THE STORY OF FRANKIE VALLI & THE FOUR SEASONS EDUCATION PACK Compiled and written by Eli Erez and David Perry

Transcription

1 THE STORY OF FRANKIE VALLI & THE FOUR SEASONS EDUCATION PACK Compiled and written by Eli Erez and David Perry

2 LIST OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION CONNECTIONS TO AUST CURRICULUM ACTIVITIES: ENGLISH What s In A Name Trust Rag Doll - A Tragedy in Two Verses Addiction THE ARTS Dance Dance Crazy Lip Sync. Drama Exploring Conventions Internal Tensions Accentuate Accent Creating A Catalogue Musical HISTORY Just Jersey Historic Events The American Mafia ADDITIONAL RESOURCES Biographies Of The Cast & Creative Team Timeline Of The Seasons The Hit Machine Synopsis Character Descriptions Production Highlights Who Are The Four Seasons Setting And Context What, Exactly, Is This Show? Resources Media Arts The Rashomon Effect Guys and Dolls Media Manipulation Music Falsetto Short Shorts It s a Deal Can t Take My Eyes Off You Visual Arts Looks Like Lichtenstein Art For Albums Patch of Blue 2

3 INTRODUCTION Jersey Boys is a highly charged, multiple award winning production that examines the true story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons. The production traces the group s meteoric rise to fame and the cost of their success. It is a story about triumph over adversity: a story about four boys, who grew up in relative poverty, and how they rose to become some of the biggest pop stars of the twentieth century, creating music that sold over 175 million records. The story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons is an epic tale that spans over 50 years of American music history from the early stages of their career, singing under a lamppost in New Jersey, to their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990, to the present day. It is part biographical, part historical and part musical and each part combines to offer an entertaining and in depth insight into the lives and careers of the band. The musical examines some important and very universal themes such as; love, honour, loyalty and betrayal. It also explores some pertinent social issues including, poverty and addiction. These themes and social issues form the foundation for many of the activities in this Education Pack. The four central characters - Tommy, Bobby, Nick and Frankie - offer differing points of view on the events that shaped their lives. It was a happy day when we embraced the idea of contradictions, says co-writer Rick Elice. This device, often referred to as the Rashomon Effect, allowed the creative team to explore multiple perspectives within the story. With hit songs such as Sherry, Bye Bye Baby, Rag Doll, Big Girls Don t Cry, Let s Hang On, My Eyes Adored You, Working My Way Back To You, Can t Take My Eyes Off You and many more, JERSEY BOYS is a heart stopping, thrill ride that will certainly entertain. But, it also offers many opportunities for learning as this Education Pack will illustrate. Upper secondary students of Drama and Theatre Studies will be interested in the productions effective use of theatrical conventions such as; transformation of setting, and direct address. Dramatic elements are also magnificently crafted in this musical, including the careful manipulation of tension, conflict and mood. Sophisticated use of stagecraft, with particular reference to set, sound, multimedia and lighting design, further enhance the production. Jersey Boys international acclaim is a tribute to the highly skilled performers who are captivating and absorbing in the portrayal of their characters. This is a theatrical event with an original style and teachers and students are well advised to attend this innovative and engaging production. The following activities and resources have been developed to inspire a deeper insight, understanding and appreciation of the performance. Teachers may choose from these activities according to what is appropriate for their students and teaching circumstances. Teachers can decide to run the activities in this Education Pack prior to seeing the performance or as follow up activities. Jersey Boys offers an excellent opportunity to explore the Australian Curriculum, with specific references to English, History and The Arts (Dance, Drama, Media Arts, Music and Visual Arts) as well as all seven of the General Capabilities (Literacy, Numeracy, Information & Communication Technology, Critical & Creative Thinking, Personal & Social Capability AND Ethical Understanding). These relationships to the production are more fully examined in the document - CONNECTIONS TO THE AUSTRALIAN CURRICULUM. We trust that the activities and resources in this Education Pack will provide teachers with the ability to fully appreciate the educational opportunities of this spectacular musical production. Eli Erez and David Perry Education Pack Writers 3

4 CONNECTIONS TO AUSTRALIAN CURRICULUM ENGLISH The study of English helps create confident communicators, imaginative thinkers and informed citizens individuals learn to analyse, understand, communicate and build relationships with others and with the world around them. They understand how language features and language patterns can be used for emphasis. The dialogue in the play is mostly based on specific types of English, particularly the Jersey dialect. The Italian- American characters are portrayed mixing the Italian language with English in specific situations. The concept of register is explored. Students compare and analyse information in different texts, explaining literal and implied meaning. They select and use evidence from a text to explain their response to it. Students listen to discussions, clarifying content and challenging others ideas. They show how specific details can be used to support a point of view. The play is based around the concept of different perspectives. This is exemplified by the use of four different narrators. Students also examine the significance of the relationship between the name of the season that begins each act, the narrator, and the plot in that act. They compare and analyse information in different texts, explaining literal and implied meaning. In the play, a number of powerful interactions between different characters take place, raising questions about the nature of the society to which those characters belong. In some of the activities in this pack, students are encouraged to discuss the societal issues raised in the text, such as poverty, addictions, trust and betrayal, and develop and examine persuasive arguments relating to these issues. They understand how the use of text structures can achieve particular effects and can analyse and explain how language features, images and vocabulary are used by different authors to represent ideas, characters and events. Students investigate and compare different text types in conveying content and expression. THE ARTS In the Australian Curriculum, The Arts is a learning area that draws together related but distinct art forms. While these art forms have close relationships and are often used in interrelated ways, each involves different approaches to arts practices and critical and creative thinking that reflect distinct bodies of knowledge, understanding and skills. The activities in this Education Pack have been developed to offer senior students rich opportunities to engage with the Jersey Boys production, as well as gain learning and practice in the five Arts subjects (Dance, Drama, Media Arts, Music and Visual Arts). The activities in this Education Pack have been aligned with the rationale and aims of each of the five Arts subjects. 4

5 CONNECTIONS TO AUSTRALIAN CURRICULUM The arts have the capacity to engage, inspire and enrich all students, exciting the imagination and encouraging them to reach their creative and expressive potential. The Arts activities in this education resource aim to provide opportunities for students to develop students burgeoning artistic abilities. The five Arts subjects in the Australian Curriculum provide opportunities for students to learn how to create, design, represent, communicate and share their imagined and conceptual ideas, emotions, observations and experiences. These resources have been developed with a range of activities that are relevant to the five Arts subjects. Rich in tradition, the Arts play a major role in the development and expression of cultures and communities, locally, nationally and globally. Students communicate ideas in current, traditional and emerging forms and use arts knowledge and understanding to make sense of their world. Through The Arts, students learn to express their ideas, thoughts and opinions as they discover and interpret the world. Jersey Boys explores a specific cultural and community context that offer significant opportunities for students to examine pertinent themes, as well as social and historical issues relating to American history. The activities in this Education Pack have been developed to offer opportunities for students to use Arts practices to communicate these discoveries. Arts learning provides students with opportunities to engage with creative industries and arts professionals. The arts entertain, challenge, provoke responses and enrich our knowledge of self, communities, world cultures and histories. Recent studies show that students who are exposed to performance experiences have enhanced literary knowledge, tolerance and empathy *. If they wish to develop these skills and values in their classrooms, it is important for schools to consider the overwhelming benefits of student exposure and engagement with quality productions. Jersey Boys is a highly crafted production that offers considerable opportunities for students to engage with Arts professionals. The standard of the creative artists involved in every aspect of this production is exceptional and provides significant opportunities for students to be entertained, challenged and enriched. * University of Arkansas Department of Education Reform The Arts contribute to the development of confident and creative individuals, nurturing and challenging active and informed citizens. Learning in The Arts is based on cognitive, affective and sensory/kinesthetic response to arts practices as students revisit increasingly complex content, skills and processes with developing confidence and sophistication across their years of learning. The activities in this Education Pack are designed to give kinesthetic Arts experiences that will develop students creativity and confidence. 5

6 CONNECTIONS TO AUSTRALIAN CURRICULUM In the Australian Curriculum the Arts aims to develop students : creativity, critical thinking, aesthetic knowledge and understanding about arts practices, through making and responding to artworks with increasing self-confidence arts knowledge and skills to communicate ideas; they value and share their arts and life experiences by representing, expressing and communicating ideas, imagination and observations about their individual and collective worlds to others in meaningful ways use of innovative arts practices with available and emerging technologies, to express and represent ideas, while displaying empathy for multiple viewpoints understanding of local, regional and global cultures, and their arts histories and traditions, through engaging with the worlds of artists, artworks, audiences and arts professions. The education resources contained in this Education Pack are designed to address the specific aims of the Australian Curriculum. Students will have opportunities to engage with learning opportunities that will develop the key skills and knowledge referenced above. HISTORY History promotes the understanding of societies, events, movements and developments that have shaped humanity from earliest times. It helps students appreciate how the world and its people have changed, as well as the significant continuities that exist to the present day. The activities in this Education Pack have been developed to offer senior students rich opportunities to engage with the Jersey Boys production, as well as gain learning and practice in History. The activities in this Education Pack have been aligned with the Australian Curriculum s rationale and aims for History. Historical concepts and skills In the History curriculum, students have the opportunity to develop historical understanding through the application of the following historical concepts and skills: sequencing chronology using historical sources as evidence identifying continuity and change analysing causes and effect; and determining historical significance. Students identify and describe change and continuity and explain the causes and effects of change on society. They compare the different experiences and perspectives of people in the past. They explain the significance of an individual and group. 6

7 CONNECTIONS TO AUSTRALIAN CURRICULUM Some of the world events that occurred in the 1960s are referred to in the play, in order to give it a clearer historical context. Students have the opportunity to discuss the impact this had on Australian society. They identify a range of sources and locate and compare information about the origin, content features and the purpose of historical sources. Students describe the historical context of these sources to describe perspectives of people from the past and recognise different points of view. Different perspectives on significant events in the 1960s are given by the various characters, allowing the audience, and students analysing the play, to better understand the nature and impact of these events. The communities and cultures portrayed in Jersey Boys are distinctive to the time and place in which they are set. The impact of different ideologies and movements on these people is explored and discussed. When using historical sources as evidence, students draw on historical perspectives and interpretations when constructing arguments about the past. Primary sources provide perspectives of those who experienced and witnessed both the significant turning points and everyday events of the past and provide valuable insights into how events shaped their ethics, ideas and values. Secondary sources, such as textbooks or historical interpretations made by historians or commentators, often draw on primary sources to present arguments or interpretations of the past. Students use a variety of historical resources and conventions when researching and presenting the historical background to Jersey Boys. Students understand historical perspectives through exploring the point of view, attitudes, values and beliefs of people in the past. Exploring perspectives involves the identification and description of the viewpoints of witnesses to events who experienced the consequences or lived with their changes The so-called Rashomon Effect forms the structural basis of the play, in which four different perspectives and narratives are given. Students explore the possibilities and limitations of this narrative structure, and how these can also be applied to historical sources. 7

