Jersey Boys are ‘working their way back’ to Milton Keynes this February and we were lucky enough to catch up with Michael Pickering (Frankie Valli), Lewis Griffiths (Nick Massi), Blair Gibson (Bob Gaudio), and Dalton Wood (Tommy DeVito) who talk nostalgia, gambling and Covid.

What can audiences expect when they come to see the show?

Dalton: They’re in for a fun-filled night with amazing music, on top of which, there’s a true and gritty story. It’s all-round entertainment.

Michael: It’s one of those shows where if someone says ‘My husband won’t come see a musical’ this is the one you bring them to because they’re going to love musicals after seeing it. Sometimes men get dragged along to it and they leave going ‘Oh my God that was amazing’. It’s a wonderful night out.

Is it just what audiences are craving right now, after all the lockdowns and restrictions?

Michael: Absolutely. It’s got such a great story, everyone loves the music, and it kind of relates to the world we’re living in at the moment because the Four Seasons went through such hard times yet they kept going. It’s an inspiring story and we all need that at the moment.

Lewis: With the greatest respect to Jersey Boys I think faithful theatre audiences are craving anything they can get their hands on. But Jersey Boys just happens to be one of those shows that puts life into perspective and makes you smile at the same time.

Why do you think there’s still such nostalgia for the music?

Michael: No-one has come close to touching it since. They had the four-part harmonies and Frankie’s unique falsetto, and they were a group – they were a team and a family, not some manufactured band. They loved what they did and they worked hard to get to the top.

Dalton: Frankie is still out there and still going strong, which helps keep the music alive as does the show. Beggin’ is a hit all over again, which is amazing, and all their music is just incredible. That’s why it keeps coming back round again and again.

Blair: The songs are classics. As Dalton says, Beggin’ is now one of the bestselling songs around the world and it originally came out in 1967. Their music is timeless.

How would you describe your respective characters in the show?

Michael: Frankie Valli has the biggest heart and a wonderful talent. What he lacks in stature he makes up for in heart and I think he falls on hard times because of how much he gives to his family and friends.

Lewis: Nick is the band’s bassist and arranger, a musical genius and the strong, silent type. He’s incredibly enigmatic, with his quirks and his isms, and he’s dealing with his demons – which really resonates in this day and age where there’s more awareness of mental health.

Blair: Bob is the composer who wrote all the songs for the Four Seasons as well as for other artists. He also had a role in the production side of things, especially later on in their careers. He’s very pragmatic and very logic-driven, which is what the group needed at the time, and it’s part of the reason they’re still big and still successful today.

Dalton: Tommy is the one who started the band. He has his issues; he’s a big gambler and gets into money troubles. But he’s the one that brought them all together and he’s such a big character to play.