Everything you need to know about 'Jersey Boys' in the West End

Hear the Frankie Valli falsetto on stage at Jersey Boys in London. Even though Jersey Boys premiered nearly 20 years ago, the musical’s established itself as a West End and Broadway classic. After a nine-year West End run of Jersey Boys in London, Jersey Boys is now back in the West End.

Listen out for all your Jersey Boys music favourites like “Sherry” and “Working My Way Back to You.” From how to get Jersey Boys tickets to when to see the Frankie Valli musical, here’s your ultimate guide to Jersey Boys in London.

Book Jersey Boys tickets on London Theatre.

What is Jersey Boys about?

Jersey Boys is a bio-musical inspired by the lives of four band members: Frankie Valli, Tommy DeVito, Bob Gaudio and Nick Massi. Together, the quartet were Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons.

The four seasons act as a musical framework for the show, as their lives are told over the course of spring, summer, fall and winter. In “Spring”, we see the band come together to become the Jersey Boys. “Summer” should be a bright time of year, but issues with loan sharks and keeping afloat see the band members struggle.

By the “Fall,” it seems as though as the band’s career could fall apart. Mercifully, all issues are resolved by “Winter” and they’re heading to the top again.

Where is Jersey Boys playing?

Jersey Boys in London is at the Trafalgar Theatre. The Trafalgar Theatre is the newest West End theatre, as it opened in 2021. Jersey Boys is the only show to have played at the Trafalgar Theatre.

Read our Jersey Boys review on London Theatre.

How long is Jersey Boys?

The Jersey Boys musical running time is two hours and 20 minutes long. During the show, there is an interval of 20 minutes. Find out more about West End musical running times.

What days is Jersey Boys playing?

Jersey Boys plays eight performances a week at the Trafalgar Theatre. Evening performances take place on Monday and Wednesday - Saturday. Matinee performances take place on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. For the complete performance schedule and show times, please visit the Jersey Boys page to learn more.

When did Jersey Boys premiere?

After storming the charts for decades, the life and times of the Four Seasons lent perfectly for a musical adaptation. The Jersey Boys world premiere took place in San Diego in 2004, at La Jolla Playhouse. Pretty quickly, Jersey Boys attracted plenty of attention and a future life was secured as the jukebox musical went to Broadway.

Jersey Boys began Broadway previews at the August Wilson Theatre on 4 Oct. 2005 ahead of an opening night on 6 Nov. 2005.

Who wrote Jersey Boys?

The Jersey Boys musical features a book based on real events by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice. Together, they’ve worked on two musicals: Jersey Boys and The Addams Family.

Who is in Jersey Boys?

The Jersey Boys West End cast includes Luke Suri as Frankie Valli, Adam Bailey as Bob Gaudio, Karl James Wilson as Nick Massi, and Benjamin Yates as Tommy De Vito.

The Jersey Boys cast stars Joey Cornish as Joe Pesci, Kevin Fullinick as Barry Belson, Matthew Goodgame as Gyp De Carlo, Gracie Lai as Lorraine, Carolyn Maitland as Mary Delgado, Rosie Needham as Francine, Tom Oliver as Norm Waxman/Hank Majewski, Joseph Peters as Bob Crewe, Elliot Allinson, Jack Campbell, Huon Mackley, Bonnie Page and Andy Smith, and Danny Knott.

Jersey Boys Characters

The Jersey Boys musical includes real life people. All four Jersey Boys band members are characters that appear in the production. Read on to find out more about the main characters you will see on stage in Jersey Boys in London.

Frankie Valli: The Jersey Boys frontman is arguably the most well-known member of the band. He’s the lead vocalist of the Four Seasons and boasts a unique falsetto. Don’t try singing as high as Frankie Valli without warming up!

Tommy DeVito: Tommy DeVito is part of the Four Seasons group. He’s the lead guitar player and can be heard in a variety of Four Seasons songs.

Nick Massi: Nick Massi is a Four Quartets member and in particular helps Frankie Valli with his singing qualities. Listen out for Nick Massi playing the bass during the show.

Bob Gaudio: Bob Gaudio is one of the Four Seasons. Typically, he writes many of the songs (he’s credited as the music creator of the Jersey Boys musical.) Gaudio is the final person to join the band.

Bob Crewe: Bob Crewe signs the Four Seasons at the start of their career and helps them release their music to the wider world.

Gyp DeCarlo: Don’t get in Gyp DeCarlo’s way. He’s a mob boss who is connected to the band via Tommy DeVito. Can he ease the loan sharks away?

Jersey Boys characters include Frankie Valli’s first wife, Mary Delgado, Frankie’s daughter Francine Valli, the band’s friends Joe Pesci, loan shark Norman Waxman and reporter Lorraine. See Jersey Boys now to catch the characters on stage.