8 ENGLISH The following English activities offer rich opportunities for students to engage in the following A.C.A.R.A. General Capabilities Literacy - Comprehending texts through listening, reading and viewing - Composing texts through speaking, writing and creating - Text knowledge - Grammar knowledge - Word knowledge - Visual knowledge Critical and Creative Thinking - Inquiring Identifying, exploring and organising information and ideas - Generating ideas, possibilities and actions - Reflecting on thinking and processes - Analysing, synthesising and evaluating reasoning and procedures Personal and Social Capability - Self-awareness - Self-management - Social awareness - Social management Intercultural Understanding - Recognising culture and developing respect - Interacting and empathising with others - Reflecting on intercultural experiences and taking responsibility Ethical Understanding - Understanding ethical concepts and issues - Reasoning in decision making and actions - Exploring values, rights and responsibilities Information and Communication Technology - Applying social and ethical protocols and practices when using ICT - Investigating with ICT - Creating with ICT - Communicating with ICT - Managing and operating ICT 8

9 ENGLISH WHAT S IN A NAME? You re Italian. You gotta end with a vowel. Mary Delgado, from Jersey Boys. Names and what they represent is an important and recurring theme in the play. Most of the characters are second-generation or even first-generation Italian-Americans, for whom names and language represent an important link to their heritage - Frankie s wife-to-be scolds him on their first date for using a y at the end of his new surname. She says:... y... doesn t know what it is. Is it a vowel? Is it a consonant? The way the characters address each other in different situations significantly changes the mood of the scene - Bob Gaudio can be Bob or Bobby, Tommy is often called Tommooch. Most significantly, the many name changes of the band, some of which happened even after they became the Four Seasons, are used as a dramatic device in the play. The following activities can be used as starting points for discussion about the choice of names in any type of literature studied in English classes be they plays, novels, poems, or short stories. ACTIVITY A. Call me Mr Decarlo Read through the following two extracts from the same scene in Jersey Boys: Extract i. DECARLO Tommy TOMMY Yeah, Gyp? DECARLO You pick up my dry cleaning? TOMMY Sure, Gyp. Extract ii. FRANKIE TOMMY FRANKIE TOMMY DECARLO FRANKIE (Entering) Hey. Frankie, you know Mr. DeCarlo. Yeah, sure. Hi. Well, we better get ready. Frankie, do me a favor, will you? Sing My Mother s Eyes. Sorry, I don t do that song any more, Mr. DeCarlo. 9

10 ENGLISH What difference does the audience feel when the character is referred to as Gyp and then Mr DeCarlo? What sort of change in register occurs when Tommy refers to Mr DeCarlo, when just before he was calling him Gyp? What might happen if Frankie (who doesn t know Gyp DeCarlo as well as Tommy) called him Gyp? 2. Most of the characters address each other with nicknames Tommy, Joey, Frankie. The character Bob Gaudio is addressed as Bob when the characters first meet him, then as Bobby when they get to know him. Nick only becomes Nicky in certain emotional situations, such as when Frankie is pleading with him to calm down in DeCarlo s basement. Why would Frankie feel compelled to address him as Nicky in that situation? ACTIVITY B. We gotta find a name 1. Read the following extracts from the play TOMMY And by the way, we re not the Varietones any more. We re the Four Lovers. NICK Tommy, I can t keep it straight. In one month we re the Romans, the Village Voices, the... Andrew Sisters. What are you trying to do? CREWE OWNER Y ou know your problem, gentlemen? You ve got an identity crisis. Maybe if you found yourselves a name, and a sound, little Bobby here would know who he s writing for. Wait, wait, hold it. What s your name? (ALL FOUR, simultaneously:) TOMMY NICK FRANKIE BOB TOMMY NICK The Four Lovers. The Romans. The Romans. The Topix. The Varietones. The Lovers. The Topix. The Varietones. Get off that. You re not startin any groups! You re in this group. Yeah? Which one? The Topix? The Romans? The Lovers? Who we gonna be next, Tommy? (The sign buzzes, flickers, flashes. Fully illuminated, it reads: FOUR SEASONS) BOB TOMMY FRANKIE (Staring at it.) Frankie. What? It s a sign, Tommy! 10

11 ENGLISH The group that eventually became the Four Seasons did in fact go through a number of name changes previously. This is turned into an often-humorous dramatic device in the play, although it is implied that the name change to The Four Seasons represents a turning point for the fortunes of the band. Discuss with others in your class: Is the name of a band relevant to its success, or is it completely unimportant? What about titles or names of other popular art forms, like movies? Can they make or break the success of, for example, a movie? Why do you think they chose to call the musical Jersey Boys? Was it the right choice? 2. The name or phrase Four Seasons is an evocative one, and is also used as a theatrical device in the play. Each part of the story is given the name of a season, starting with Spring, and has a different band member as narrator. The choice of narrator in each act is a deliberate one, even though it may not be immediately obvious. Identify significant plot elements and songs within the story and analyse how they relate to each season. Use this information to examine why the writers chose a particular character to narrate each part of the story. (Consider also the use of the American term Fall for Autumn - what other connotations might that word have?) Narrator: TOMMY Season: SPRING Characters mostly young, irresponsible, involved in petty crime Name of band keeps changing, so does line up - band still unformed Narrator: BOB Season: SUMMER Begins with Short Shorts Line up and band name fixed and finalised Everything seems to go right Finally experience success Narrator: NICK Season: FALL Fortunes (temporarily) come to an end with Tommy s debts and Tommy and Nick leaving Characters make firm decisions about their lives: Nick decides to leave abruptly and unconditionally; Frankie takes on the debts; Bob now focusses on writing and producing Narrator: FRANKIE Season: WINTER Frankie and Bob are now mature musicians Can t Take My Eyes and reaching the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame Death of Frankie s daughter What is happening in the character s lives in each part of the story and how does this relate to each season? How do the song titles relate to each season? 11

12 ENGLISH ACTIVITY C.... But You Can Call Me Uncle Gyp! This can be completed as an extension activity to exercise A (above) 1. Think about an adult member of your family. How many different names or titles do they have? For example: Janey Jan Janice Elizabeth Brown Dr Janice Brown Janice Brown, GP Aunty Jan Sis Would you be able to use all those names to describe that person? Which names would you not be able to use? Why not? 2. Write two columns - in the first, write every possible name and title of the adult family member you are thinking of. In the second, describe the people who would use that name to address them. For example: Aunty Jan Dr Janice Brown nephews and nieces; younger people who are friends of her children; people who think of her as Aunty patients or professional colleagues Find a partner in the class. Decide with your partner whether you will be using your list or theirs. Devise, write and perform (as a pair to the class) a short scripted dialogue that takes place between the adult family member and one of the people in the second column. Make sure your character uses the appropriate name when addressing the adult family member. 3. The teacher now chooses one of the scripts and asks that pair to perform their script again. However, this time the class is to imagine that the character talking to the adult family member is someone completely different. For example: Instead of the ten-year old niece talking to Aunty Jan about her weekend, it is now an elderly colleague from the medical profession - but the colleague still calls her Aunty Jan! The teacher asks the class: Is this an appropriate way for this character to address her? How does it make her appear? Is it disrespectful? What would be a more appropriate term? Why should different terms be used for different situations? 12

13 ENGLISH TRUST Teach him. And watch him. Anything happens to Frankie, you got a problem with me. Tommy DeVito, from Jersey Boys. Trust is a quality that people only really start to understand upon reaching their mid-teens, often only after their own trust has been betrayed. At this stage in their lives, adolescents generally become more emotionally detached from their parents, and transfer aspects of that original trust to other relationships, generally to their friends. In Jersey Boys, there are many instances where trust between characters is openly tested and/or articulated, which makes the story appealing to young people. Activity B needs to be completed after watching Jersey Boys, although Activity A can be completed in advance as a stimulus exercise. ACTIVITY A. How much can I trust you? 1. Ask each student to give an example of a situation that requires trust. This could include: Leaving your child or sibling in someone s care Loaning money to someone on the understanding that they will pay it back Being able to turn your back on someone without seeing them Give the students a couple of examples like these, then ask them to discuss in groups and come up with some of their own. Write them on the board in a brainstorm format, linking ideas together if necessary. 2. Rewrite them as a list on the board, in order of ascending risk or responsibility, according to the question Which situation requires the higher level of trust? 3. Now come up with examples of people we encounter regularly in our lives. These could be parents/guardians, school friends, your newsagent, a neighbour, a stranger in the street. Write these next to the ascending list on the board, with a bracket showing the limit of trust you would give that person. 4. Referring to this new table, discuss: Are we aware of our own limits of trust when interacting with others? Should we be more aware? Have you ever miscalculated the limit of trust you should have given someone? 13

14 ENGLISH ACTIVITY B. Trust, Jersey Boys-style 1. Ask the class to think of as many instances as they can in the play, where trust has been tested or broken. List these on the board. They could include: Frankie s mother asking Tommy to look out for him Tommy giving Frankie up to the cops but then admitting in court that he led him into the robbery Tommy offering to take care of the fake murder set-up, but then getting Gyp to take care of it without telling Frankie Gyp giving Frankie half the $100 bill - and keeping his promise when Frankie presents it to him later in the play Bob not initially accepting Tommy s offer to join the band unless he is an equal partner, and Frankie sticking up for him The band sticking together when they decide to split with Crewe Such loyalty! Such devotion! Frankie and Bob s famous Jersey contract handshake Discussion about real family and road family Frankie cheating on his wife Tommy s debts and money problems that he kept secret from the others Frankie promising to pay back all Tommy s debts, and getting Gyp to help You take care of family, Frankie. I like that. In my neighbourhood, there s three things you don t do. You don t lie to your mother. You don t tell the truth to your wife. And the third thing every guy knows that. (referring to Tommy hitting on Frankie s girlfriend) I m from the old school. You come up together, that s a promise and it s like iron. - Frankie explaining why he remained faithful to Tommy Frankie worried about his daughter, not knowing where she is, and then losing her You think your kids are safe. What are you supposed to do, put em on a leash, chain em to the bed? 2. Each student now chooses one of the characters mentioned on the board, and is given a generic trust bubble to complete for that character. 14

