Welcome to NWA Jersey Boys!

Wednesday morning we held a Broadway Breakfast here at Walton Arts Center with not 1, not 2, not even 3, but all 4 of the Jersey Boys stars!

WAC's own Lydia Corbell took the stage with stars to facilitate a conversation about Jersey Boys and their roles. 

(L to R) Nicolas Dromard (Tommy DeVito), Jason Kappus (Bob Gaudio), Nick Cosgrove (Frankie Valli) and Brandon Andrus (Nick Massi).

The guys shared stories about all the work it took to get cast in Jersey Boys, their start in theater and the things to come! 

Nick Cosgrove, is living the dream! While in high school, he saw a production of Jersey Boys at the Bank of America Theater in Chicago, and realized that was what he wanted to do, and Frankie Valli was his dream roll! Now, at 25, not only is he playing Frankie Valli, but he was able to return to that theater in Chicago and perform for his family and friends.

But before there was even an opening for the roll, he had to audition through the intense "Frankie Camp" and be molded into the authentic Jersey personality. 30 actors go in, less than 10 potential Frankies walk out!

Both Jason Kappus and Brandon Andrus have been touring with this production of Jersey Boys since it started almost two years ago.

When Jason auditioned for the role of Bob Gaudio, he had to portray the character in front of the man himself! 

Brandon Andrus describes himself as the group's "resident tourist." As they tour from city to city, he likes to take time to see the sights, and what makes each area special. He's already got Hammontree's and Crystal Bridges on his radar for NWA!

Nicolas Dromard talked about working with a vocal coach so they could all master the true Four Seasons Jersey accent. They spent hours mastering the accent, going through their scripts so everything is phonetically accurate, and they even have CDs to listen to so they can keep their accents strong.

The cast all expressed their love for being part of such a great production, and the power of the audience to keep the show fresh and exciting for them week after week. Let's make sure to show them a big NWA welcome each night!

"Every night it's a ride from start to finish that we love being on," Nicolas Dromard said.

The show runs until Sunday, with two performances on both Saturday and Sunday, but tickets are going fast! Grab yours here, and for the best seating availability check out Sunday night!

Cookin' up good times with Jersey Boys!

Time is flying by, and now Jersey Boys is so close we can almost taste it! Or maybe that’s this Jersey Boys Meatballs recipe, full of garlic, cheese and everything nice. Leave it to a flavorful show like this one to get us excited with food! Hit up Spotify or the Jersey Boys website so you can rock out while you cook up some juicy Jersey magic! If you haven’t yet, don’t forget to grab your tickets for Jersey Boys, making its Northwest Arkansas debut Sept. 3–8!

Here’s some tasty trivia to go with your Jersey Boys Buffet! See how many you know! (Correct answers at bottom of post.)

1. Which of these names did The Four Seasons use before making it big?
   • The Four Tenors
   • The Four Rays
   • The Four Lovers
   • The Four Felons
2. How many awards did Jersey Boys win at the 2006 Tony Awards?
   • 1
   • 2
   • 3
   • 4
3. Where did The Four Seasons get their name?
   • A bowling alley
   • A restaurant
   • Vivaldi
   • Frankie Valli’s mother
4. How many Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons songs are in Jersey Boys?
   • 5
   • 12
   • 19
   • 32
5. What is the name of the actress in the Million Dollar Movie who inspired Bob Gaudio to write “Big Girls Don’t Cry”?
   • Evelyn Keyes
   • Claudette Colbert
   • Maureen O’Hara
   • Rhonda Fleming
6. Approximately how many costumes are used in Jersey Boys?
   • 100
   • 250
   • 500
   • 743

If you try the recipe, come back and let us know how it went! Then check out Jersey Boys and get ready to say "Oh, What a Night!" 

Former Jersey Boys cast members with the Jersey Boys Meatballs. Photo via PerthNow, by Marie Nirme

Answers: 1. The Four Lovers, 2. 4, 3. A Bowling Alley, 4. 19, 5. Rhonda Fleming, 6. 500 costumes!

Jersey Boys - behind the scenes with the creative team!

As we mentioned last week, here at Walton Arts Center we are excited for the start of this year’s Procter & Gamble Broadway Series with the opening of Jersey Boys, Sept. 3 – 8!  We have already looked at the amazing cast of this production, and now we are onto the creative team that is equally impressive!

The creative team includes Des McAnuff (director), Bob Gaudio (composer) and Sergio Trujillo (choreographer).    

McAnuff is a two-time Tony Award® winning director with a broad résumé. Immediate past Artistic Director of the Stratford Festival and Artistic Director Emeritus of La Jolla Playhouse are a few of his titles in the directing world. While working with La Jolla Playhouse, McAnuff directed over 35 productions, including Broadway’s The Who’s Tommy (Tony and Olivier Award: Best Director), Big River (Tony Award: Best Director, Best Musical), Caesar and Cleopatra and 700 Sundays (Tony Award: Best Special Theatrical Event). Under his direction, Jersey Boys went on to win the Best Musical title from the Tony Awards® and Olivier Awards.   

