants to hire

5320-516: A show in Atlanta, the Beatles gave one of the first live performances ever to make use of a foldback system of on-stage monitor speakers. Towards the end of the tour, they met with Elvis Presley , a foundational musical influence on the band, who invited them to his home in Beverly Hills . Presley later said the band was an example of a trend of anti-Americanism and drug abuse. September 1965 saw

5472-627: A show, with the profits going to Children in Need . The show ended with Pudsey Bear joining in to sing a medley, and raised £60,150 for the charity. In 2009 the cast also appeared as a guest act for Children in Need. Jersey Boys Chicago has been honored two years in a row at the Broadway Cares event for being the top fundraiser in the Tour category. In 2008, Jersey Boys Chicago raised $ 220,000 for BC/EFA. For every ticket sold for every Broadway performance in

5624-613: A single artist or group. Other films that combine old and original songs include Singin' in the Rain (1952), Trolls (2016), and Cinderella (2021). In a different category are films or stage musicals based around a concept album , in which the story being told is not original but rather a fleshed-out version of the narrative already contained in the album. Examples include: The Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of

5776-427: A small orchestra with ten musicians: three keyboards, two guitars, bass, drums, two woodwind players, and trumpet. The first woodwind player doubles on alto and tenor saxophone, clarinet, flute, and oboe. The second woodwind part doubles on tenor and baritone sax, clarinet, and bass clarinet. The trumpet also doubles on flugelhorn. Ben Brantley of The New York Times wrote, "...the crowd goes wild. I'm talking about

5928-437: A succession of drummers, including Pete Best , before inviting Starr to join them in 1962. Manager Brian Epstein moulded them into a professional act, and producer George Martin guided and developed their recordings, greatly expanding their domestic success after they signed with EMI Records and achieved their first hit, " Love Me Do ", in late 1962. As their popularity grew into the intense fan frenzy dubbed " Beatlemania ",

6080-506: A three-motion-picture deal, primarily for the commercial potential of the soundtracks in the US. Directed by Richard Lester , A Hard Day's Night involved the band for six weeks in March–April 1964 as they played themselves in a musical comedy. The film premiered in London and New York in July and August, respectively, and was an international success, with some critics drawing a comparison with

6232-433: A wide variety of songs, while others confine themselves to songs performed by one singer or band, or written by one songwriter. In such cases, the plot is often a biography of the artist or artists. In other jukebox musicals, the plot is purely fictional. For musicals about a musician or musical act, some of the songs can be diegetic , meaning that they are performed within the world of the play or film. Works in which all of

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6384-446: A willing director until Michael David of Dodger Theatricals recommended them to Des McAnuff . Brickman suggested creating a show about the band's history, instead of repurposing their songs for an independent story the way ABBA did with Mamma Mia! ; Gaudio liked the idea, noting that although biopics were a common format in film, such a story format was still relatively rare on stage and that, to his knowledge, none had been tried at

6536-428: Is considered a highlight of the entire Lennon–McCartney catalogue. Harrison called Rubber Soul his "favourite album", and Starr referred to it as "the departure record". McCartney has said, "We'd had our cute period, and now it was time to expand." However, recording engineer Norman Smith later stated that the studio sessions revealed signs of growing conflict within the group – "the clash between John and Paul

6688-692: Is currently in the works. The West End cast of Jersey Boys appeared as a guest act for the Royal Variety Performance 2008, which was staged at the London Palladium on December 11 in the presence of senior members of the Royal family . The Royal Variety Performance is a gala event held annually at a major British theatre, to raise money for the Entertainment Artistes' Benevolent Fund . In 2010, The West End cast of Jersey Boys performed

6840-420: Is himself taken to Rahway for a parole violation. Once Tommy is released, he rejoins Frankie, reluctantly setting Frankie up with Mary Delgado, who convinces Frankie to change his last name (which he had intended to change to "Valley") to the more Italian "Valli;" Mary and Frankie soon marry. A year later, Frankie falls prey to a fake murder scam, which Tommy defuses by calling his boss, mobster Gyp DeCarlo; Frankie

6992-431: Is pressured into singing a song he had not done since age 15 ("My Mother's Eyes") and pleases DeCarlo, who offers a "claim check" for any future favor. Tommy constantly changes the group's name, lineup and style in an effort to keep up with fads, playing in small clubs to almost no success; one particular incident has the trio adding comedian Hank Majewski, whose monkey act ("I Go Ape") ends in disaster. One day, while running

7144-543: The Dubai Opera in October 2017. This production then embarked on a tour of China from November 2017 - January 2018. For both legs of this tour, The Four Seasons were played by Luke Street/Jonathan Vickers (alternating the role of Frankie Valli), Andrew Bryant (Tommy Devito), Matt Blaker (Bob Gaudio), and Nick Martland (Nick Massi). Jersey Boys is currently playing on Norwegian Cruise Liner, Norwegian Bliss. The show premiered on

7296-512: The 2007 Emmy Awards in a tribute to HBO's The Sopranos . A special holiday return engagement played at the Curran Theatre from November 20 to December 30, 2007, starring Rick Faugno as Valli, Andrew Rannells as Gaudio, Bryan McElroy as DeVito, and Jeff Leibow as Massi. Most of this cast became the original cast in the Las Vegas production, which debuted at The Palazzo Hotel on May 3, 2008, in

7448-530: The BBC , also joined the airport reception, the first of more than 100 such events. The next day, the band began its fourth tour of Britain within nine months, this one scheduled for six weeks. In mid-November, as Beatlemania intensified, police resorted to using high-pressure water hoses to control the crowd before a concert in Plymouth. On 4 November, they played in front of The Queen Mother and Princess Margaret during