15 ENGLISH Characters should include FRANKIE, TOMMY, BOB, NICK, GYP, MARY, FRANCINE and CREWE, although students do not have to be limited to these characters. Teachers may use the example Frankie trust bubble as a guide. Students should try to complete these as comprehensively as they can, then use this as a basis for an extended essay/analysis that answers the following questions: How trusting is your character of other people? How trustworthy is your character? What is it about your character s background that causes them to behave in that way? This activity can be used for other fictional texts studied in English classes, as it allows students to focus on a specific aspect of a character s nature. ACTIVITY C. The Jersey Character This activity can follow on from Activity B. Students research the Jersey communities featured in the play, particularly the Italian-American communities there. Specifically, they should use the following questions as a starting point for discussion: What importance does Catholicism have for Italian-Americans in Jersey, in terms of keeping promises? Do you think that people who grow up in poor neighbourhoods, like Frankie, have a stronger sense of needing to help those they grew up with? What sort of a place is Frankie s old neighbourhood? Do the Mob or Mafia (organised crime groups), which feature in the plot, have their own system of trust or honour? How does it operate? What does Gyp s tearing of the $100 bill in half signify? Is Bob and Frankie s handshake real? Is there such a thing as a Jersey contract? How did The Four Seasons mob connections colour their attitude towards dealing with recording and publishing companies? Research this little-known area of Four Seasons history. 15

16 ENGLISH RAG DOLL A TRAGEDY IN TWO VERSES [Bob Gaudio] was driving his car to the studio in New York City when he was stopped at a three-minute light. A little girl - with ragged clothes and dirty face - ran up to the car and cleaned the windshield. As the light changed, Gaudio rummaged frantically through his pockets in an effort to find a quarter to pay the girl, who did indeed look like a Rag Doll. The smallest piece of money he could find was a five-dollar bill (sometimes Gaudio would say ten-dollar bill when he tells this story), so he gave her the currency. She was speechless, but he remembered her stunned look at the studio, where he composed the song. From Often the story behind the inspiration for a song can be just as interesting as the song itself. In Jersey Boys, the lyrics of songs by the Four Seasons are used to complement the plot, and at times the characters recount the story behind the song being played, for example Walk Like a Man and Can t Take My Eyes Off You. Although the song Rag Doll is featured in the play, the story behind (given above) it is not detailed. Students can use this simple yet touching song to explore a number of activities based on text types. Whilst a traditional narrative structure allows the writer more freedom and can contain more facts, using a poetry structure (including songs) means that more imaginative literary devices are employed, and therefore students and listeners are more engaged with the story. ACTIVITY A. Learning The Song 1. Read the lyrics below, taken from the verses of the song Rag Doll. The complete lyrics can be found at: medium=search&utm_campaign=lyrics&pcampaignid=kp-lyrics The class may wish to listen to the recording of the song. Read to the class Bob Gaudio s story of the origin of the song (see above). When she was just a kid her clothes were hand-me-down They always laughed at her when she came into town Called her rag doll, little rag doll Such a pretty face should be dressed in lace I d change her sad rags into glad rags if I could My folks won t let me cause they say that she s no good She s a rag doll, such a rag doll Though I love her so, I can t let her go I love you just the way you are 16

17 ENGLISH ACTIVITY B. Learning The Story 1. Ask students the following questions: Even though there are only eight or nine lines here, what do they tell you about the main character in the song? What sort of person do you think she is? Can you think of anyone who is like this character? Who are the other characters? (i.e. the singer, the people who laughed at her, his folks, her older siblings or cousins - her clothes are hand-me-down ). What is their relationship to the main character? What sort of time frame is being described in the song? Hours? Weeks? Years? How do you know? (consider the first line: she was just a kid, in the past tense, compared to the present tense in the second verse: she [is] no good... she [is] a rag doll ) Is there a plot in this story? Do you think most of the plot happened before or after the song? Are we expected to fill in the gaps through inference? What do you think happened before / next? Is the character literally a rag doll? If not, what do we call this literary device? Why do you think that Bob Gaudio and the members of the Four Seasons may have sympathised with the girl described in Gaudio s story? 2. Using the information gathered in step 1, students are to flesh out the story in the song using a different text type. For example, they may write: a letter or from the narrator to the girl, or to his folks ; a report by a social worker describing the girl s living conditions and family situation; a narrative telling the story of the girl and what happened next. There are many good web sites available to help with writing ideas, including: 17

18 ENGLISH ADDICTIONS At least when I m here, I m here. Not stoned out of my mind. Frankie Valli, speaking to Mary, in Jersey Boys. Addiction is a theme explored in the background of the main action in Jersey Boys. In the first half of the play, there is little in the way of addictive behaviour, but as the play progresses, we see that Nick and Mary each have a drinking problem, Tommy is a compulsive gambler, a lot of the male characters are womanisers, Frankie s daughter displays an addiction to drugs, and Frankie himself could be said to be addicted to performing! This discussion and oracy activity could be completed after watching and studying Jersey Boys, or in conjunction with an excursion to the play. The theme of addiction is one that interests teenagers and can be very significant to them personally. Using the well-known debating format can be a good way of encouraging them to discuss what they know about the issue. ACTIVITY 1. Ask your students what they understand about the term addiction - be prepared for some lively discussion! Try to direct their responses along the following lines: What different types of addictions are there? Can you be addicted to something other than drugs or chemicals? Can one thing be more addictive than another, or is it the personality of the addict? What makes something addictive? Are human beings naturally addictive? Is it necessary for our survival? How? 2. Prepare the students for a class debate on the following topic: An addiction can only be to a chemical substance, most notably drugs - anything besides this cannot be an addiction. Break the class into halves, one half being the For side and the other Against. Arrange students within these halves into small discussion groups, and allow around twenty minutes or so for discussion. Give each group a copy of the following two articles that discuss the nature of addiction from a particular point of view: as well as a copy of the For and Against arguments: 18

19 ENGLISH Remind the students that the given articles are samples of viewpoints rather than necessarily being wholly scientific, and that the purpose of the debate is to create questions that initiate further interest. 3. After around twenty minutes (not much longer than that) discussion time, gather the two halves for them to prepare their side of the debate. Nominate three people for the debating team on each side, or allow the members of each half to nominate their own team. Class spends the rest of the lesson preparing their debate. 4. Hold the debate at the start of their next English lesson. Ensure that all members of the debating team keep their arguments concise and that they address all challenges issued by their opponents. The debate should finish well before the end of the lesson to allow for class discussion on the following questions: Which characters in Jersey Boys would you describe as having an addiction? What sort of addictions do they have? The last comment in the play is by Frankie, about how he needs to keep performing, going and going and going. Chasing the music. Do you think that this might be a type of addiction? Can an addiction be positive? 19

20 THE ARTS The following Arts (Dance, Drama, Media Arts, Music & Visual Arts) activities offer rich opportunities for students to engage in the following A.C.A.R.A. General Capabilities Literacy - Comprehending texts through listening, reading and viewing - Composing texts through speaking, writing and creating - Text knowledge - Grammar knowledge - Word knowledge - Visual knowledge Numeracy - Recognising and using patterns and relationships - Using spatial reasoning Critical and Creative Thinking - Inquiring Identifying, exploring and organising information and ideas - Generating ideas, possibilities and actions - Reflecting on thinking and processes - Analysing, synthesising and evaluating reasoning and procedures Personal and Social Capability - Self-awareness - Self-management - Social awareness - Social management Intercultural Understanding - Recognising culture and developing respect - Interacting and empathising with others - Reflecting on intercultural experiences and taking responsibility Ethical Understanding - Understanding ethical concepts and issues - Reasoning in decision making and actions - Exploring values, rights and responsibilities Information and Communication Technology - Applying social and ethical protocols and practices when using ICT - Investigating with ICT - Creating with ICT - Communicating with ICT - Managing and operating ICT 20

21 THE ARTS DANCE - DANCE CRAZY I knew while I was dancing that at some point I was going to choreograph but I had to get dance out of my body. In dance, I was an instrument as opposed to the one who created the dances. Sergio Trujillo (Jersey Boys Choreographer) from an interview with Beth Herstein: ACTIVITY Sergio Trujillo is responsible for choreographing the highly synchronised dance routines in Jersey Boys. In this activity students will examine the choreography of various dance crazes that have developed over the last few decades. Students will explore how synchronisation is an important factor in most dance crazes. They will use the dance crazes they investigate as a stimulus for choreographing their own dance routines. As a starting point students might wish to visit the following websites: Freddie and the Dreamers I m telling you: A09D6FF4A9A87E911526A09D6FF4A9&FORM=VIVR# Time Warp: YMCA: A799E943970ACE248845A799E943970&FORM=VIVR# Thriller: D10E8276B1CA02765EEBD10E8276B1CA0&FORM=VIVR# The Macarena: 27CAE9BB8D8C65C17E7C27CAE9BB8D8C65C17E7&FORM=VIVR36# Dancing through history International comedian Judson Laipply presents The Evolution Of Dance: B58FAA0D9A652A61095DB5&FORM=VIVR2# 21

22 THE ARTS Students might also examine other dance crazes: the Nutbush, Chicken Dance, Grease Lightning, etc. Ask: Why do you think this dance craze became popular? Are there any similarities in any of the dance moves between the various dance crazes? Is there any repetition? How does the dance craze make you feel when you are doing it? How does the dance craze make you feel when you are watching it? Are the moves complex or simple? In groups of four, ask students to create their own dance craze to a popular song on the radio. Allow student s time to source a song and practice their dance. Students are to present their dance to the class for feedback and discussion. Ask: Which dances did you think were most effective? Why? Was the choreography simple or complex? Did the dancers move in unison? 22

