By Pauline Joy M. Gutierrez
TO generations, pop classics, like “Sherry,” “Big Girl’s Don’t Cry” and “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You,” conjure a memory—perhaps, a fond recollection of one summer long ago, or a drama aired one late afternoon back when TVs were monochromatic, or a lover long forgotten who turned out to be really “just too good to be true.”
Before Frank Sinatra, Gloria Gaynor, Lauryn Hill and many other music artists, who all put their spin on one or two of these pop classics at some point in their dazzling careers, there’s the original, iconic band that made these ditties golden: The Four Seasons. Deemed as “the most popular rock band before the Beatles,” this 1960s American rock and pop Hall of Famer was able to sell more than 175 million records worldwide, making it one of the best-selling musical groups of all time.
In the bustling city of New Jersey was where its pioneer members—Frankie Valli, Bob Gaudio, Tommy De Vito and Nick Massi—honed their harmonies. And like most artists who try to make their mark in the music industry, The Four Season’s road to success was not without the so-called high-lows, the challenges and the breakthroughs.
These stories, along with the many personal milestones of the original band members, is what the upcoming Filipino retelling of the 2005 “jukebox musicale” seeks to tell.
This September Atlantis Theatrical Entertainment Group and director Bobby Garcia are bringing to Manila one of the longest-running shows in Broadway: Jersey Boys: The Story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, or simply Jersey Boys.
Some very prominent music artists will help bring to life the first-ever local staging of this biographical-musicale, which runs from September 23 to October 16 at Meralco Theater in Ortigas Center. Nyoy Volante plays lead vocalist Frankie Valli, while Christian Bautista plays Bob Gaudio. Nino Alejandro and Markki Stroem portray Nick Massi and Tommy DeVito, respectively.
Nick Massi, or Nicholas Macioci, is one of the original members of The Four Seasons. He was the band’s bass guitarist, bass singer and vocal arranger. In the Filipino adaptation of the Tony-winning musicale, Nino Alejandro, who caused a stir in the local staging of The Full Monty, plays Nick.
In a panel interview with the cast of Jersey Boys at the conference room of the BusinessMirror recently, Nino talked about the persona of Nick Massi and how he seeks to blend his personality with that of the character.
He said, “This character is actually very exciting for me to play, [and I think] it’s going to be a challenge because it’s actually the opposite of what I’m actually like as a person.”
Continuing, the singer/songwriter/musician explained: “Nick is a very passive person. I mean, it’s like he’s following the other three and he doesn’t really have that much of an opinion. Parang they make a decision and he’s like, okay lang. Ako kasi in my own career and my life, I’m a bit of a control freak.”
Nino also shared that he’d long hoped the musicale will be staged locally. To his delight, he got a call from Garcia and Atlantis saying that they were bringing Jersey Boys to Manila—along with the invitation for him to read for the show.
“I wasn’t being offered a part at that point. They’re just like, ‘We want to hear you read’ and I was like, ‘Okay. I’ll do it. Kahit anong kailangan kong gawin, I’ll do it. I’ll read, I’ll sing, I’ll try to dance,’” Nino said.
With a knowing smile, he said the audition process was a long, marked by the anxiety that comes with the territory as one waits for the phone to ring, and, of course, the happiness that comes over you when the call comes through with the good news that, yes, you got the part.
And so the scripts are now being printed, the stage is being crafted, and the cast is getting ready to relive the band’s biggest hits. For his preparation, Nino said he’s trying to nail the New Jersey accent with repeat viewings of Goodfellas and The Sopranos.
In parting, Nino shared his thoughts on the source of the Broadway musicale: “The Four Seasons played a big part [in defining popular culture] but they’re not automatically talked about [in that sense]. They’re underrated, and maybe some younger members of the audience that will come see the show may not be as familiar with their music, so this is an opportunity for us to reintroduce The Four Seasons and this music to a new generation of theatergoers.”