7600-647: The Forrest Theatre in Philadelphia , where it broke the box office record eight times before moving on to a return engagement in Boston. In May 2007, while the first national tour continued (with Steve Gouveia from the original Broadway cast as Massi), a second company debuted at the Curran and ended as an open-ended run at Chicago 's Bank of America Theatre , beginning on October 5, 2007. The Chicago cast appeared on stage in

7752-575: The Kaiserkeller in October. When he learned they had been performing at the rival Top Ten Club in breach of their contract, he gave them one month's termination notice, and reported the underage Harrison, who had obtained permission to stay in Hamburg by lying to the German authorities about his age. The authorities arranged for Harrison's deportation in late November. One week later, Koschmider had McCartney and Best arrested for arson after they set fire to

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7904-571: The Marx Brothers . United Artists released a full soundtrack album for the North American market, combining Beatles songs and Martin's orchestral score; elsewhere, the group's third studio LP, A Hard Day's Night , contained songs from the film on side one and other new recordings on side two. According to Erlewine, the album saw them "truly coming into their own as a band. All of the disparate influences on their first two albums coalesced into

8056-544: The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility, 1988, and each principal member was individually inducted between 1994 and 2015. In 2004 and 2011, the group topped Rolling Stone ' s lists of the greatest artists in history . Time magazine named them among the 20th century's 100 most important people . In November 1956, sixteen-year-old John Lennon formed a skiffle group with several friends from Quarry Bank High School in Liverpool . They were called

8208-593: The Royal Variety Performance at the Prince of Wales Theatre . Please Please Me maintained the top position on the Record Retailer chart for 30 weeks, only to be displaced by its follow-up, With the Beatles , which EMI released on 22 November to record advance orders of 270,000 copies. The LP topped a half-million albums sold in one week. Recorded between July and October, With the Beatles made better use of studio production techniques than its predecessor. It held

8360-567: The Tidewater area of Virginia from Gene Loving of radio station WGH and was featured on the "Rate-a-Record" segment of American Bandstand , but it failed to catch on nationally. Epstein brought a demo copy of " I Want to Hold Your Hand " to Capitol's Brown Meggs , who signed the band and arranged for a $ 40,000 US marketing campaign. American chart success began after disc jockey Carroll James of AM radio station WWDC , in Washington, DC, obtained

8512-403: The album era , as albums became the dominant form of record use over singles . These records also increased public interest in psychedelic drugs and Eastern spirituality, and furthered advancements in electronic music , album art , and music videos . In 1968, they founded Apple Corps , a multi-armed multimedia corporation that continues to oversee projects related to the band's legacy. After

8664-418: The personality rights of still-living people who were portrayed). Jersey Boys premiered at the La Jolla Playhouse at University of California, San Diego , in an out-of-town tryout on October 5, 2004, and ran through January 16, 2005. Christian Hoff , David Norona , Daniel Reichard and J. Robert Spencer played The Four Seasons. At the end of the tryout, Norona, who originated the role of Frankie Valli,

8816-452: The " exi " (existentialist) style, later adopted by the other Beatles. Later on, Sutcliffe decided to leave the band early that year and resume his art studies in Germany. McCartney took over bass. Producer Bert Kaempfert contracted what was now a four-piece group until June 1962, and he used them as Tony Sheridan 's backing band on a series of recordings for Polydor Records . As part of

8968-469: The 12th-longest-running show on Broadway. Notable cast replacements include Andy Karl and Richard H. Blake as DeVito; Sebastian Arcelus and Drew Gehling as Gaudio; and Micheal Longoria, who originated the role of Joe Pesci, and Ryan Molloy , who originated the role in the West End production, both as Valli. The Broadway production closed on January 15, 2017, after 4,642 performances, with Mark Ballas as

9120-1161: The 1989 musical Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story ), a surge in popularity was led by the success of Mamma Mia! (1999), built around the music of ABBA . The most common format for jukebox musicals is a show that tells the life story of a famous musician or musical group, while incorporating songs from throughout their career. Artists whose life and songs have served as the basis for a jukebox musical include Peter Allen , Susan Boyle , Shlomo Carlebach , Johnny Cash , Cher , Patsy Cline , Bobby Darin , The Drifters , Emilio and Gloria Estefan , Buddy Holly , Michael Jackson (twice), Janis Joplin , Carole King , The Kinks , Fela Kuti , John Lennon , Udo Lindenberg , Bob Marley (twice), Johnny O'Keefe , The Seekers , Dusty Springfield (twice), Donna Summer , The Temptations , Tina Turner (twice), Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons , Hank Williams , Neil Diamond , and ABBA . Others who have gotten similar treatment include songwriter/producers Bert Berns , Berry Gordy and Ellie Greenwich , record producer Florence Greenberg , and composer/songwriter Norbert Glanzberg . For jukebox musicals with

9272-616: The American population. Biographer Jonathan Gould writes that, according to the Nielsen rating service, it was "the largest audience that had ever been recorded for an American television program ". The next morning, the Beatles awoke to a largely negative critical consensus in the US, but a day later at their first US concert, Beatlemania erupted at the Washington Coliseum . Back in New York

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9424-615: The Animals , Petula Clark , the Kinks , and the Rolling Stones to achieve success in America. During the week of 4 April 1964, the Beatles held twelve positions on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, including the top five. Capitol Records' lack of interest throughout 1963 did not go unnoticed, and a competitor, United Artists Records , encouraged its film division to offer the Beatles

9576-698: The Beatles faced a fierce backlash from US religious and social conservatives (as well as the Ku Klux Klan ) over a comment Lennon had made in a March interview with British reporter Maureen Cleave . "Christianity will go", Lennon had said. "It will vanish and shrink. I needn't argue about that; I'm right and I will be proved right ... Jesus was alright but his disciples were thick and ordinary. It's them twisting it that ruins it for me." His comments went virtually unnoticed in England, but when US teenage fan magazine Datebook printed them five months later, it sparked