23 THE ARTS LIP SYNC. It doesn t always appear as if what s going on in the show is choreographed, but every single move is choreographed to the end. Sergio Trujillo (Jersey Boys Choreographer) from an interview with Beth Herstein: ACTIVITY Students will work in groups of four to create their own synchronised dance routine to one of the following Four Seasons songs: Big Girls Don t Cry: 4FF7892E7DA04172EE934FF789&FORM=VIVR30# Walk Like A Man: C52606E8210DEB9C4472C52606E8210D&FORM=VIVR8# Can t Take My Eyes Off You: B94A7B67CA258542E84DB94A7B67CA258&FORM=VIVR26# Medley: 35F4AD4D3A4D3E318F6C35F4AD4D3A4D3E318F6&FORM=VIVR12# Let s Hang On: Allow student s time to source their song and practice their dance routine. Students are to present their dance to the class for feedback and discussion. Ask: Which dance routines were tightly synchronised? Did the choreography suit the style and period of the music? How? How did the highly synchronised dance routines presented in Jersey Boys differ from the minimal choreography used by the original Four Seasons (refer websites above)? Why do you think the director and choreographer made this choice? 23

24 THE ARTS DRAMA - EXPLORING CONVENTIONS So we go on the road. Ohio Nebraska Arizona the places you fly over on the way to Los Angeles. Tommy DeVito from Jersey Boys. ACTIVITY Throughout the production of Jersey Boys the stage is constantly transforming into different settings. In this activity students will examine how the conventions of transformation of setting and direct address are employed within the Jersey Boys production. Ask: What locations are presented in the performance? What set items are used to define these locations? What devices are used to aid the seamless transitions of scenes? How does the convention of direct address assist the flawless transformations of setting? Divide students into groups of four. Students are to choose eight locations from the following list of settings: A street corner in Jersey The Strand (a small club) Police Station Court Room Church Silhouette Club Mangio s Pizza Restaurant Car Tommy s House The Sea Breeze (performance venue) Nevada Club Outside the Bowling Alley Goethal s Bridge Brill Building Recording Studio Inside a Bowling Alley Crewe s Apartment Frankie s Kitchen Hotel Penthouse Suite Cadillac Showroom Frankie and Mary s House Ohio State Fair Jail Cell Accountant s Office Hotel Bar Hotel Room Gyp Carlo s Basement Coffee Shop Mary s House Lorraine s Apartment Manhattan Record Label Executive s Office Radio Station Program Director s Office Hospital American Bandstand TV Studio Concert Hall Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Teachers may wish to specify locations to each group or allow students to pick from the list. Students are to create a short performance in which all eight locations are visited. Students do not have to perform as characters from the musical. Each group must use the conventions of direct address and transformation of setting. Students should be encouraged to use simple classroom objects, such as chairs and tables, as scenic properties. The students must work out ways to seamlessly reconfigure the objects to transform the setting and create eight unique locations. 24

25 THE ARTS Direct address must also be incorporated into their performance. Students might use this convention as a way of distracting the audience s attention from the scene changes which are taking place. Allow students time to rehearse their presentations. Students should present their work to the class for feedback and discussion. Ask: Which transformations were most effective? Why? How were they achieved? How could these transformations of setting be more effectively applied? Did the convention of direct address serve any purpose in the performance, or was it simply used as a means of distracting the audience from watching the scene change? What other purpose might direct address serve? Did the direct address provide any insight into the thoughts or feelings of the character? What other conventions are tied to direct address (i.e. narration, monologue and breaking of the fourth wall )? Can these conventions be mutually exclusive? How is a soliloquy different from narration? 25

26 THE ARTS INTERNAL TENSIONS Everyone remembers it how they need to right? But here s the facts: I brought Frankie up on stage for the first time, I put Gaudio in, I held it all together until we hit. And where it counts the old neighbourhood I m still a hero. Tommy DeVito from Jersey Boys. No matter what Tommy says about plucking me from obscurity, the real story is I had Short Shorts at Number Two when I was fifteen. Bob Gaudio from Jersey Boys. Why d you do it Nicky? Why d you walk away? All right, I ll be honest with you, it coulda been an ego thing. Everybody wants to be up front. Nick Massi from Jersey Boys. You listen to Tommy, he ll tell you we were real pals, partners from the get-go. But what really happened was, he was paying me twelve bucks a night when he was getting a hundred fifty. Frankie Valli from Jersey Boys. ACTIVITY Students are to study the excerpts at the top of this page, as well as the Character Descriptions -printed in the Additional Resources section of this Education Pack. Based on observations of the musical and exploration of the above stimuli, students are to examine the internal tensions that led to the break up of The Four Seasons. Ask: What were some of the conflicts between the characters? How did personal issues effect these tensions? Why did The Four Seasons lives begin to unravel, just as their careers were at their peak? Which character was most instrumental to the band s success? Why? What did each character like and/or dislike about the other band members? Students are to be split into groups of four. Each student, in each group, is to take on the role of one of The Four Seasons. A group is selected to present an impromptu interview to the class. Student take turns to assume their role. Each student introduces their character to the class and is then asked a series of questions by the other students in their group (refer to the above questions as a starting point). Ask: What were the major issues/conflicts/factors that led to the break up of the original members of The Four Seasons? What were some of the most significant issues that led to conflict within the band? What other bands or groups have broken up? Why? Are you able to identify any other groups that have remained together for a long period of time? Are they all original members of the group or have there been some changes? Bob Gaudio and Frankie Valli have enjoyed a healthy partnership - a business relationship that was founded on a handshake over forty years ago. Ask: What do you think is the secret of their successful collaboration? 26

27 THE ARTS ACCENTUATE ACCENT But I m getting ahead of myself. You wanna begin at the beginning. I m the guy you wanna talk to, because this whole thing started with me. Tommy DeVito, Belleville, New Jersey. Native son. Tommy DeVito from Jersey Boys. ACTIVITY Students will examine how to manipulate their expressive skills, with specific reference to voice, to present different accents. Students should view the following Youtube sites for inspiration: 21 Accents: BC4270AD3F9D9EFB15FCBC4270AD3F9D9&FORM=VIVR# How To Learn Any Accent Part 1: AD58EE1EF AD58EE1EF237&FORM=VIVR18# How To Learn Any Accent Part 2: Students should record their observations and discuss: What are the four steps to learning an accent according to Amy Walker? What are the five different categories that Amy Walker identifies? Can you identify any sub-categories? Using the excerpt from Tommy s first monologue (below), students explore ways of manipulating their voice to define an accent. Students also examine how language can identify the culture or nationality of a character. Tommy: But I m getting ahead of myself. You wanna begin at the beginning. I m the guy you wanna talk to, because this whole thing started with me. Tommy DeVito, Belleville, New Jersey. Native son. As a class, students should experiment delivering Tommy s lines using various accents; English, Cockney, German, French, Russian, Chinese, Indian, Australian, New Zealand, American, Southern American, New York American, etc. Encourage students to present an accent to the class. Specify that the language must remain the constant. Only the accent is allowed to change. After students have had time to practice and present the various accents ask: How was the pronunciation of consonants and vowels affected by the choice of accent? How was the sound of each accent produced? How would you describe the melody of each accent? Is there a melodic pattern that shapes the accent? What rhythm and stress did you observe in each accent? How were sounds stressed to distinguish the accent? 27

28 THE ARTS Students are to repeat the activity but this time students are given permission to alter the language slightly to illuminate the accent. i.e. You wanna begin at the beginning might change to I d like to start at the beginning if you were presenting an English accent. Similarly the phrase, Tommy DeVito, Belleville, New Jersey might be changed to Thomas D. Vit, London, England. Students are given the freedom to change the grammar and language so that it suits the accent. Ask: In what ways did you modify the language to suit the accent? What words did you change? How did you affect the grammar? EXTENSION ACTIVITY Students are to record an interview with a family member or friend. The subject of the interview needs to have immigrated to Australia. The students must try to find out as much detail as they can about their subject. Why they left their home? How they arrived in this country? What difficulties they experienced settling in a foreign land? Etc. Students are to write a monologue, in the first person, based on their interview. The monologue and original recorded interview are to be presented to the class for comparison and discussion. Ask: How effectively was the student able to emulate their subject? Was their pronunciation of words and sounds similar to their subject? Was the student able to recreate the melodic pattern of the accent? Did the student capture the rhythm and stress of the accent? How effectively did the performers in Jersey Boys capture the Jersey accent? How does the grammar and language of the musical define its setting? 28

29 THE ARTS CREATING A CATALOGUE MUSICAL Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice acknowledge that they were initially invited to consider creating a catalogue musical around the songs of The Four Seasons, but they immediately declined. Elice maintains that they did not write a musical at all. It s a play, he says with songs. * The Jersey Boys Discovery Guide What, Exactly, Is This Show? Students should read the full article - What, Exactly, Is This Show? - printed in the Additional Resources section of this Education Pack. Students should also further investigate the following theatrical styles: Musical Theatre: Historical or Biographical Drama: Jukebox Musical: A musical using popular songs, usually from the same composer, performer, or era. ** ** Definition taken from the Jersey Boys Discovery Guide Vocabulary Catalogue Musical: A sub genre of musical theatre in which existing songs are used to tell a new story, often one based on the lyrics of the songs. This can include musicals that reuse the songs of a particular theatrical composer in new ways or musicals that feature pop songs. ** ** Definition taken from the Jersey Boys Discovery Guide Vocabulary ACTIVITY Students are given the challenge of writing a Catalogue Musical based on the songs and lyrics of The Four Seasons. Students are to present a synopsis of their musical and should attempt to include at least 12 songs by The Four Seasons in their treatment. Students will find the following website useful in this task: A complete list of all The Four Seasons songs and lyrics can be found at this website: List of The Four Seasons songs: Allow class time for students to develop a plot that links together the lyrics of the twelve selected songs. Students are to work in groups of four and are instructed to pitch their idea for a Catalogue Musical to the other students in their group. Eventually the students in each group must choose one of the musical ideas. The group must then work together to present that idea to the rest of the class. The students presentation must include a list of characters, a clear synopsis, and a list of The Four Seasons songs they wish to include. Ask: Which presentation did you think was particularly original? Why? How might the synopsis be developed further? What other songs by The Four Seasons could be included? Why do you think Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice rejected the Catalogue Musical style? 29