'The Sit Down' scene from Jersey Boys. Photo: Jeremy Daniel

Along with being a founding member of the Four Seasons where he was the primary songwriter, Gaudio has worked as a producer and composer. Gaudio produced albums for Frank Sinatra, Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross, Michael Jackson and Neil Diamond. His work with Diamond led to the hit collaboration with Barbara Streisand “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers,” which earned a Grammy® nomination for Record of the Year. Gaudio also produced the soundtrack for Little Shop of Horrors and the Four Seasons’ album Who Loves You. He has been inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1990, the Four Seasons) and the Songwriters Hall of Fame (1995). His production and songwriting abilities created the hit “December 1963 (Oh What a Night)” that stayed on Billboard’s singles list for 54 weeks, and would later add to the renowned soundtrack of Jersey Boys.  

Jersey Boys perform 'Cry for Me.' Photo: Jeremy Daniel

Trujillo's choreography has been featured in shows all the way from Broadway to television! His Broadway work includes Memphis (Tony Award: Best Musical), Leap of Faith and The Addams Family. Trujillo has more than once served more than role while working on shows. He choreographed and judged on “So You Think You Can Dance: Canada” and “Broadway: The American Musical” (PBS), and simultaneously choreographed and directed a production of Flashdance. His work extends to Off-Broadway shows such as A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Saved and Romeo & Juliet (Public), as well as a number of regional and international productions.

The finale song and dance. Photo: Jeremy Daniel

Jersey Boys is sure to be an audience favorite with a star-studded creative team and cast! For tickets, call the Walton Arts Center box office at 479.443.5600 or visit our website. For more information on Jersey Boys, visit jerseyboysinfo.com. 

A closer look at the cast of Jersey Boys!

We LOVE Broadway here at Walton Arts Center, so it’s no surprise that we are eagerly anticipating the kick off to this year’s Procter & Gamble Broadway Series with eight performances of Jersey Boys, September 3 – 8!  

Jersey Boys has everything a good all-American story needs: climb to fame, success and Rock and Roll! This musical chronicles the story of how four blue-collared kids became Rock and Roll Hall of Famers, the Four Seasons: Frankie Valli, Bob Gaudio, Tommy DeVito and Nick Massi. The show is complete with classic hits from the Four Seasons, such as “Sherry,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry” and “December 1963 (Oh What a Night).”  

We wanted to learn more about the crew of the smash hit that gained over 42 major accolades, including the 2006 Tony Award® for Best Musical, the 2006 Grammy® Award for Best Musical Show Album and the 2009 Olivier Award for Best New Musical! We are going to focus on the impressive cast today, and then later this week we will take a look at the awe-inspiring creative team that has developed this sensational production! 

The Four Seasons are played by Nick Cosgrove (Frankie Valli), Jason Kappus (Bob Gaudio), Nicolas Dromard (Tommy DeVito) and Brandon Andurs (Nick Massi). These four actors have gained experience with shows ranging from Broadway to regional productions.    

Nick Cosgrove

Off-Broadway: Where’s Charley? (Encores!)

Regional productions: Joseph…Technicolor Dreamcoat (Joseph), Sound of Music (Rolf) and Snapshots (Danny).  

Nick Cosgrove as Frankie Valli. Photo: Jeremy Daniel

Jason Kappus

Broadway: American Idiot

National tours: Legally Blonde

Regional shows: Catch Me if You Can, West Side Story, Hairspray and High School Musical 

Jason Kappus as Bob Gaudio. Photo: Jeremy Daniel

Nicolas Dromard

Broadway: Mary Poppins (Bert) 

Three national tours

Four regional shows  

(From left): Brandon Andrus, Nick Cosgrove, Jason Kappus and Nicolas Dromard as the Four Seasons. Photo: Jeremy Daniel

Brandon Andrus

National tours: Oklahoma! (Curly)

Other shows: Xanadu (Sonny), All Shook Up (Chad), Damn Yankees (Rocky), Annie Get Your Gun (Frank), Camelot (Sir Lionel), Illyria (Duke Orsino), Romeo & Juliet: The Musical (Capulet), Snow White an Enchanting Musical (The Prince) and Guiding Light (Tucker)

(From left): Jason Kappus, Nicolas Dromard, Nick Cosgrove and Brandon Andrus perform "Sherry." Photo: Jeremy Daniel

You will not want to miss seeing this amazing cast in action! Be sure to check back later this week to read more about the creative team of Jersey Boys! For tickets, call the Walton Arts Center box office at 479.443.5600 or visit our website. For more information on Jersey Boys, visit jerseyboysinfo.com.