9728-473: The Beatles recorded ten songs during a single studio session for their debut LP, Please Please Me . It was supplemented by the four tracks already released on their first two singles. Martin considered recording the LP live at The Cavern Club, but after deciding that the building's acoustics were inadequate, he elected to simulate a "live" album with minimal production in "a single marathon session at Abbey Road". After

9880-475: The Beatles replaced him in mid-August with Ringo Starr , who left Rory Storm and the Hurricanes to join them. A 4 September session at EMI yielded a recording of " Love Me Do " featuring Starr on drums, but a dissatisfied Martin hired drummer Andy White for the band's third session a week later, which produced recordings of "Love Me Do", " Please Please Me ", and " P.S. I Love You ". Martin initially selected

10032-621: The Beatles revolutionized many aspects of the music industry and were often publicized as leaders of the era's youth and sociocultural movements. Led by primary songwriters Lennon and McCartney , the Beatles evolved from Lennon's previous group, the Quarrymen , and built their reputation by playing clubs in Liverpool and Hamburg , Germany, over three years from 1960, initially with Stuart Sutcliffe playing bass . The core trio of Lennon, McCartney, and Harrison, together since 1958, went through

10184-692: The Beatrix Theatre in Utrecht on September 22, 2013. This production features the songs performed in English and the dialogue performed in Dutch, making it the first time the show has been performed in a language other than English. The cast includes Tim Driesen as Frankie Valli, René van Kooten as Tommy DeVito, Dieter Spileers as Bob Gaudio and Robbert van den Bergh as Nick Massi. A Japanese production, directed by Shuntaro Fujita, with Ken Shima as music director, opened at

10336-463: The Clock (1956). The songwriting team of Robert Wright and George Forrest pioneered the concept of musicals whose songs are derived from one composer's instrumental works, with newly-written lyrics. Some of these musicals also told the life story of that composer. Musicals and operettas that they produced in this fashion include Song of Norway (1944, using the music of Edvard Grieg ), Magdalena:

10488-904: The Dutch production as Frankie Valli, with Stephen Webb as Tommy DeVito, Sam Ferriday as Bob Gaudio and Lewis Griffiths as Nick Massi. A second national tour began in December 2017 at the New Alexandra Theatre Birmingham until May 2019. A third UK and Ireland tour will begin at the New Wimbledon Theatre from November 2021 with dates until November 2022. The Australian production opened at the Princess Theatre in Melbourne on July 4, 2009. Principal cast members were Bobby Fox as Frankie Valli, Stephen Mahy as Bob Gaudio, Scott Johnson as Tommy DeVito and Glaston Toft as Nick Massi. The Melbourne production closed on July 25, 2010 and

10640-504: The Moondogs, were playing rock and roll whenever they could find a drummer. They also performed as the Rainbows . Paul McCartney later told New Musical Express that they called themselves that "because we all had different coloured shirts and we couldn't afford any others!". Lennon's art school friend Stuart Sutcliffe , who had just sold one of his paintings and was persuaded to purchase

10792-472: The Netherlands, Japan, Dubai, and China. Jersey Boys won four 2006 Tony Awards , including Best Musical, and the 2009 Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Musical . The musical spawned a film adaption in 2014 . In the early 2000s, Bob Gaudio , an original Four Seasons member, sought to make a musical from the band's discography; he noted in a 2008 interview that he was inspired by the success of Smokey Joe's Cafe and Mamma Mia! into believing that

10944-468: The New Jersey girl group The Angels (" My Boyfriend's Back "), who become the band's paramours; meanwhile, Tommy has racked up a personal debt to the loan sharks in the tens of thousands of dollars. Frankie's constant touring and his wife Mary's alcoholism eventually lead them to divorce (" My Eyes Adored You "). The band survives the British Invasion (" Dawn (Go Away) "), and Bob begins looking toward

11096-570: The PHENOMENAL Jersey Boys ." Benedict Nightingale from The Times said, "Oh What a Night. There were times when I felt that the performers were making even the Beatles sound somewhat lacking in musical texture." An original cast recording was made by Rhino Entertainment, Jersey Boys: Original Broadway Cast Recording (Rhino R2 73271), released in November 2005, which won the 2007 Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album. In February 2008,

11248-404: The Quarrymen , a reference to their school song "Quarry men old before our birth". Fifteen-year-old Paul McCartney met Lennon on 6 July 1957, and joined as a rhythm guitarist shortly after. In February 1958, McCartney invited his friend George Harrison , then aged fifteen, to watch the band. Harrison auditioned for Lennon, impressing him with his playing, but Lennon initially thought Harrison

11400-560: The Silver Beatles , and by the middle of August simply the Beatles . Allan Williams , the Beatles' unofficial manager, arranged a residency for them in Hamburg . They auditioned and hired drummer Pete Best in mid-August 1960. The band, now a five-piece, departed Liverpool for Hamburg four days later, contracted to club owner Bruno Koschmider for what would be a 3 + 1 ⁄ 2 -month residency. Beatles historian Mark Lewisohn writes: "They pulled into Hamburg at dusk on 17 August,

11552-583: The Starr version of "Love Me Do" for the band's first single, though subsequent re-pressings featured the White version, with Starr on tambourine. Released in early October, "Love Me Do" peaked at number seventeen on the Record Retailer chart. Their television debut came later that month with a live performance on the regional news programme People and Places . After Martin suggested rerecording "Please Please Me" at

11704-691: The Sydney production opened in September 2010. The Sydney production closed on December 18, 2011. Jersey Boys then opened in Auckland in April 2012 with the new touring cast. Jeff Madden from Canada starred as Frankie Valli, with Declan Egan as Bob, Ant Harkin as Tommy, and Glaston Toft continuing on as Nick. The Jersey girls were: Francine and others played by Kat Hoyos , Lorraine and others played by Michelle Smitheram and Mary Delgado and others played by Lisa Adam. running through June 17, 2012. Following from New Zealand,

