Classic tale comes to life

[Photo Provided to China Daily]

From Nov 9 to Jan 13, the Jersey Boys show will tour China visiting Shanghai, Guangzhou and Beijing.

According to Selladoor Worldwide, the tour will see a brand-new production of the musical, which will feature Luke Sheppard as director, Mark Crossland as music director and Cressida Carre as choreographer.

Speaking about his role, the London-based director Sheppard, who has worked on several high-profile musicals, including Matilda, Singin' in the Rain and In the Heights, says: "My first experience with Jersey Boys was hearing the music, discovering Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons all over again through the soundtrack of the musical.

"I remember that I listened to it with my mother and we were so excited and we went to buy tickets while we were visiting America.

"I just fell in love with the show, the writing and the story. These are people who we feel we know so much about, but actually the whole story never really came into the public. I found it absolutely fascinating, witnessing their rise to fame and everything that went on behind the scenes.

"I believe the story of Jersey Boys is universal. It is about a group of underdogs who went on to achieve something extraordinary. That tale never gets old. There is also a whole new generation that I think know their music through all kinds of media, but actually don't know who Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons are. It's a great sense of joy in discovering the truth behind the music we know and love. As long as music is around, which I think will be for a very long time, people will always have a place for the Jersey Boys," the director adds.

"Of course, with music we work on so many levels, beyond whether it's in English, whether it's in French, whether it's in German and whether it's in Mandarin. That's something about music that touches you, it really is a unique way to transcend and goes beyond words."