Promotional+DVD

= Australian Background DVD =

This promotional DVD was produced by Channel 9 and the Herald Sun, and this contains some excellent information. Some of the content is on Youtube, but other parts don't seem to be. There is around one hour worth of clips and music. I have put a summary of the contents underneath the pictured cover.

It is well worth while trying to get a copy of this. It was given away with one of the weekend Herald Sun's leading up to the opening of Jersey Boys in Melbourne. Contents of the DVD **
 * [[image:JerseyBoysPromo1.jpg width="335" height="328"]] || [[image:JerseyBoysPromo2.jpg width="334" height="329"]] ||

Rick Ellice discusses the creation of Jersey Boys. There are also clips of Frankie Valli and Bob Gaudio discussing the show being developed too.
 * Part 1 - Rick Elice**

The following Youtube video is on the DVD.
 * Part 2 - Meet the Australian Cast**

media type="youtube" key="4wGcsNWycMc" height="287" width="407"

Ron Melrose is the musical director, vocal arranger and the composer of the incidental music of Jersey Boys. He discusses how he took the original songs sung by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, and adapted them for the stage show.
 * Part 3 - Ron Melrose**

Sometimes different parts of different songs have been combined in the show in order to constantly remind the audience of songs, particularly the three "big" songs: Sherry, Walk Like a Man and Big Girls Don't Cry.

It was decided that each music sequence would be used to tell more of the story, but there was much debate about whether songs should be sung straight through, just sing a piece of a song or rather have a break in the middle of the song in order to allow one of the characters to tell the audience more of the story.

It was also decided that nobody would sing unless it was a time when they would normally sing: when the band was rehearsing, recording or performing. The one exception that was made to this was when they came to My Eyes Adored You. The song comes after a huge fight with Mary, and the audience sees Frankie in a great deal of pain as he realises that his marriage has come to an end. The song is used to show that pain.

The staging of the song Can't Take My Eyes Off You is interesting as we see four microphones become three, three become two and finally just one as the group changes from being a group to Frankie Valli as the lead solo performer.

@http://www.jerseyboysbroadway.com/behindthemusic/ron_melrose_q_and_a.html - There's a short interview with Ron Melrose here.

It is worthwhile noting that Rick Elice comments in the Jersey Boys book that the music in the first act is presented more or less chronologically, as the play follows the band's forming and rise to fame. In the second act though, the music no longer moves the music forward, but rather is used to reflect or comment on things which are happening in the story.

At the launch of Jersey Boys in Australia Rick Elice explains that the four members of the group were trying to do something to get them out of their Jersey neighbourhood. He comments that their songs were written for teenaged boys, rather than girls. For example the Beatles songs at the time were about love and really written for girls, whilst the Four Seasons songs were for boys about girls. Walk Like a Man is an example of one of their songs being specifically for boys...as the show tells us, it's like an anthem for boys.
 * Part 4 - Why Don't We Know of the Four Seasons Story?**

In fact, it is stated in the Jersey Boys book that Marshall Brickman commented in an interview that: "these aren't songs that guys sing to girls; they are songs that guys sing to each other about their girls." (Cote, p. 51)

This part also discusses the character of Gyp DeCarlo, who was based on a crime figure. Elice explains how this man's relationship with the group. He was a mentor of Frankie Valli, believing that he had a superb voice, and helped when Tommy landed the group in financial difficulties.

Enrico Mammarella, who plays Gyp De Carlo in the Australian production of Jersey Boys, has this to say in his video.

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