11856-887: The Teatro at Montecasino on April 3, 2013, and at Artscape Cape Town on June 19, 2013. This company also performed at the Zorlu Center PSM , the Performing Arts Center in Istanbul , Turkey from November 13–24, 2013 and in South Korea from January 17 to March 23, 2014. The same production performed an edited family-friendly version without profanity at Istana Budaya , Malaysia from April 15 to 27, 2014. This cast includes Grant Almiral as Frankie Valli, Daniel Buys as Tommy DeVito, Kenneth Meyer as Bob Gaudio and Emmanuel Castis as Nick Massi. An international tour of Jersey Boys opened at

12008-751: The Theatre Crea in Tokyo on July 1, 2016. Akinori Nakagawa won awards for his role as Frankie Valli, and returned for the 2018, 2020, and 2022 runs. Nakagawa and other members of the 2022 cast formed a vocal unit called JBB, covering Four Seasons songs and more. An international tour with an all-South African cast ran in Singapore at the Marina Bay Sands resort from November 23, 2012, to January 27, 2013. The production then performed in Johannesburg, South Africa, at

12160-411: The US, with a 30-concert tour of 23 cities. Generating intense interest once again, the month-long tour attracted between 10,000 and 20,000 people to each 30-minute performance in cities from San Francisco to New York. In August, journalist Al Aronowitz arranged for the Beatles to meet Bob Dylan . Visiting the band in their New York hotel suite, Dylan introduced them to cannabis . Gould points out

12312-426: The US. A similar situation arose during their May–June tour with Roy Orbison . In late October, the Beatles began a five-day tour of Sweden, their first time abroad since the final Hamburg engagement of December 1962. On their return to the UK on 31 October, several hundred screaming fans greeted them in heavy rain at Heathrow Airport . Around 50 to 100 journalists and photographers, as well as representatives from

12464-588: The United Kingdom the production was postponed, with previews finally beginning 28 July and opening night set for 10 August 2021. A new cast was also announced. The musical lasted until January 4, 2024. A national UK tour was launched in autumn 2014, opening at Palace Theatre, Manchester , where it ran from September 4 to October 4. This production has the same creative team as the Broadway and West End productions. The cast includes Tim Driesen reprising his role from

12616-464: The United Kingdom to reach number one. The band's third single, " From Me to You ", came out in April and began an almost unbroken string of seventeen British number-one singles, including all but one of the eighteen they released over the next six years. Issued in August, their fourth single, " She Loves You ", achieved the fastest sales of any record in the UK up to that time, selling three-quarters of

12768-533: The accusations were false, and alleging the use of "bully tactics" in an "effort to injure the livelihood and the reputations" of the actors. On September 23, 2010, Valli and company dropped the original suit, on the condition that the name of the performance is changed to distance itself from Jersey Boys . As of March 2024, this production is still active, and is named The Midtown Men . The HBO series The Sopranos made several nods to Jersey Boys . For example: Jukebox musical Some jukebox musicals use

12920-415: The airport with news of Sutcliffe's death the previous day from a brain haemorrhage . Epstein began negotiations with record labels for a recording contract. To secure a UK record contract, Epstein negotiated an early end to the band's contract with Polydor, in exchange for more recordings backing Tony Sheridan. After a New Year's Day audition, Decca Records rejected the band , saying, "Guitar groups are on

13072-461: The album Introducing... The Beatles , comprising most of the songs of Parlophone's Please Please Me , but a management shake-up led to the album not being released. After it emerged that the label did not report royalties on their sales, the licence that Vee-Jay had signed with EMI was voided. A new licence was granted to the Swan label for the single "She Loves You". The record received some airplay in

13224-494: The album still sounds fresh, precisely because of its intense origins." Lennon said little thought went into composition at the time; he and McCartney were "just writing songs à la Everly Brothers , à la Buddy Holly, pop songs with no more thought of them than that – to create a sound. And the words were almost irrelevant." Released in March 1963, Please Please Me was the first of eleven consecutive Beatles albums released in

13376-559: The album was certified Gold, having shipped more than 500,000 copies in the US. In October 2009, the cast album was certified Platinum, selling over 1,000,000 copies in the United States. A movie adaptation of the musical, with John Lloyd Young reprising his role as Frankie Valli, and directed by Clint Eastwood , was released in 2014. A ProShot taping of the musical starring Nick Jonas as Frankie Valli, Andy Karl as Tommy DeVito, CJ Pawlikowski as Bob Gaudio, and Matt Bogart as Nick Massi

13528-400: The album, recorded between August and October 1964, to continue the format established by A Hard Day's Night which, unlike their first two LPs, contained only original songs. They had nearly exhausted their backlog of songs on the previous album, however, and given the challenges constant international touring posed to their songwriting efforts, Lennon admitted, "Material's becoming a hell of

13680-653: The band acquired the nickname "the Fab Four". Epstein, Martin or other members of the band's entourage were sometimes informally referred to as a " fifth Beatle ". By early 1964, the Beatles were international stars and had achieved unprecedented levels of critical and commercial success. They became a leading force in Britain's cultural resurgence, ushering in the British Invasion of the United States pop market. They soon made their film debut with A Hard Day's Night (1964). A growing desire to refine their studio efforts, coupled with

13832-504: The band and agrees to join if he is granted equal partnership and gets to keep his songwriting rights, to which Tommy (at Frankie and Nick's prodding) grudgingly agrees. One weekend, Bob takes Frankie to the Brill Building and secures a session musician contract with Bob Crewe ("Backup Sessions"). Crewe insists that the band, upset at the poor pay and not being able to record their own material, has an "identity crisis" and needs to make

