“Jersey Boys” – the stage musical dramatization of the story of the popular singing group The Four Seasons – took Broadway by storm in 2005. It went on to win the Tony Award for Best Musical and ran for over a decade.

It’s the story of four working-class youths from New Jersey who used talent and determination to make it in the world as singing sensations. With such hits as “Sherry”, “Big Girls Don’t Cry”, “Walk Like a Man” and “Oh What a Night”, they achieved immortality via worldwide fame.

“Chicago is kind of like New Jersey,” notes L. Walter Stearns – one of the two co-directors of a brand-new production of “Jersey Boys” at Mercury Theater in Chicago. Stearns points this out in reference to how the Mercury Theater production is the first in Chicago to originate in Chicago with Chicago talent.

On this episode of It’s Showtime with Rikki Lee, Stearns and co-director Brenda Didier share the process of developing this homegrown interpretation of the Broadway hit for Chicago audiences. They share casting details and how they went about creating the look and sound of Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons.

Didier and Stearns are two of the most decorated directors in Chicago theatre. In addition, Stearns is the executive director of the Mercury Theater. The production stars Jason Michael Evans (Nick Massi), Andrew MacNaughton (Bob Gaudio), Michael Metcalf (Frankie Valli) and Adrian Aguilar (Tommy DeVito).

Much to their credit, one point both directors agree on is to value the input of all the members of the production team and then pick the best options to pursue. Captained by host Rikki Lee Travolta, this episode is an incredible opportunity to learn from two of the city’s top creative talents.

“Jersey Boys” is scheduled through May 19, 2024. For tickets visit www.MercuryTheaterChicago.com or call the box office at (773) 360-7365.

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