Jersey Boys Songs

You’ll recognise many of the songs in the Jersey Boys musical, as they’re chart-topping hits recorded by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. Jersey Boys songs include “Walk Like a Man,” “Sherry” and “Big Girls Don’t Cry.” Here’s all the songs in Jersey Boys:

Act 1

• "Ces soirées-là (Oh What a Night) - Paris, 2000" – French Rap Star Yannick and Backup Group
• "Silhouettes" – Tommy DeVito, Nick Massi, Nick DeVito and Frankie Valli
• "You're the Apple of My Eye" – Tommy DeVito, Nick Massi and Nick DeVito
• "I Can't Give You Anything But Love" – Frankie Valli
• "Earth Angel" – Tommy DeVito and Company
• "A Sunday Kind of Love" – Frankie Valli, Tommy DeVito, Nick Massi and Nick's Date
• "My Mother's Eyes" – Frankie Valli
• "I Go Ape" – The Four Lovers
• "(Who Wears) Short Shorts" – The Royal Teens
• "I'm in the Mood for Love" / "Moody's Mood for Love" – Frankie Valli
• "Cry for Me" – Bob Gaudio, Frankie Valli, Tommy DeVito and Nick Massi
• "An Angel Cried" – Hal Miller and The Rays
• "I Still Care" – Miss Frankie Nolan and The Romans
• "Trance" – Billy Dixon and The Topix
• "Sherry" – The Four Seasons
• "Big Girls Don't Cry" – The Four Seasons
• "Walk Like a Man" – The Four Seasons
• "December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)" – Bob Gaudio and Full Company
• "My Boyfriend's Back" – The Angels
• "My Eyes Adored You" – Frankie Valli, Mary Delgado and The Four Seasons
• "Dawn (Go Away)" – The Four Seasons
• "Walk Like a Man" (reprise) – Full Company

Act 2

• "Big Man in Town" – The Four Seasons
• "Beggin'" – The Four Seasons
• "Stay" – Bob Gaudio, Frankie Valli and Nick Massi
• "Let's Hang On! (To What We've Got)" – Bob Gaudio and Frankie Valli
• "Opus 17 (Don't You Worry 'bout Me)" – Bob Gaudio, Frankie Valli and The New Seasons
• "Bye Bye Baby" – Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons
• "C'mon Marianne" – Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons
• "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" – Frankie Valli
• "Working My Way Back to You" – Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons
• "Fallen Angel" – Frankie Valli
• "Rag Doll" – The Four Seasons
• "Who Loves You" – The Four Seasons and Full Company
• "December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night) reprise" - The Four Seasons and Full Company

What awards has Jersey Boys won?

Audience members love Jersey Boys, and so do critics and award bodies! Jersey Boys walked away with a variety of London and Broadway awards for their original productions. Here’s all the Olivier Awards and Tony Awards that Jersey Boys was nominated for. Winning categories are in bold.

Olivier Awards

Best New Musical
Best Actor in a Musical - Ryan Molloy
Best Theatre Choreographer - Sergio Trujillo
Best Director - Des McAnuff
Best Sound Design - Steve Canyon Kennedy

Tony Awards

Best Musical
Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical - John Lloyd Young
Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical - Christian Hoff
Best Book - Rick Elice and Marshall Brickmann
Best Direction of a Musical - Des McAnuff
Best Orchestrations - Steve Orich
Best Scenic Design of a Musical - Klara Zieglerova

Major productions of Jersey Boys

Jersey Boys is a musical with worldwide popularity. Since the Broadway premiere in 2005, millions worldwide have fell for the Jersey Boys charm. Read more about the major productions of Jersey Boys in the West End and Jersey Boys on Broadway.

2004: Jersey Boys premiered at the La Jolla Playhouse at University of California in San Diego. The four-month out-of-town tryout came before its eventual Broadway premiere.

2005: Jersey Boys opened on Broadway at the August Wilson Theatre. The musical eventually played 4,642 performances and closed on 15 Jan. 2017.

2008: Jersey Boys transferred to the West End. The musical ran for nine years in London, with performances at the Prince Edward Theatre and the Piccadilly Theatre.

2008: The Jersey Boys musical began a two-year long Canadian tour in Toronto.

2009: The Jersey Boys musical opened in Australia at the Princess Theatre in Melbourne. Following this, the show toured Australasia.

2013: Jersey Boys in Holland opened. The production included Dutch dialogue and English singing.

2014: The first UK tour of Jersey Boys began. To date, there’s been four national Jersey Boys tours.

2016: A Japanese production of Jersey Boys opened in Tokyo.

2017: Jersey Boys opened off-Broadway at New World Stages. Jersey Boys played at its new New York location to 22 May 2022.

Onscreen adaptations of Jersey Boys

A Jersey Boys film was released in cinemas in 2014. Clint Eastwood directed and produced the gritty Jersey Boys film, which followed the same storyline as the Jersey Boys musical.

The cast included many Broadway Jersey Boys actors, including John Lloyd Young as Frankie Valli and Erich Bergen as Bob Gaudio. Christopher Walken played Gyp DeCarlo.

Fun facts about Jersey Boys

• The Four Seasons were one of the biggest American bands in Britain throughout the 20th century. They sold over 100 million records at the peak of their career.
• You may recognise Jersey Boys songs without realising. Many artists have sampled the Four Seasons’ tracks in their chart-topping hits, such as Lauryn Hill.
• Jersey Boys ran in the West End for nine years and was one of the longest-running jukebox musicals in the capital.

How to get Jersey Boys tickets

“Big Girls Don’t Cry” once they’ve booked their Jersey Boys tickets. Don’t miss Jersey Boys in London and see the Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons musical in the West End.

Book Jersey Boys tickets on London Theatre.

Photo credit: Jersey Boys (Photos courtesy of production)