13984-607: The band comprised John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison , and Ringo Starr . They are widely regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the development of 1960s counterculture and the recognition of popular music as an art form. Rooted in skiffle , beat , and 1950s rock 'n' roll , their sound incorporated elements of classical music and traditional pop in innovative ways. The band also explored music styles ranging from folk and Indian music to psychedelia and hard rock . As pioneers in recording , songwriting, and artistic presentation,

14136-414: The band embarks on a grueling tour to cover the debt, they strike their next hit " C'mon Marianne " but find resistance with Frankie's first solo record; Crewe teaches Bob some industry tricks to leverage "C'Mon Marianne" and make " Can't Take My Eyes Off You " a huge hit. Along with the success of " Working My Way Back to You ", Frankie and Bob finally pay off Tommy's debts, and Frankie's life is peaceful for

14288-447: The band members' "now habitual use of marijuana". Lennon referred to Rubber Soul as "the pot album" and Starr said: "Grass was really influential in a lot of our changes, especially with the writers. And because they were writing different material, we were playing differently." After Help! ' s foray into classical music with flutes and strings, Harrison's introduction of a sitar on " Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) " marked

14440-409: The band over the next couple of months, and they appointed him as their manager in January 1962. Throughout early and mid-1962, Epstein sought to free the Beatles from their contractual obligations to Bert Kaempfert Productions. He eventually negotiated a one-month early release in exchange for one last recording session in Hamburg. On their return to Germany in April, a distraught Kirchherr met them at

14592-461: The burgeoning youth culture. The group's popularity generated unprecedented interest in British music, and many other UK acts subsequently made their American debuts, successfully touring over the next three years in what was termed the British Invasion . The Beatles' success in the US opened the door for a successive string of British beat groups and pop acts such as the Dave Clark Five ,

14744-502: The challenging nature of their concert tours, led to the band's retirement from live performances in 1966. During this time, they produced albums of greater sophistication, including Rubber Soul (1965), Revolver (1966), and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967). They enjoyed further commercial success with The Beatles (also known as "the White Album", 1968) and Abbey Road (1969). The success of these records heralded

14896-452: The commercialised popular culture of television, radio, pop records, fan magazines, and teen fashion. To many of Dylan's followers in the folk music scene, the Beatles were seen as idolaters, not idealists." Within six months of the meeting, according to Gould, "Lennon would be making records on which he openly imitated Dylan's nasal drone, brittle strum, and introspective vocal persona"; and six months after that, Dylan began performing with

15048-587: The country at the time. When informed that the venue for their 11 September concert, the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Florida , was segregated, the Beatles said they would refuse to perform unless the audience was integrated. Lennon stated: "We never play to segregated audiences and we aren't going to start now ... I'd sooner lose our appearance money." City officials relented and agreed to allow an integrated show. The group also cancelled their reservations at

15200-405: The customary group photograph, its Aubrey Beardsley -inspired cover – designed by Klaus Voormann , a friend of the band since their Hamburg days – was a monochrome collage and line drawing caricature of the group. The album was preceded by the single " Paperback Writer ", backed by " Rain ". Short promotional films were made for both songs; described by cultural historian Saul Austerlitz as "among

15352-512: The debt (now at $ 662,000 after a vigorish and the band's taxes that Tommy also never paid are added), with Waxman insisting Tommy be placed in Las Vegas under the mob's watch as collateral ; Frankie agrees to it and overrules Nick's opposition. Nick, who had earlier expressed private dismay when finding out about Frankie and Bob's side deal, makes his frustrations known to the remaining duo and abruptly quits (" Stay "), explaining that fame had taken

15504-533: The early 1950s (" Silhouettes "). Tommy is a member of the cover group " The Variety Trio " with his brother Nick DeVito and friend Nick Massi ("You're the Apple of My Eye"). They bring on Frankie Castelluccio ("I Can't Give You Anything but Love"), whom Tommy takes under his wing. The DeVito brothers are sent to Rahway Prison for a robbery (" Earth Angel "), leaving Frankie in the care of Massi, who works with him on vocal technique (" A Sunday Kind of Love ") until Massi

15656-413: The experience: "It was just terrifying, but it was fantastic. I was pretty stunned for a month or two." He and Harrison subsequently became regular users of the drug, joined by Starr on at least one occasion. Harrison's use of psychedelic drugs encouraged his path to meditation and Hinduism. He commented: "For me, it was like a flash. The first time I had acid , it just opened up something in my head that

15808-404: The final Valli. Only months after closing on Broadway, it was announced that the musical would reopen off-Broadway , following the example of shows such as Avenue Q . It opened November 22, 2017, at New World Stages . The production featured the same script and score as the Broadway production, but four fewer cast members, a smaller theater, and lower ticket prices. Dodger Theatricals produced

15960-506: The first Beatle to discuss LSD publicly, declaring in a magazine interview that "it opened my eyes" and "made me a better, more honest, more tolerant member of society". Controversy erupted in June 1965 when Queen Elizabeth II appointed all four Beatles Members of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) after Prime Minister Harold Wilson nominated them for the award. In protest – the honour

16112-551: The first half of the year: a four-week tour that began in February, the Beatles' first nationwide, preceded three-week tours in March and May–June. As their popularity spread, a frenzied adulation of the group took hold. On 13 October, the Beatles starred on Sunday Night at the London Palladium , the UK's top variety show. Their performance was televised live and watched by 15 million viewers. One national paper's headlines in

16264-402: The following day, the Beatles met with another strong reception during two shows at Carnegie Hall . The band flew to Florida, where they appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show a second time, again before 70 million viewers, before returning to the UK on 22 February. The Beatles' first visit to the US took place when the nation was still mourning the assassination of President John F. Kennedy

16416-412: The following days coined the term " Beatlemania " to describe the riotous enthusiasm by screaming fans who greeted the band – and it stuck. Although not billed as tour leaders, the Beatles overshadowed American acts Tommy Roe and Chris Montez during the February engagements and assumed top billing "by audience demand", something no British act had previously accomplished while touring with artists from

