Jersey Boys

Marshall Brickman: Films (author or co-author): Sleeper, Annie Hall, Manhattan, Manhattan Murder Mystery, For the Boys, Intersection; (as writer/director): Simon, Lovesick, The Manhattan Project, Sister Mary Explains it All. Television: “The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson” (head writer), “The Dick Cavett Show” (head writer/co-producer). He has published in The New York Times, The New Yorker, Playboy and other periodicals and was the 2006 recipient of the Writers Guild of America’s Ian McClellan Hunter Lifetime Achievement Award. Jersey Boys, his first venture into musical theatre, won four Tonys including Best Musical. The Addams Family, his second Broadway venture (with co-author Rick Elice), is currently playing on national and international tours. He lives in New York City and hopes to die in his sleep, surrounded by his loved ones and their attorneys.

Rick Elice co-wrote Jersey Boys (winner 2006 Tony Award, 2007 Grammy Award and 2009 Olivier Award for Best Musical) with Marshall Brickman. His play, Peter and the Starcatcher, received nine 2012 Tony Award nominations (including two for Rick) and won five, more than any play of the season. It’s currently playing in New York and on tour across North America. Also on Broadway, Elice wrote The Addams Family (with Marshall Brickman, music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa), currently touring North America, with productions in Europe and South America. In 2014, the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego will present the world premiere of his new musical, Dog and Pony (music and lyrics by Michael Patrick Walker). Rick is currently writing a musical for Disney Theatricals with Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, based on the film Make Believe, and Super Fly (co-written with Seth Zvi Rosenfeld), directed and choreographed by modern dance legend, Bill T. Jones. Heartfelt thanks to those whose work in the theatre makes him grateful for the day he was born: Sondheim, Stoppard, Bennett, Prince, Fosse, Robbins, Nichols, Tune, Nunn, Laurents, Stone, Kushner, Taymor, Papp, Schumacher, Schneider, Coyne, Brickman, Timbers and Rees. Rick thinks about them a lot. He never thought about Jersey much. He does now.

Bob Gaudio wrote his first hit, “Who Wears Short Shorts,” at 15, for the Royal Teens, and then went on to become a founding member of the Four Seasons and the band’s principal songwriter. He also produced the hit “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers” for Neil Diamond and Barbra Streisand (Grammy nomination, Record of the Year) as well as six albums for Diamond, including The Jazz Singer. Other producing credits include albums for Frank Sinatra, Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross, Michael Jackson and the soundtrack for the film Little Shop of Horrors. Several songs co-written with Bob Crewe have been cover hits for such artists as the Tremeloes (“Silence is Golden”), the Walker Brothers (“The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine Anymore”) and Lauryn Hill (“Can’t Take My Eyes Off You”). With his wife, Judy Parker, Gaudio produced and co-wrote the Who Loves You album for the Four Seasons and one of Billboard’s longest-charted singles (54 weeks), “Oh, What a Night.” A high point in his career came in 1990 when, as a member of the original Four Seasons, Gaudio was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 1995, he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, which hailed him as “a quintessential music-maker.” To this day, Bob Gaudio and Frankie Valli still maintain their partnership…on a handshake.

Bob Crewe: “New York was pregnant in the fifties,” says Bob Crewe, “gestating with possibilities.” Crewe and music partner Frank Slay became independent writer-producers when the category hadn’t yet been invented. In 1957 they wrote and produced “Silhouettes” for The Rays, which skyrocketed to #1. Suddenly, producers in demand, they launched Freddie Cannon’s “Tallahassee Lassie” and Billy & Lillie’s “Lah Dee Da.” Crewe’s 1960’s unprecedented producing success with The Four Seasons birthed a new sound, striking a major chord in American pop. “Sherry, “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Walk Like a Man,” “Candy Girl,” “Ronnie” – all smashes! When lead Frankie Valli demanded a solo turn, Crewe and Bob Gaudio wrote (and Crewe produced) ‘Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You,” which eventually became the century’s fifth most-played song. Crewe ran hot with artists from Vicki Carr, Oliver and Lesly Gore to Mitch Ryder, co-writing with Charles Fox the soundtrack for Jane Fonda’s film, “Barbarella.” Then his own Bob Crewe Generation exploded with Music to Watch Girls By. In 1972 Bob was in L.A., where he revived Frankie Valli with “My Eyes Adored You” by Crewe and Kenny Nolan. They also co-wrote Patti LaBelle’s “Lady Marmalade” (#1, July ’75), which was a hit again on the soundtrack of Moulin Rouge (#1, June ’01)…David Ritz

Jerry Lee is Sierra Rep’s Artistic Director. He’s appeared in the SRT productions of Elf The Musical, Shrek The Musical, Camelot, Cabaret, Route 66, Intimate Apparel, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Man of La Mancha, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s State Fair, and The Drowsy Chaperone. As an actor: I Love You…Change, Forbidden Broadway (California Musical Theatre); Life Could Be a Dream, A Christmas Carol (CenterREP); A Little Princess, The Fantasticks (Sacramento Theatre Company); West Side Story (Mountain Play); Orlando, An Iliad, A Tale of Two Cities (SacImpulse Theatre). As a director: Dogfight, Disney’s The Little Mermaid, Steel Magnolias, Roald Dahl’s Willy Wonka KIDS, I Love You…Change, The Wizard of Oz, Holiday Jukebox, Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, The Robber Bridegroom (SRT); I Love You…Change (STC). Lee began his association with Sierra Rep in 2010 when he stepped in as a replacement in Guys and Dolls.

In 2019, Lee created SRT in Schools, a touring program that brings live professional theatre to Tuolumne County schools free of charge.

Ben is thrilled to be back in his home state choreographing this production of JERSEY BOYS after performing the show both on the National Tour (Assistant dance captain/Frankie Valli alternate) and Off Broadway (Joe Pesci). Other Broadway/Tour: FROZEN (Olaf u/s, Weselton u/s), WICKED (Swing). Ben recently directed/choreographed/wrote/starred in his own one man solo show “Teenage Dream” at The Green Room 42 in New York City. TV/film: “Pose” on FX. Training: BFA Musical Theatre, University of Michigan. An East Bay Area native; Ben has been teaching/directing teen theatre the last 13 years and has taught workshops all over the country at colleges, dance studios, camps, and all levels of educational institutions. He hopes to keep doing work for arts outreach programs and inspire the next generation of performers.