A show for all seasons
LEAD STARS ARE WALKING LIKE MEN IN WEARSIDE
The most famous red coats in musical theatre have worked their way back to Wearside.
Jersey Boys opened at Sunderland Empire last night for a fortnight’s run at the theatre.
One of the most popular shows at the theatre in High Street West, it tells the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons and their remarkable rise to fame, with hits such as Beggin’, Sherry, Walk Like A Man, December, 1963 (Oh What a Night), Big Girls Don’t Cry, My Eyes Adored You, Working My Way Back to You and more.
Stepping into the winkle pickers of Nick Massi for a second time, after playing the role in the first UK and Ireland tour, is Lewis Griffiths. Commenting on the strength of the story, he said: “It’s proved incredibly popular, we never do a run of less than two weeks and it sells out.
“I think that’s because the story is so relatable. I think if you removed all the music from the show, and had no performance numbers, the story would endure.
“But the fact that you also have this amazing back catalogue of songs makes it a great show.”
Alongside Lewis, bringing to life the back story of one of the most successful bands in history who sold 175million records before they were 30, is
Dayle Hodge as Frankie, Simon Bailey as Tommy De Vito and Declan Egan as Bob Gaudio.