16568-516: The future when loan shark Norm Waxman confronts Tommy and the band after a concert to collect Tommy's unpaid debt of $ 150,000 ("Walk Like a Man (reprise)"). Nick, taking over as narrator, backtracks the story to cover some incidents Bob had overlooked, explaining that Bob never forgave Tommy after an unpaid hotel bill landed the quartet in jail after an Ohio concert appearance (" Big Man in Town ") and Frankie lost respect for Tommy after Tommy attempted to make

16720-429: The grinning Beatles dressed in butcher's overalls, accompanied by raw meat and mutilated plastic baby dolls. According to Beatles biographer Bill Harry , it has been incorrectly suggested that this was meant as a satirical response to the way Capitol had "butchered" the US versions of the band's albums. Thousands of copies of the LP had a new cover pasted over the original; an unpeeled "first-state" copy fetched $ 10,500 at

16872-404: The group's break-up in 1970, all principal former members enjoyed success as solo artists, and some partial reunions occurred. Lennon was murdered in 1980, and Harrison died of lung cancer in 2001. McCartney and Starr remain musically active. The Beatles are the best-selling music act of all time , with estimated sales of 600 million units worldwide. They are the most successful act in

17024-524: The group. Lennon and McCartney had established a songwriting partnership , and as the band's success grew, their dominant collaboration limited Harrison's opportunities as a lead vocalist . Epstein, to maximise the Beatles' commercial potential, encouraged them to adopt a professional approach to performing. Lennon recalled him saying, "Look, if you really want to get in these bigger places, you're going to have to change – stop eating on stage, stop swearing, stop smoking ...". On 11 February 1963,

17176-657: The history of the US Billboard charts , holding the record for most number-one albums on the UK Albums Chart (15), most number-one hits on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart (20), and most singles sold in the UK (21.9 million). The band received many accolades , including seven Grammy Awards , four Brit Awards , an Academy Award (for Best Original Song Score for the 1970 documentary film Let It Be ), and fifteen Ivor Novello Awards . They were inducted into

17328-610: The invitation, Epstein politely declined on the band members' behalf, as it had never been his policy to accept such official invitations. They soon found that the Marcos regime was unaccustomed to taking no for an answer. The resulting riots endangered the group and they escaped the country with difficulty. Immediately afterwards, the band members visited India for the first time. We're more popular than Jesus now; I don't know which will go first – rock 'n' roll or Christianity. – John Lennon, 1966 Almost as soon as they returned home,

17480-401: The last covers the band would include on an album until Let It Be 's brief rendition of the traditional Liverpool folk song " Maggie Mae ". The band expanded their use of vocal overdubs on Help! and incorporated classical instruments into some arrangements, including a string quartet on the pop ballad " Yesterday ". Composed and sung by McCartney – none of the other Beatles perform on

17632-519: The launch of an American Saturday-morning cartoon series, The Beatles , that echoed A Hard Day's Night 's slapstick antics over its two-year original run. The series was the first weekly television series to feature animated versions of real, living people. In mid-October, the Beatles entered the recording studio; for the first time when making an album, they had an extended period without other major commitments. Until this time, according to George Martin, "we had been making albums rather like

17784-408: The media widely adopted as "the Fab Four". EMI's American subsidiary, Capitol Records , hindered the Beatles' releases in the United States for more than a year by initially declining to issue their music, including their first three singles. Concurrent negotiations with the independent US label Vee-Jay led to the release of some, but not all, of the songs in 1963. Vee-Jay finished preparation for

17936-409: The moderate success of "Love Me Do", the single "Please Please Me" was released in January 1963, two months ahead of the album. It reached number one on every UK chart except Record Retailer , where it peaked at number two. Recalling how the Beatles "rushed to deliver a debut album, bashing out Please Please Me in a day", AllMusic critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote: "Decades after its release,

18088-490: The monotony of numerous appearances at the same clubs night after night. In November 1961, during one of the group's frequent performances at the Cavern Club , they encountered Brian Epstein , a local record-store owner and music columnist. He later recalled: "I immediately liked what I heard. They were fresh, and they were honest, and they had what I thought was a sort of presence ... [a] star quality." Epstein courted

18240-598: The month of October 2010, $ 1 was donated to the VH1 Save the Music Foundation . Jersey Boys aimed to raise funds to restore one full music education program in a New York City school. The show eventually raised $ 43,521, enough to restore the instrumental music education program at PS 85 in the Bronx. Plans were made to donate additional funds raised to a second VH1 Save The Music Foundation grant recipient school. Four actors of

18392-427: The music is diegetic, however, such as a biographical film about a singer who is at times shown performing their songs, are generally not considered jukebox musicals. Revues that lack a plot are also usually not described as jukebox musicals, although plotless shows that include a dance element sometimes are. In Europe in the 17th and 18th century, many comic operas were produced that parodied popular songs of

18544-445: The musical and cultural significance of this meeting, before which the musicians' respective fanbases were "perceived as inhabiting two separate subcultural worlds": Dylan's audience of "college kids with artistic or intellectual leanings, a dawning political and social idealism, and a mildly bohemian style " contrasted with their fans, "veritable ' teenyboppers ' – kids in high school or grade school whose lives were totally wrapped up in

18696-532: The new ship in 2018. " Ces soirées-là " is performed. Tommy DeVito introduces himself and explains that the song, a number-one hit in France in 2000, is an adaptation of " December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night) ", a song his group, The Four Seasons, originated. He begins to tell the band's story, explaining that each of the four members has his own version, but that they all begin on a streetcorner in Belleville, New Jersey , in