30 THE ARTS MEDIA ARTS - THE RASHOMON EFFECT You ask four guys how it happened, you get four different versions. Tommy DeVito, from Jersey Boys. It was a happy day when we embraced the idea of contradictions. Rick Elice, Co-writer. When filmmaker Akira Kurosawa s groundbreaking film Rashomon was released in his native Japan in 1950, it was considered a failure. Too complicated, said one reviewer; Too monotonous, said another. Japanese critics were astonished when the film won the Golden Lion Award at the 1951 Venice Film Festival. In the West, in the aftermath of World War II, audiences were ready to contemplate relativity as more than a theory of physics as a theory of perception, for example, and perhaps as a theory of truth. In Rashomon, four people who have witnessed a murder tell four plausible but mutually exclusive stories of what took place, and viewers are exposed to a radical demonstration of the fact that people see things in different ways. Rashomon has come to suggest any situation in which the truth cannot be discerned because of varying testimonies. In psychology, the Rashomon effect is the way each person s point of view affects his or her remembrance of events. In Jersey Boys, we hear each part of the story from a different narrator, and each member of the group has his own opinion of how the story of The Four Seasons should be told. * The Jersey Boys Discovery Guide The Rashomon Effect. ACTIVITY 1 Students should read the above information about the Rashomon effect and how it relates to the Jersey Boys production. Students may also wish to visit the following websites to gain a deeper understanding of this principle: Definition: Film synopsis: Discuss with the class how multiple narratives are presented within Jersey Boys and how each character s narrative presents a different perspective on the situation or event. Students should discuss examples of how the four central characters perceive events and situations differently. What are some examples of this? Why do you think the characters perceive things differently? 30

31 THE ARTS ACTIVITY 2 Develop a mock situation with another teacher (or trust worthy student) that will be presented in front of your class. It is best if the mock scenario is scripted and rehearsed so that it can be used as reference later in the activity. It is important for the teacher to consider their relationship with the class and the maturity of the class, before attempting this activity. It is also important to ensure that a proper debriefing follows this activity. A sample script of a mock situation is provided below. Note: The teacher running the activity would play Teacher 1: Short mock scenario: Teacher 2: (enters the classroom out of breath). You have to come to the Principals office now! Teacher 1: Why? Teacher 2: It s about the situation that we were talking about on Tuesday. It s gotten worse. Teacher 1: In what way? Teacher 2: Apparently three of your students are involved? Teacher 1: Who? Teacher 2: I can t say? Teacher 1: I can t leave now. I m teaching. Teacher 2: Alright then. Just make sure that you go as soon as you can. Teacher 1: Okay! Teacher 2: And please don t mention anything about you know what okay? Teacher 1: What? Teacher 2: You know? (Winks) Teacher 1: Oh! Okay (Teacher 2 exits) Without explanation students are to get into pairs and record the detail of the conversation they just witnessed. Ask: What was said? Who said it? What do you think they meant? What were they wearing? What do you think is going on? Students are informed that the scenario that they just witnessed was a performance which was set up for the purpose of analysing the Rashomon effect. The students will now examine how their perception of this event differs from other students in the class. Each pair of students relates their observations of the event. After each group has presented their observations ask: What were the major differences in how the class recalled the event? Did you observe any differences in the story? Did you observe any differences in how student s perceived what was going on? Why do you think Rick Elice (Jersey Boys Co-writer) was so excited to explore contradictions in The Four Seasons perception of events? How is this device used within the musical? 31

32 THE ARTS GUYS AND DOLLS Speaking of love, I guess it s time to talk about women. There were always women. Girls, wives, other people s wives... TOMMY (to audience) This activity can be used with other similar works, but will be most useful as a post-viewing activity of Jersey Boys. Like other theatrical works such as Shakespeare s Julius Caesar, the main characters in Jersey Boys are male. Taking into consideration the contemporary discussion of portrayal of women characters and opportunities for female actors, teachers can get their students to examine the possibilities as to why there are so many male characters and actors in Jersey Boys: Is it deliberate? Is it merely an accurate portrayal of an all-male band and the men they were hanging out with (particularly the mob figures in the very patriarchal New Jersey mafia), or; Is it also taking the opportunity to explore the concept of maleness within the context of a well-known band and their not-so-well-known yet highly engaging backstory? Have students read through the following excerpts from the script, then have them reverse the roles so that the male characters are female, and vice versa. What difference does it make to the portrayal of the scene when the genders are reversed? Why? Excerpt 1 FRANKIE Lemme explain. You re out on the road. A thousand miles from home. You do a show, you get charged up, you re ten feet tall... and then it s midnight and what re you supposed to do? Go back to the hotel and rinse out your socks? Everybody has a girlfriend, honey. Everybody. ANGEL TWO Then why get married? FRANKIE Are you kidding? Family is everything. 32

33 THE ARTS Excerpt 2 TOMMY Did Frankie tell you, before I took him on, he was studying to be a hairdresser? LORRAINE No. TOMMY Oh, yeah. The kid was lost. Between you and me - and don t print this, because he doesn t want it out there - I taught him everything he knows. LORRAINE Really. TOMMY But not everything I know. LORRAINE Well, you tutored him very well. TOMMY Why don t we just cut to the chase here, Lorraine? LORRAINE How do you mean, Tommy? TOMMY You re a big girl. I can see you been around. So... when you get tired of high school, you might want to check out the graduate course. 33

34 THE ARTS MEDIA MANIPULATION Jersey Boys is the quintessential rags to riches story. John Lloyd Young Franki Valli Jersey Boys - Meet The Jersey Boys Featurette - Official Warner Bros. UK John Lloyd Young played the role of Franki Valli in Clint Eastwood s 2014 film adaptation of Jersey Boys. In the Official Warner Bros. Featurette, he describes the central plotline of the film as the quintessential rags to riches story. How accurate is this description of the story? Are there other possible perspectives on what Jersey Boys is about? ACTIVITY 1 In this activity students will explore how media can be manipulated to suit specific audiences and communicate different intended meanings. Students should first watch the following short Youtube clip: Top 3 Secrets Behind Editing Movie Trailers Using the video equipment and editing facilities available at your school, students are to work in small groups to create their own movie trailer for Clint Eastwood s film version of Jersey Boys. Each group uses appropriate content from the sources listed below to create their own promotional video. The groups can be given a specific genre of film to emulate (i.e. road trip movie, love story, biographical drama, romantic comedy), or can choose their own from the resource provided below: List of genres Jersey Boys media content sources: Jersey Boys images Jersey Boys Videos CA&q=jersey+boys&oq=jersey+boys&gs_l=psy-ab j1j c.1.64.psy-ab f5IPXjfxcWg Once the groups have finished editing their footage they might wish to add voice overs and/or Jersey Boys music to underscore their trailer. They would then present their completed trailers to the class for feedback and discussion. Ask: 34

35 THE ARTS How was the source material manipulated to develop a sense of genre? How did this manipulation effect the intended meaning? Was the genre clearly presented? How could it have been developed further given more time and/ or a bigger budget? What differences did you observe in the editing techniques used? How do these techniques help to shape our understanding of genre? 35

36 THE ARTS MUSIC - FALSETTO I dropped out of high school to tour with Short Shorts, I shared a bus with Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, the Everly Brothers, Jackie Wilson but I never heard a voice like Frankie Valli s. After eight bars, I know I need to write for this voice. Bob Gaudio, from Jersey Boys. The most distinctive feature of Frankie Valli s voice is what has been called his signature falsetto. In one scene from the play, he is shown singing a note even higher than the female lead during a recording - much to her chagrin! Portraying such a powerful and high voice is hard work for all actors who have had to portray Frankie. In the 2013 Baltimore production, Nick Cosgrove would use a 26-minute tape of vocal exercises that Katie Agresta, a highly experienced vocal coach who worked with the singers, had put together for him. Hayden Milanes, another Frankie on the production, would also stick to the post-performance warm down she had insisted on singing in descending order the same scales used to warm up, decreasing the volume as you go. Frankie Valli s use of falsetto is part of a long tradition, most notably the so-called doo-wop style so popular at the time. Students should have an understanding of the historical context and physiological challenges of falsetto singing in order to appreciate Valli s significance as a singer in recent popular music history. The following activities provide an introduction to this interesting aspect of the singing voice. ACTIVITY 1 Find Your Inner Falsetto Demonstrate a siren exercise to the class. There is a great guide for this exercise and others on this page: Teachers can also use a similar warmup exercise of their own. Make a few variations to the siren, and have the class copy you. Ask: What do you feel your body / your voice doing? Explain that the high notes at the top are in falsetto voice (or head voice for girls). Ask: Why do you think the word false is part of the name? Have the class sing The Grand Old Duke of York (or similar song with a limited register) in middle or chest voice, then in falsetto. Ask: Is this difficult to do? Ask the class what would be the opposite of falsetto most likely they will come up with the breathy low register sometimes called vocal fry. Explain this term - a good starting point is: 36

37 THE ARTS ACTIVITY 2 Falsettists I Have Known 1. Ask: Have you heard any professional artists who sing like that? Is there a name for that voice type or type of singer? Who? (list on board) 2. Show the online video of countertenor Alfred Deller: Explain the term countertenor and how this type of singing fits into music history. Refer: 3. Ask: There also used to be a type of singer called castrati how do you think they got their voices?! Refer: 4. Show YouTube videos listed to the class. Ask: How do these performers sound different from each other? How are they the same? i. Doowop singers: ii. Bee Gees: iii. Jimmy Somerville: iv. WatchMojo s top ten list of male falsetto singers: 37

38 THE ARTS SHORT SHORTS I had Short Shorts at Number Two when I was fifteen. OK sure, by 17, I m just another onehit-wonder worrying that the best is already behind me... Bob Gaudio, from Jersey Boys. [ Short Shorts ] was inspired, naturally enough, by a drive down Washington Avenue with fellow band member Tom Austin. Austin recalled that they saw several good-looking girls walking along the street wearing the nowimmortalized shorts. Being teen-age boys, Austin said, they of course slowed down to take a look. From: Short Shorts was a very popular song in 1958 and an example of the classic 12 bar blues format that is still used by popular musicians today. In Jersey Boys the song is performed as an introduction to Bob Gaudio s character, at the start of the act called Summer, of which Bob is the narrator. Music students can learn the song on instruments easily in class, no matter what level of instrumental ability they have. SHORT SHORTS CHORDS & LYRICS CHORD LINE CHORD ECHO C Who wears short shorts? C We wear short shorts! F They re such short shorts C We like short shorts C Who wears short shorts? C We wear short shorts! Repeat verse 2x Chords: C = C E G, G = G B D, F = F A C 38

