Walk Like A Man

Jersey Boys tells the Frankie Valli and Four Seasons story

Jersey Boys opens March 1 at the Hult Center
Jersey Boys opens March 1 at the Hult CenterPhoto by Jeremy Daniel

The earworm train is coming to Eugene: “Sherry,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Walk Like a Man,” “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You”— the list goes on. Song after song, hook after hook, all from Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons from their glory days in the ’60s and ’70s.

Yep, Jersey Boys, the Broadway smash hit, makes its way to the Hult Center March 1-6 with a fairytale about four friends from Newark and their meteoric rise to fame.

Based on a book by Marshall Brickman (co-author of Annie Hall, Manhattan and For the Boys) and Rick Elice (co-author of Peter and the Starcatcher), Jersey Boys is the 2006 winner of a Tony Award for best musical. Ten years later, the musical is still running.

Bob Gaudio, an original Four Seasons member (who prodigiously penned the inimitable anthem “Who Wears Short Shorts?” at the tender age of 15 for his earlier band The Royal Teens) supplies the toe-tapping tunes, with lyrics by Bob Crewe, another legendary figure in the musical world of the ’50s and ’60s.

Des McAnuff directs this touring production, with choreography by Sergio Trujillo, who lit up last season’s Memphis with his bold style.

The show traces the Four Seasons’ roots, from street-corner obscurity to radio airtime to super stardom.

We meet young Valli (né Castelluccio) and Tommy DeVito, the mentor who would make him a star. Add in a crew of harmonizing hepcats, who name their eponymous band after a bowling alley in Newark, and you’ve got yourself a good time.

In the spirit of musical comedies of yore, the show uses recognizable hits to thread together an approachable plot. There’s a little romance, some behind-the-scenes drama, plenty of laughs and, with songs like “Stay / Let’s Hang On!” and “Working My Way Back to You,” there will be plenty of musical memories, too.

Jersey Boys runs March 1-6 at the Hult Center. Tickets at hultcenter.org; $42-$108.