New Jersey is the land of “The Sopranos” and the butt of many jokes. To quote Ben Franklin: “New Jersey is like a beer barrel, tapped at both ends, with all the live beer running into Philadelphia and New York.”
So how then did the much-maligned “Garden State” inspire the hit Broadway musical “The Jersey Boys,” which begins a long Chicago run on Friday? The answer, in this week’s cover story, “Frankie Valli’s happy dilemma,” can be found in the man on this Magazine’s cover-Frankie Valli. Theater critic Chris Jones hung out with Valli in Atlantic City and tried to capture how this workhorse of popular music has transformed into a showhorse. Last year, Valli sold out the Chicago Theatre, and he’s attempting to do the same later this fall.
Chris has been following “Jersey Boys” since before its Broadway opening in 2005, when he anticipated a perfunctory musical but was struck by the imagination and excitement of the show. Chris also had long admired Valli. “He survived all the revolutions in popular music that coincided with his career,” explains Chris. “He doesn’t get enough credit. He’s rarely listed with the iconic singers of our time, like Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett. But he deserves a spot on that list.”
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etaylor@tribune.com
Home on the Range will be back on the range soon.