39 THE ARTS ACTIVITY 1 Twelve Bar Blues The simplest way to teach the twelve bar blues is to use the echo technique: i. Have the lyrics and chords printed or written on a large sheet that all students can see. Sing the song as indicated above teacher sings first line, students sing echo. ii. Allocate instruments to students. These can be keyboards, guitars, recorders, melodic percussion any pitched instrument. On their instrument, students play the C chord, the note C, or any note from the C chord (see above). Sing the song again as in step i, and students play only when they are singing the echo. iii. Select some students to play the F chord, the note F, or any note from the F chord (see above). Those students sit with the teacher and play only on the line with the F chord (i.e. They re such short shorts ). The rest of the class plays as in step ii. You can refer to these groups as the C group and the F group. iv. The teacher now moves away from the F group and selects a number of students from the C group to form the G group. The G group and the teacher sit in another part of the space to play the G chord, the note G, or any note of the G chord (see above). v. Play the song as above, with each group only playing their chord at the correct time. Swap groups around when confident. Some students may wish to play all three chords. Ask the class the following questions: Can you think of any other songs that use the twelve bar blues? Why twelve bar? Why blues? Why was this chord pattern so popular in the 1950s and 1960s? ACTIVITY 2 Short Shorts The whole class now sings the song. Divide the class so that one half sings only on the words short shorts, and the other half sings the other lyrics. Ask the class: Is the phrase short shorts always sung on the same note? Show the pitch level with your hand as you sing short shorts Invite students to create new lyrics, in groups if they wish. For example, they may change the phrase short shorts to long longs, or they may wish to add a new verse ( Where are my short shorts? ) 39

40 THE ARTS IT S A DEAL You got a manager, an agent, somebody? Tommy, to Bob Gaudio Talented though as-yet unknown musicians can have a tough time breaking in to the music business. Without capital or networks, it is difficult to get audiences to hear your work, whether live or recorded. In the 1960s, before online music, CDs or even cassettes, it was even more difficult for the Four Seasons to get their music to audiences. Read through the following 3 extracts before the classroom activity. DIALOGUE 1 Bob is arguing with Crewe about going back on his promise CREWE You work for me. You re guaranteed a salary. You sing background for my artists. You bring me four songs and I ll record them. (one year later) BOB Here s the problem. You said we go with you, do some backups and you d record us. That was - what - a year ago? When are you going to record us? CREWE When you give me a hit. BOB I ve given you ten hits. CREWE Ten songs. Not ten hits. BOB OK, then listen to this. Either you give us a date when you re going to record us - four songs, like you promised - or we re going down the hall and make a deal with people who keep their word. 40

41 THE ARTS DIALOGUE 2 Tommy s initial offer to Bob is rejected TOMMY OK, I m gonna hire you on a trial basis for let s say... three weeks, at a salary of $25 a week, then we ll see what happens. BOB Oh, gee. I don t think that s going to work. TOMMY Why not? BOB I was thinking I would come in as an equal partner. TOMMY Really. BOB Plus which, I retain the publishing on anything I write, and we can work out a favored nations on any mechanical and ancillary rights. DIALOGUE 3 Frankie and Bob work out their side project BOB We make a partnership. I give you half of everything I write, you give me half of everything you record outside of the group. FRANKIE Why would I ever record outside of the group? BOB I dunno. Things happen. FRANKIE You wanna do this thing? BOB Yeah. I just, I mean FRANKIE So we do it. You want a contract? Here (sticks out his hand) a Jersey contract. 1. In each of the dialogues, Bob takes it on himself to negotiate the terms of the agreement. As a class, discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each one speculate on the sorts of things that might go wrong. 2. Have students research and compare the sorts of contracts that modern performers have negotiated. A good spot to start is here: What is the difference between these contracts and those negotiated by the Four Seasons? How has technology changed the sorts of conditions that are contained in the report? 41

42 THE ARTS CAN T TAKE MY EYES OFF YOU Where s that song? We wanna hear that song! What s wrong with you people? Bob Crewe, speaking as a blue-collar worker about Can t Take My Eyes Off You, in Jersey Boys. This song, written by Bob Gaudio and Bob Crewe, has been an outstanding success since its release in Since that time it has been covered by countless musicians and featured in movies, TV shows, and other realms of popular culture. Although the song is now very familiar and recognisable to listeners of popular music, the structure of the song is unusual. In Jersey Boys, this unusual nature of the song is portrayed as making it too difficult for music industry executives to accept, and it is only through Bob Gaudio s insistence that it is finally played on the radio, initiating the huge success it has since become. If teachers are planning to take their students to see Jersey Boys, this activity is best completed after seeing the show, as there is a possibility of spoiling the plot. During the scene described above, Can t Take My Eyes Off You is referred to only as the song, after which it is performed by Frankie and the audience finally discovers what the song actually was! These activities are ideal for teachers wishing to illustrate or revise crucial aspects of modern harmony, including chords and chord progressions. ACTIVITY 1 Learning the Song 1. Sing Can t Take My Eyes Off You with piano or guitar accompaniment to the class. Ask: What different sections can you hear in the song? Is the instrumental section in this song different to other songs? 2. Now play only the chords from the verse. Ask: What can you say about the harmonic progression in this section? Is it moving in 5ths? 3rds? Steps? Can you hear a chromatic movement? What does this word mean? Each chord is held for 2 bars, with one exception put your hand up when you hear it. 3. Distribute melodic / harmonic instruments to the class - these could include glockenspiels, guitars, keyboards, pianos and so on. Allow students time to practise the following descending chromatic phrase in their own time: 4. Now instruct the class to play each note once only, and hold it for eight beats. Play the chords accompaniment again in time with the class playing, this time emphasising the chromatic note featured in each chord. Ensure that everyone plays at the right time - stop the exercise and start again if the class is not playing together. 42

43 THE ARTS 5. When you reach the F#7 - Am6 sequence towards the end of the verse ( You re just too good to be true ), some students may notice that these chords are played on four beats each. Stop playing and bring this to everyone s attention, writing the change on the board if you wish, and then start the verse again, this time paying attention to the new sequence. Practise the verse a few more times. Introduce singing and other instruments if desired, according to the ability of the class. 6. Teach the repeated riff from the instrumental break: This riff is almost entirely made up of chromatic intervals except for two where? How do you know? 7. Perform the song as a class: students play the chromatic sequences during the verse and the instrumental break and sing in the chorus; teacher plays chords accompaniment and sings. ACTIVITY 2 Analysing The Song (Extension Activities) As part of music analysis and theory activities in Years 9 / 10 or even VCE classes, the harmonic structure of the song can be studied for lessons on cadences, progressions, jazz chords and so on. Before teaching the chords of the song, questions including the following can be asked: What sort of 7th chords can you hear? Put your hand up when you think you can hear: A major 7th chord; dominant 7th chord; minor 7th chord. What other sorts of jazz chords can you hear? Do you know the notes of a 9th chord? A minor 6th chord? Where does the key change occur? What happens in a key change? After the song has been learned, the following questions / tasks can be given: At what points in the song is the harmony moving in 5ths? How does the chromatic sequence in the verse fit in with the chords? What is the key of the song? Write out the notes to all chords of the song. 43

44 THE ARTS VISUAL ARTS - LOOKS LIKE LICHTENSTEIN One of his sons pointed to a Mickey Mouse comic book and said; I bet you can t paint as good as that. In 1961 Lichtenstein produced about six paintings showing characters from comicstrip frames, with only minor changes of colour and form from the original source material. It was at this time that he first made use of devices which were to become signatures in his work - Ben-Day dots, lettering and speech balloons. Edward Lucie-Smith from Lives of the Great 20th-Century Artists ACTIVITY Students are to research the life and work of the celebrated Pop Artist, Roy Lichtenstein. The following websites will provide students with an excellent starting point. Websites: Information on Roy Lichtenstein Analysis of Roy Lichtenstein s work Roy Lichtenstein Pop Art Gallery Students should observe the similarities between Lichtenstein s work and the projected multimedia images used in the Jersey Boys production. Ask: Why do you think the Jersey Boys multimedia projections, designed by Michael Clark, emulated Lichtenstein s Pop Art style? Did the projected images enhance the audience s understanding of the time or place? How did the images support the action of the play? Why were the projections effective? In what ways did the projected images and words, convey meaning? Students might have already observed the Pop Art billboards that are currently being used to promote the Jersey Boys production. Students are set the challenge of creating a new Jersey Boys billboard which incorporates Lichtenstein s Pop Art style. Ask: What image might best communicate the themes or central ideas of Jersey Boys? What words or language might support this image? What colours might be used in the design? 44

45 THE ARTS Students will find the following website very useful in preparing this task: A free tutorial by Melissa Clifton which explains how to replicate Lichtenstein s unique style using Adobe s Photoshop program. Allow students time to design their billboard. Students are to present their work to the class for feedback and discussion. Students might imagine that they are presenting their work to a board of Jersey Boys executives. Ask: Which designs were most effective? Why? How might the image be improved? How effectively has the billboard design captured the Lichtenstein style? 45

46 THE ARTS ART FOR ALBUMS Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome my old friends and brand new Hall of Famers, the original Four Seasons! Bob Crewe ACTIVITY Students are given the challenge to create an album cover for The Four Seasons. Teachers should explain that the album will commemorate The Four Seasons induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (in 1990). Students should first examine previous album covers of the group. Refer: Four Seasons Album Covers: Ask: In what way do album covers give an indication of the year in which they are produced? What words or information need to be visible on an album cover? How does the size and style of the font affect the design? Which Four Seasons album covers did you think were most effective? Why? How might the album cover you design reflect a more modern time period? Students might consider using promotional images of the Melbourne production of Jersey Boys as inspiration for their own album designs. Refer: Allow students time to design their album covers. Students are to present their work to the class for feedback and discussion. Students might imagine that they are presenting their album designs to a record company. Ask: Which album designs were most effective? Why? How might the image be improved? In what way does the album cover reflect the musical qualities of The Four Seasons? 46