18848-522: The newly built Jersey Boys Theatre. The show temporarily closed on January 1, 2012, and reopened on March 6, 2012, at Paris Las Vegas . On June 7, 2016, it was announced that the Las Vegas production would end on September 18, 2016. In late 2014, a touring production performed in several U.S. cities, including Denver in December. Another production toured 19 U.S. cities from March 2016 to March 2017. An off-strip Las Vegas revival opened in 2024 at The Orleans Hotel and Casino . The first preview performance

19000-533: The next several years until Francine suddenly dies from a drug overdose (" Fallen Angel "). Crewe introduces a reunited Four Seasons at their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in 1990 (" Rag Doll "); at the reunion, Tommy mentions his new life after settling in Las Vegas and invites Frankie, who looks forward to a second chance at fatherhood with three young sons, to a party in Nick's suite, which Frankie ultimately cannot bring himself to join. Each band member closes with

19152-704: The off-Broadway Jersey Boys , and handled the show's Broadway and touring productions. On March 12, 2020, production was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic ; it remained suspended until November 2021. The musical reopened on November 15, 2021, and announced on April 22 that it would close on May 22, 2022. The musical's first U.S. tour began on December 10, 2006, at the Curran Theatre in San Francisco , and went to 38 cities. The cast starred Christopher Kale Jones as Valli, Deven May as DeVito, Erich Bergen as Gaudio, and Micheal Ingersoll as Massi. Jersey Boys played at

19304-548: The original Broadway production, Christian Hoff, Michael Longoria, Daniel Reichard and J. Robert Spencer, launched a concert tour titled The Boys in Concert in 2010. Frankie Valli, Bob Gaudio, Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice sued the production, claiming that it "steals songs, stage elements and copyrighted logo" that imply that it is an authorized spin-off of Jersey Boys . The production was rebranded as The 4 Hitmen , and Hoff, Longoria, Reichard and Spencer counter-sued, claiming that

19456-418: The previous November. Commentators often suggest that for many, particularly the young, the Beatles' performances reignited the sense of excitement and possibility that momentarily faded in the wake of the assassination, and helped pave the way for the revolutionary social changes to come later in the decade. Their hairstyle, unusually long for the era and mocked by many adults, became an emblem of rebellion to

19608-571: The real, mostly middle-aged crowd at the August Wilson Theater, who seem to have forgotten what year it is or how old they are or, most important, that John Lloyd Young is not Frankie Valli. And everything that has led up to that curtain call feels, for just a second, as real and vivid as the sting of your hands clapping together." Charles Spencer from The Daily Telegraph wrote: "Overpaid, over-sexed and over here, it will, I suspect be some time before London says Bye Bye Baby (Baby Goodbye) to

19760-604: The recording  – "Yesterday" has inspired the most cover versions of any song ever written. With Help! , the Beatles became the first rock group to be nominated for a Grammy Award for Album of the Year . The group's third US tour opened with a performance before a world-record crowd of 55,600 at New York's Shea Stadium on 15 August – "perhaps the most famous of all Beatles' concerts", in Lewisohn's description. A further nine successful concerts followed in other American cities. At

19912-476: The same as for the Broadway production. Principal cast were Ryan Molloy as Frankie Valli, Stephen Ashfield as Bob Gaudio, Glenn Carter as Tommy DeVito, Philip Bulcock as Nick Massi, Stuart Milligan as DeCarlo and Tom Lorcan as Donnie/Knuckles. The production won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Musical . Molloy performed the lead role for six years, making him the "longest-running star in

20064-477: The same cast then returned to Australia starting a national tour - Brisbane, return season of Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth. The show ran until June 30, 2013. An Australian tour played in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane between 2018 and 2019. The initial cast announcement had Bernard Angel as Frankie Valli, Cameron MacDonald as Tommy DeVito, Thomas McGuane as Bob Gaudio and Glaston Toft as Nick Massi. However, due to unforeseen personal circumstances, Angel pulled out of

20216-542: The sessions, the Beatles were signed to Polydor for one year. Credited to "Tony Sheridan & the Beat Brothers", the single " My Bonnie ", recorded in June 1961 and released four months later, reached number 32 on the Musikmarkt chart. After the Beatles completed their second Hamburg residency, they enjoyed increasing popularity in Liverpool with the growing Merseybeat movement. However, they were growing tired of

20368-718: The show and was replaced with the Frankie alternate, Ryan Gonzalez, with Daniel Raso as the new Frankie alternate. A "re-imagined, semi-staged concert production" of the show ran 8-11 February 2024 in Brisbane in the QPAC Concert Hall, again directed by Martin Croft, and with Glaston Toft again playing Nick (the only professional to have played the role in Australia, according to the program). In place of scenery, 10 large vertical LED screens behind

20520-536: The stage musicals 42nd Street (1980), Five Guys Named Moe (1990), Crazy for You (1992), and Xanadu (2007) are all adaptations of earlier source material that added to the original score other well-known songs written by the original songwriters. The stage musicals The Last Ship (2014) and Standing at the Sky's Edge (2019) and film musicals Yellow Submarine (1968) and Idlewild (2006) are all musicals that combine original and previously-recorded songs by

20672-582: The stage showed designs or impressionistic settings. Due to the success of the national tour's long stop at Toronto Centre for the Arts in Toronto, Ontario, in autumn 2008, a Toronto production opened on December 12, 2008 with a new, mostly Canadian cast that included Jeremy Kushnier and Jenny Lee Stern from the first national tour. This production closed on August 22, 2010, on the show's second anniversary. A Dutch production, produced by Stage Entertainment , opened at

20824-457: The supporting cast, depending on the production—includes group members Nick DeVito, "Handsome Hank" Majewski, Charles Calello and Joe Long; various police officers, an unnamed " French rap star ," the three members of The Angels, the woman who helps Bob lose his virginity (based on Judy Parker but billed only as "Bob's Christmas Present"), one of Nick's girlfriends, a goon, a judge, priest, accountant, nurse, Albert Finney (a record label executive),

