‘Jersey Boys’ to close on Broadway in January after 11 years

NEW YORK – “Jersey Boys,” the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical based on the Four Seasons’ career and harmonies, has finally hit a sour note — it’s closing in January after 11 years.

Producers said Tuesday the show will hold its final performance on Jan. 15 after 4,642 shows at the August Wilson Theatre. It is the 12th-longest running show in Broadway history.

The musical, which opened in 2005, tells the story of Bob Gaudio, Frankie Valli, Tommy DeVito and Nick Massi and features 20 Four Seasons songs, including “Sherry,” ”Big Girls Don’t Cry,” ”Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” and “Oh, What a Night.”

It won the Tony for best musical, a Grammy Award for best cast album and has been seen by over 13 million people across the world and grossed over $2 billion worldwide and been seen by an estimated 24 million people in 11 countries. A film adaptation by Clint Eastwood came out in 2015 but failed to live up to the buzz.

Michael David, a “Jersey Boys” producer, said in 2011 that the show’s popularity is like a theatrical lightning strike — unpredictable and hard to replicate. It has attracted families and couples, fans of the music, people drawn to the true story and those who like the rags-to-riches tale. And it attracted men, an elusive Broadway target.

“I can’t think of a show that has attracted and surprised men like this does — men who wouldn’t be caught dead in a Broadway show,” he said. “And they return. That’s a lot of our business: people who bring back someone else to see it again.”

The show has in the past few years seen a gradual decline in ticket sales. Last week, it pulled in about $540,000 over eight performances, a typical haul for the past few months but far less than its $1,150,000 potential. The last time it broke the $600,000 mark was April.

The show continues to tour throughout North America and the United Kingdom. “Dancing with the Stars” star Mark Ballas will be the final actor to take on the iconic role of Frankie Valli, making his Broadway debut in the show on Oct. 18.

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Online: http://www.JerseyBoysBroadway.com

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Mark Kennedy on Twitter at http://twitter.com/KennedyTwits