47 THE ARTS PATCH OF BLUE FRANKIE: You know, that s a nice colour for you. You should always wear that. MARY: Thanks for the fashion tip. Though the dialogue is snappy and the action is fast-paced in Jersey Boys, there is still a lot of information about the characters that needs to be conveyed. Colour plays a subtle but important role in this portrayal of the characters and plot on stage. ACTIVITY A. Teachers of Visual Arts can initiate a discussion with their classes of how colour is used to effect. Start by revising terms relating to colour such as hue, shade, contrast and juxtaposition, as these elements are used cleverly in the costume and stage design of Jersey Boys. B. Now, have a look at these two sets of photographs from different scenes in Jersey Boys and discuss: 1. In the first photo (A) the Four Seasons are in the recording studio working for Bob Crewe, in the days before they were famous. Each of them has a colourful, yet differently patterned and designed shirt. What does this suggest about the dynamics of these four characters as a group? Compare this to photo (B) where they have ended up in a jail cell and the colours of their suits and ties are also different. PHOTO A PHOTO B 47

48 THE ARTS 2. After their success, the Four Seasons stage appearance is more uniformed, with each of them wearing identical costumes. Look at the three photos from their stage performances (C, D and E) and compare the colour schemes in each. What are the costume designers suggesting by having them wear, for example, bright red jackets in one scene but grey suits and bow ties in another? PHOTO C PHOTO D PHOTO E C. Scan these photos and open in a picture editing program like Photoshop or Color Effects. Students can choose at least one photograph to change the colour scheme for example, change the red jackets to blue, or make the different coloured shirts look identical. Compare them to the original photo: what difference has been made to the dramatic effect by changing the colour? 48

49 HISTORY The following History activities offer rich opportunities for students to engage in the following A.C.A.R.A. General Capabilities Literacy - Comprehending texts through listening, reading and viewing - Composing texts through speaking, writing and creating - Text knowledge - Grammar knowledge - Word knowledge - Visual knowledge Critical and Creative Thinking - Inquiring Identifying, exploring and organising information and ideas - Generating ideas, possibilities and actions - Reflecting on thinking and processes - Analysing, synthesising and evaluating reasoning and procedures Personal and Social Capability - Self-awareness - Self-management - Social awareness - Social management Intercultural Understanding - Recognising culture and developing respect - Interacting and empathising with others - Reflecting on intercultural experiences and taking responsibility Ethical Understanding - Understanding ethical concepts and issues - Reasoning in decision making and actions - Exploring values, rights and responsibilities Information and Communication Technology - Applying social and ethical protocols and practices when using ICT - Investigating with ICT - Creating with ICT - Communicating with ICT - Managing and operating ICT 49

50 HISTORY JUST JERSEY Yeah, Jersey s great. We got some of the finest prisons in America and I speak from experience. So it s only natural to want something better. If you re from my neighbourhood, you ve got three ways out: you could join the army. You could get mobbed up. Or you could become a star. Tommy DeVito from Jersey Boys. ACTIVITY Find out what students already know about Jersey and the 1960 s culture of the American people. Teachers could prepare an introductory session or set a research task that allows students to gain and share an understanding of: The geographical location of New Jersey, its cities, its neighbouring states and, its location in relation to Australia. Use a globe or a map. Refer: American diversity that has unified or divided its people including; religion, nationality, class, language, colour, etc. Refer: Important stages of Jersey s history with particular focus on events post World War II as well as major political developments and contemporary issues. Refer: Italian-American contributions to American culture and society including the immigration of Italian people to America. Refer: Students are to read the Jersey Boys quote at the top of this page. Ask: Why does Tommy say that Jersey is great? Why is he being sarcastic? Is Tommy s attitude and experience indicative of the Italian-American male youth of his time or is it the exception? Why do you think there is so much poverty and crime in Tommy s neighbourhood? Students should be encouraged to examine and identify the reasons for social inequality between different communities in America. Students will find the following website useful: How did redlining contribute to issues of inequality within neighbouring communities? How were the red lines determined? 50

51 HISTORY HISTORIC EVENTS It s a season of firsts. John Glenn is the first American to orbit the Earth. We go out on our first cross-country tour And that night, I rack up a personal first. Bob Gaudio, from Jersey Boys Eisenhower s the president. Rocky Marciano s the heavy weight champ. And a few guys under a streetlamp, singing Tommy DeVito, from Jersey Boys ACTIVITY The production of Jersey Boys is divided into four seasons, however the actual timeline of the events covers more than fifty years. Even though the story of the Jersey Boys primarily focuses on the lives and careers of the central characters, there are many moments in the musical when the audience are made aware of other significant historical events that were happening at the time (as the above quotes demonstrate). In this activity students will focus on researching other ground breaking world events that were taking place at the same time as the Jersey Boys were rocketing to fame. Break the class into groups and give each group a specific focus for their research. Students might be divided into groups to research a particular decade, or groups might be assigned to researching a specific event such as; the Apollo space missions, the women s rights movement, the Vietnam War, the Civil Rights movement, etc. Students might refer to the following websites as a starting point for their research: Give students time to present their research to the class for feedback and discussion. Ask: What significant historical events are referenced in Jersey Boys? Why do you believe the writers may have chosen to not include other significant world events? How many of the historical events you have identified actually impacted on the lives of The Four Seasons? 51

52 THE AMERICAN MAFIA ACTIVITIES HISTORY You want something done or un-done in New Jersey, Gyp DeCarlo was The Man. He made fifty problems like Frankie s disappear everyday before lunch.. Tommy DeVito from Jersey Boys. ACTIVITY Tommy DeVito clearly admires Gyp DeCarlo s status. Gyp is presented as a man with money, power, respect and influence. The character of Mr DeCarlo is based on a real Mafia boss. In this activity students will investigate the history of the American Mafia and its involvement in illegal activities in America. Students will find the following website useful in their investigation: Divide the class into five groups to investigate the five main New York City Mafia families. Assign a Mafia family to each group. Students should refer to the following websites as a starting point for their research: Students should present their research to the class for feedback and discussion. Ask: What sort of illegal activities were these families involved in? Were there any differences in the sorts of illegal activities each family were involved in? Which real Mafia member do you believe Gyp DeCarlo is based on? What illegal activities is Gyp DeCarlo involved in? What other activities might we assume he would have been involved in? What position in the structure of the Mafia does Gyp DeCarlo hold? What methods might Gyp DeCarlo have used to make problems disappear? How is Gyp DeCarlo s character perceived by the audience? 52

53 HISTORY PHOTOS & BIOGRAPHIES OF THE CAST Refer: PHOTOS & BIOGRAPHIES OF THE CREATIVE TEAM Refer: BIOGRAPHIES OF THE PRODUCERS Refer: 53

54 TIMELINE OF THE SEASONS ACTIVITIES HISTORY 1960 The group known as The Four Lovers evolved into The Four Seasons, with Frankie Valli as the lead singer, Bob Gaudio (formerly of The Royal Teens) on keyboards and tenor vocals, Tommy DeVito on lead guitar and baritone vocals and Nick Massi on bass guitar and bass vocals The group released their first album featuring the single Sherry, which was not only their first charted hit but also their first number one song Walk Like A Man is the band s third straight number one hit Nick Massi is the first of the original members to leave The Four Seasons. Tommy and Bob would follow in 1970 and 71, respectively My Eyes Adored You is Frankie Valli s first hit as a solo artist The Four Seasons are inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Four Seasons are inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame The premiere production of Jersey Boys opens on Broadway at The August Wilson Theatre, closing in January In November of that year, the production re-opened Off-Broadway at New World Stages Jersey Boys opens in San Francisco at the Curran Theatre, then moves to Chicago at the Bank of America Theatre, and in Toronto at the Toronto Centre for the Arts West End production at the Prince Edward, then the Piccadilly Theatre, in London, UK. UK national tours were launched in 2014 and Las Vegas production at the Palazzo Jersey Boys opens in Melbourne at the Princess Theatre, then moves to Sydney in , and finally in Auckland in The show returns for an Australian national tour that ends in Film version of Jersey Boys, directed by Clint Eastwood International productions of Jersey Boys in a number of countries including Singapore, South Africa, Turkey, South Korea, Malaysia, The Netherlands and Japan Jersey Boys returns for an Australian tour, starting at Sydney s Capitol Theatre in September. 54

55 HISTORY THE HIT MACHINE For over a decade Bob Gaudio teamed with various partners to pen a remarkable number of U.S. Top 40 hits for Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons. His run from 1962 to 1975: #1 (5 weeks) Sherry 25/08/62 #1 (5 weeks) Big Girls Don t Cry 20/10/62 #1 (3 weeks) Walk Like A Man 26/01/63 #36 (2 weeks) Marlena 13/07/63 #3 (3 weeks) Dawn (Go Away) 01/02/64 #6 (1 week) Ronnie 11/04/64 #1 (2 weeks) Rag Doll 20/06/64 #10 (2 weeks) Save It For Me 29/08/64 #20 (2 weeks) Big Man In Town 07/11/64 #12 ( 2 weeks) Bye, Bye, Baby (Baby Goodbye) 16/01/65 #30 (1 week) Girl Come Running 19/06/65 #16 (2 weeks) Beggin 04/03/67 #2 (2 weeks) Can t Take My Eyes Off You 02/05/67 #3 (2 weeks) Who Loves You 23/08/75 #1 (3 weeks) December, 1963 (Oh What A Night) 27/12/75 55

56 HISTORY NOTE: THE FOLLOWING CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS HAVE ALSO BEEN COPIED FROM THE JERSEY BOYS PROGRAM PUBLISHED BY THE ARACA GROUP CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS TOMMY DEVITO A guy walks into a room, announcing his presence with authority by the simple act of adjusting the lapel on his jacket. He s one to watch. The swagger, the bravado, the self assurance a guy like this is up to something something you may want to be part of and maybe something you don t. But you look. You wonder. And then, you listen as he picks up a guitar. He plays. He sings. This street tough from Belleville, New Jersey is a musician. Something s missing, but it s not confidence. Maybe a guy like this gets steeled from growing up during the Depression, resorting to a series of petty crimes, short stints at correction centres, being brought up in a town whose economy went from one extreme to the other in a handful of years. Fruitful, then barren, and then blooming too fast, to such an extent, that amidst a flourishing nation, some of those seeds of prosperity fell onto a stony strip in New Jersey. Heated and lit, not by the sun, but by the streetlamps that became microphones to guys like Tommy. That s how a guy get s from there, to here. That s how he stays strong during the storms of opposition, of tumult, of pessimism. Tommy DeVito stood his ground. Knew what he believed in. Saw his life going in one of three different ways: You could join the Army. You could get mobbed up. Or you could become a star. Have your songs played in France. It could happen. It did happen. He s a player, a worker, a protector. Sure, he might seem self-serving, maybe he is. But for Tommy, it s the end result. Means to an end. My hand to God and he reaches. He reaches and to get there, he grabs and finds three other hands that grab back. He s the one who pulls them in. Holds them close. He knows that what he hangs on to will take him to where he wants to go. Up. Plant the seeds. The best is yet to come. Spring has sprung. 56