20976-498: The time by performing them with modified lyrics. Comédie en vaudevilles and ballad operas are two genres that made heavy use of well-known melodies. The Beggar's Opera (1728), the first ballad opera and the most famous, has been called "the original jukebox musical". Films considered early examples of jukebox musicals include An American in Paris (1951), Singin' in the Rain (1952), Rock, Rock, Rock (1956) and Rock Around

21128-478: The time when the red-light area comes to life ... flashing neon lights screamed out the various entertainment on offer, while scantily clad women sat unabashed in shop windows waiting for business opportunities." Koschmider had converted a couple of strip clubs in the district into music venues, and he initially placed the Beatles at the Indra Club . After closing Indra due to noise complaints, he moved them to

21280-417: The time. Brickman was drawn to the project because "it's a classic American story. It's rags to riches, and back to rags." McAnuff was initially lukewarm to the project and did not like the idea of naming the project after a Four Seasons song, fearing it would look like a cash grab instead of a legitimate artistic work; Gaudio came up with the title on a plane ride, reasoning that the band members were all just

21432-529: The top spot for 21 weeks with a chart life of 40 weeks. Erlewine described the LP as "a sequel of the highest order – one that betters the original". In a reversal of then standard practice, EMI released the album ahead of the impending single " I Want to Hold Your Hand ", with the song excluded to maximise the single's sales. The album caught the attention of music critic William Mann of The Times , who suggested that Lennon and McCartney were "the outstanding English composers of 1963". The newspaper published

21584-433: The way out, Mr. Epstein". However, three months later, producer George Martin signed the Beatles to EMI 's Parlophone label. Martin's first recording session with the Beatles took place at EMI Recording Studios (later Abbey Road Studios) in London on 6 June 1962. He immediately complained to Epstein about Best's drumming and suggested they use a session drummer in his place. Already contemplating Best's dismissal,

21736-454: The whites-only Hotel George Washington in Jacksonville. For their subsequent US tours in 1965 and 1966, the Beatles included clauses in contracts stipulating that shows be integrated. According to Gould, the Beatles' fourth studio LP, Beatles for Sale , evidenced a growing conflict between the commercial pressures of their global success and their creative ambitions. They had intended

21888-453: Was January 26, 2024 and the production opened on February 22, 2024. The cast featured Joey Barreiro and Jared Chinnock alternating the role of Frankie Valli, Kit Treece as Bob Gaudio, Tyler Matthew Burk as Tommy DeVito and Jonathan Cable as Nick Massi. The production played 24 previews and 116 performances and closed on July 7, 2024. The musical made its West End debut at London's Prince Edward Theatre in February 2008. The creative team were

22040-439: Was at that time primarily bestowed upon military veterans and civic leaders – some conservative MBE recipients returned their insignia. In July, the Beatles' second film, Help! , was released, again directed by Lester. Described as "mainly a relentless spoof of Bond ", it inspired a mixed response among both reviewers and the band. McCartney said: " Help! was great but it wasn't our film – we were sort of guest stars. It

22192-505: Was becoming obvious", he wrote, and "as far as Paul was concerned, George could do no right". Capitol Records, from December 1963 when it began issuing Beatles recordings for the US market, exercised complete control over format, compiling distinct US albums from the band's recordings and issuing songs of their choosing as singles. In June 1966, the Capitol LP Yesterday and Today caused an uproar with its cover, which portrayed

22344-512: Was fun, but basically, as an idea for a film, it was a bit wrong." The soundtrack was dominated by Lennon, who wrote and sang lead on most of its songs, including the two singles: " Help! " and " Ticket to Ride ". The Help! album, the group's fifth studio LP, mirrored A Hard Day's Night by featuring soundtrack songs on side one and additional songs from the same sessions on side two. The LP contained all original material save for two covers, " Act Naturally " and " Dizzy Miss Lizzy "; they were

22496-452: Was inside of me, and I realised a lot of things. I didn't learn them because I already knew them, but that happened to be the key that opened the door to reveal them. From the moment I had that, I wanted to have it all the time – these thoughts about the yogis and the Himalayas, and Ravi 's music." McCartney was initially reluctant to try it, but eventually did so in late 1966. He became

22648-486: Was part of the initial development team, but was not involved in the creative process during tryouts, and met the cast only after the show had premiered. He, Valli, and DeVito decided to step back from the show's creative process because they lacked objectivity, leaving it to Brickman, Elice, and McAnuff to take the story to the stage. But Gaudio and Valli still had the right to end the show if they did not like it; they ultimately recommended some minor changes (mainly to respect

22800-526: Was referring to how other people viewed their success, but at the prompting of reporters, he concluded: "If you want me to apologise, if that will make you happy, then okay, I'm sorry." Released in August 1966, a week before the Beatles' final tour, Revolver marked another artistic step forward for the group. The album featured sophisticated songwriting, studio experimentation, and a greatly expanded repertoire of musical styles, ranging from innovative classical string arrangements to psychedelia . Abandoning

22952-635: Was replaced by John Lloyd Young , who originally had auditioned for the role of Tommy DeVito. The musical began previews on Broadway on October 4, 2005, and officially opened on November 6, 2005, at the August Wilson Theatre . The cast starred Young as Valli, Hoff as DeVito, Reichard as Gaudio, and Spencer as Massi. The musical was directed by Des McAnuff , at the time the artistic director at La Jolla Playhouse, with choreography by Sergio Trujillo . The Broadway production had 38 previews. It reached its 4093rd performance on September 22, 2015, making it

23104-496: Was too young. After a month's persistence, during a second meeting (arranged by McCartney), Harrison performed the lead guitar part of the instrumental song " Raunchy " on the upper deck of a Liverpool bus, and they enlisted him as lead guitarist . By January 1959, Lennon's Quarry Bank friends had left the group, and he began his studies at the Liverpool College of Art . The three guitarists, billing themselves as Johnny and

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