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Preview: Stage West brings popular Jersey Boys musical back to the stage

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Like so many pop groups, Frankie Valli and his bandmates played the name game. They called themselves everything from the Variatones, The Valli Boys and The Four Lovers before settling on The Four Seasons.

In 2005, courtesy of the smash Broadway jukebox musical about their lives and careers, Valli, Tommy DeVito, Nick Massi and Bob Gaudio became known as the Jersey Boys.

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In the past 13 years, Jersey Boys the musical has played to more than 30 million people in 10 countries, boasting a worldwide gross of more than $2 billion and was turned into a film in 2014 directed by Clint Eastwood. It was named best musical in both New York and London the year it opened in those cities.

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The original run closed in 2017, but a new production opened this year and is still playing. There are two touring productions in North America and Stage West was able to secure the Canadian regional theatre rights to the show and its production runs until Feb. 3.

Playing Frankie Valli in Stage West’s version is 23-year-old Evan Taylor Benyacar, who knows the pressure is on to match Valli vocally.

Valli is reputed to have a four-octave range and is the singer who hits all those high notes in The Four Seasons’ songs.

“I’m a tenor but I can get down to a baritone. I can hit most of the notes and for the ones I can’t I use a falsetto. What’s vital is that I mimic those great Valli sounds, whether I do it through my chest or through a falsetto,” says Benyacar, who was warned about Calgary’s dry air and the strain it puts on singers’ voices.

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“I’m talking as little as possible, not drinking, definitely not smoking and hydrating my voice. I have a humidifier in my room and in my dressing room.

“You have to bring it on up there if you’re going to play Frankie. You don’t accept the role unless you feel you can do that.”

Benyacar says he was no stranger to the music of The Four Seasons as his parents were big fans.

“I heard the songs when I was very young and this is music that sticks with you the moment you encounter it. The tunes stay in your head and lyrics are not only pleasant to your ear but really intelligent.”

As for the musical itself, Benyacar saw the original Toronto production when he was in high school.

“I was hooked. I loved it and I think that’s what happens for most people. It’s not just the songs that grab you but the story of these four men. We see their story from the four different perspectives and we witness not just their incredible ups, but the smashing downs as well. It’s such a powerful story for a musical.

Benyacar says one of the things that struck him most as he was rehearsing the show was “the sense of loyalty and companionship these four guys had. They are completely different people yet they formed such a strong bond. They were definitely not clones of each other and that makes for a richer story as well.”

In the Calgary production of Jersey Boys, Benyacar’s fellow Seasons are played by Josh Wiles as Tommy DeVito, Jonathan Gysbers as Bob Gaudio and Tristan Hernandez as Nick Massi.

It will be a bit of a reunion for Benyacar, Josh and Jonathan after a summer in Prince Edward Island for the Charlottetown Festival production of Anne of Green Gables.

“Josh and Jonathan were both starring in the Festival’s production of Anne and Gilbert, so meeting up in Calgary for Jersey Boys felt like a bit of a reunion.”

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