57 BOBBY GAUDIO ACTIVITIES HISTORY Imagine touring with a busload of music legends in the making: Chuck Berry, Sam Cooke, The Everly Brothers, Jackie Wilson. Now, imagine doing this at the age of 15. Bob Gaudio left high school in his junior year as part of The Royal Teens and toured the country after their 1958 hit Short Shorts, which he co-wrote, made it to number 3 on the pop charts. He gigged all over, ninety one-nighters and then as soon as it started, it seemed to end; the tour, the hit but, not the dream. At 17, he found himself working at a printing factory, making sure he left work with the same amount of fingers that he started with. At age 7, he played a piano concert at Carnegie Hall. At 15, he was touring the country with a chart-topping hit. For some, those kinds of accomplishments would be enough for a while in life s win column at age 15. Not bad. But, for a driven musician like Bob Gaudio, it wasn t enough. At age 17, he was still searching for more of the success he tasted a couple of years back. Maybe not the touring, or the performing, but that feeling of catching hold of that bit of lightning in a bottle. At his feet would be many empty containers waiting to be filled. Sooner than later, he d have handfuls to harness. He didn t stand under the same streetlamps, but he found a beam that would burn just as bright, actually, brighter. The source was a three and a half octave gift shot not from the sky, but from a Valli. I never heard a voice like Frankie Valli s. After eight bars, I know I need to write for this voice. I locked myself in my room and I wrote four new songs in two days. No, not songs, hits He wrote. He composed. He found the lightning. Things were heating up. 57

58 NICK MASSI ACTIVITIES HISTORY Nick Massi walked around with two ears like almost everyone else in Newark, New Jersey but, the way he used them musically was on a whole different level. He heard things just fine; he just heard them in four parts. People have ears. Guys like Nick have chambers. Nick was as close to being a musical genius as anyone I know. Valli says, He heard harmony like nobody else. Nick sang the bass vocals, played the bass guitar, and typified the bass in the way he conducted himself in the group. The role of the bass in any band is to a) provide the rhythmic foundation; and to, b) provide the harmonic foundation. In a much heralded, often hyphenated white-doo-wop-soul-r&b-pop-rock description of The Four Seasons, the presence of Nick Massi and his contribution as the arranger and architect in the creation of the band s unmistakable sound is undeniable. In the voice department, there was no one like Nick, longtime Four Seasons producer Bob Crewe told the Star- Ledger. He had that wonderful big booming sound. He was one of the most informed musicians I ve ever worked with, with an innate sense of how things worked together. When people talk about The Four Seasons, inevitably, Frankie Valli s falsetto is mentioned almost in the same sentence. It s an audible stamp that identifies any Seasons song. It is a vocal gift, made vocal marvel by the counterpoint of Massi s deep bass and skilful arrangements. The high falsetto may not have registered as high were it not for the lows of Massi s bass. Without Massi, the Seasons sound may have never reached the clarity that established itself so prominently in a sea of vocal groups. Nick realised this. He knew. He heard the evidence in four parts. Did anyone else? Or, did his contributions fall on deaf ears? 58

59 FRANKIE VALLI ACTIVITIES HISTORY In the beginning there was the voice. Not just the falsetto, but a vocal range that moved effortlessly from one extreme to the other. Maybe more than any other artist, when you hear Frankie Valli, you know it s Frankie Valli. As strong as the voice is, from where it springs forth, is even stronger. He is a dreamer, he is a do-er, he is the living example that an overnight success can take ten years of nights to accomplish. This unwavering confidence stems from his steadfast foundation of loyalty; loyalty to the band, to the music, to the fans and loyalty to the voice. In-fighting within the group, personal loss, health scares, financial mismanagements pick one, and an average group breaks up. They wilt. They crack. They wither and die in the starkness of a cold spot. When the winter of discontent hits, the branches lose sight of the seasons past and of the seasons yet to come. Not Frankie. He gets it. Always has. His voice gives birth. To hopes. To dreams. To new seasons. 59

60 HISTORY NOTE: THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION HAS BEEN COPIED FROM THE JERSEY BOYS DISCOVERY GUIDE SYNOPSIS Jersey Boys is the story of four sons of Italian immigrants. They went from singing on street corners in the housing projects of northern New Jersey to singing on national television as their songs hit the top of the charts. Their meteoric rise was fuelled by talent, street savvy and heart, plus a sound that was theirs and theirs alone. But even their dramatic ascent could not free them from poverty and mafia connections of their early years. They called themselves The Four Seasons, and their story emerges as four stories, each representing a season of their career, and each told by a different member of the group. Spring is the time of their earliest beginnings, harmonizing under a street lamp on a balmy sunny evening. Summer is the zenith of their success; while in autumn we see that success takes its toll, as the lives and marriages of the group members begin to unravel. Winter brings solitude, sorrow and reflection, but within it the memories of the first spring are contained, and in that memory lies the promise of another spring. Within the broad outlines of their history, though, the recollections of the individual members vary widely. These conflicting memories provide a tension and torque, which get beneath the bounce and zing of the music and rev it up still further, giving Jersey Boys an irresistible momentum. 60

61 PRODUCTION HIGHLIGHTS Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice: The write men for the job ACTIVITIES HISTORY An interviewer marveling at the success of Jersey Boys laughingly asked Marshall Brickman Who would have thought that you d end up knowing all the lyrics Frankie Valli ever wrote? A self-described member of the overanalyzed, over educated, Upper West Side generation of New Yorkers, Brickman thought of The Four Seasons as a piece of music by classical composer Antonio Vivaldi, and would have turned down the opportunity to meet with Frankie Valli and Bob Gaudio had he not been cajoled into it by his friend Rick Elice. The meeting of these four men at the Joe Allen Restaurant in Times Square was an unlikely conjunction of two perfectly paired, but seemingly very different, sets of artists. Marshall Brickman had written extensively for television before hooking up with Woody Allen to collaborate on the films Sleeper, Annie Hall (which won him an Oscar) and Manhattan, but his show business debut was as a musician and vocalist in the folk group The Tarriers. Brickman recorded (with Eric Weissberg) the soundtrack of the movie Deliverance before turning to writing, so he was no stranger to the world of singing and recording. Elice the playwright behind the popular stage thriller Double Double, had worked as an actor, teacher and creative consultant, and in the field of advertising had produced ad campaigns for 300 Broadway shows, including A Chorus Line and The Lion King. Both men recognized dramatic promise in the material they heard as Valli and Gaudio described their boyhoods in New Jersey. The two writers heard the themes of a play they knew they wanted to write: the contrast of the bright, youthful music with the dark underside of poverty and mob connections; what Brickman calls the Shakespearean nature of the obstacles that had confronted the young Seasons; and, most of all, the way the four original members of the group still contradicted each other as they recalled the past. It was a happy day when we embraced the idea of the contradictions, says Elice. With director Des McAnuff, the writers used these contradictions as the organizing principle of the show, allowing many of the story s dramatic ironies. The odd-couple alliance between the two high school drop-outs and the two Harvard/Yale types from Manhattan sparked the very genesis of the show. Elice remembers Bob Gaudio saying to him wryly, early in their acquaintance, I know where you were in the Sixties. You were marching on Washington while our fans went to Vietnam. Brickman confirmed this impression, saying that the only song he had known back then was We Shall Overcome. The basic counterpoint between the two pairs sounded the opening notes of what would be a whole new composition. The conflict experienced by four young Italian-Americans reaching for the American dream while still in the clutches of the Italian Mafia becomes a dramatic propellant onstage, moving the story forward. The internal tensions among The Four Seasons, who found their lives beginning to unravel just as their careers were at their peak; the differences in the way they recalled the past; and even the contrast between the audience s heart-deep familiarity with the music of The Four Seasons and near-complete ignorance of the group itself all of those closely held opposites also provide high-octane fuel, making Jersey Boys move like a joyride in a stolen Cadillac, as Richard Ouzounian of the Toronto Star said, and giving it what Ben Fong-Torres of the San Francisco Chronicle identified as a neat balance between heart and sass that rocketed it to sold-out status on Broadway in less then a week. 61

62 SETTING AND CONTEXT And The Band Played On ACTIVITIES HISTORY Jersey Boys takes place within a symbolic year of four seasons, but it covers several decades in the life of the group by that name. The Four Seasons got their start in the mid-1950 s, when the phenomenon of rock and roll gyrated into a staid era of lounge music and propriety, blew open all the doors and vented the life force and rebellion of a huge new generation, the children of World War II, now known as the Baby Boomers, just as they were coming of age. Initially rubbing elbows with Elvis Presley (both he and Valli cut their first records in 1953), The Four Seasons displayed unusual staying power. After hitting the pop charts 40 times in the 1960 s, most bands would have disintegrated, especially under the onslaught of the so-called British Invasion that brought the Beatles and the Rolling Stones to American shores, and the added pressures of the Vietnam War, which ended the Boomers innocence. But The Four Seasons fell back and regrouped, downsizing to two, Valli and Gaudio, whose partnership was sealed with a Jersey contract (a handshake) and endures to this day. By 1974, Valli was back in the Number One spot on the music charts as a solo performer, and a year later, the group reunited for two more years at the top of the charts, before breaking up in Rock music was changing, falsetto singing was enjoying a new popularity as the Bee Gees ushered in the disco era, and Frankie Valli reached new heights with a triple-platinum hit: the title song from the musical Grease. Valli and Gaudio reformed The Four Seasons with two new members in 1980, the year Ronald Reagan was elected President, and began recording and touring. In 1990, The Four Seasons were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. And now, in a stunning apotheosis of the American dream, their legend and renown have new life in a play about them, which Richard Corliss of Time Magazine said will run for centuries. Now that s staying power! 62