Nick Cosgrove knew the very first time he saw “Jersey Boys” that Frankie Valli was the role for him.
“From the music that everybody recognizes to the story that you learn about these guys, I was just like, ‘I want to train to do that role,’” Cosgrove said. “It’s monumental and such an inspiring story.”
“Jersey Boys” focuses on the legendary group the Four Seasons, whose first hit, “Sherry,” was released in 1962. Three of the original band members, Frankie Valli, Tommy DeVito and Nick Massi, grew up in the projects of Newark, N.J.
According to Tommy DeVito’s character in “Jersey Boys,” played by John Gardiner, “If you’re from my neighborhood, you got three ways out: You could join the army. You could get mobbed up. Or — you could become a star.”
Valli, DeVito and Massi improbably became hit recording artists, with the help of songwriter and band member Bob Gaudio. The group sold 175 million records worldwide, all before they were 30.
“Jersey Boys” is Cosgrove’s first national tour. He said the tour has made him identify with the Four Seasons, as they struggled with being on the road continuously.
“It’s kind of funny because we’re doing a show about these four guys that travel and perform on the road, and really, we are four guys that travel and perform on the road together,” he said.
One of Cosgrove’s favorite lines from the show is, “The road is the road,” which his character shouts in frustration when trying to explain how different life is for him. Cosgrove said the line applies to his tour life, as well.
“Everything’s on fast forward,” Cosgrove explained. “It seems like an alternate universe.”
But there are some good things about touring.
“I was lucky enough to perform in my hometown of Chicago, where I saw the show for the first time when I was 17,” Cosgrove said.
The Chicago performance has been the highlight of his tour.
“To take my first bow on that stage, in that space, where I had first seen it, and to come full circle with the show —I’ll remember it for the rest of my life,” Cosgrove said. “I think it will mean more even than my Broadway debut, whatever happens in the future. Nothing was as special as that moment.”
Cosgrove’s role may be rewarding, but it is not an easy one. His character only leaves the stage twice during a two-and-a-half hour performance, and sings 27 songs, most of which are in high falsetto.
“It’s like running a marathon,” Cosgrove said.
Many of those 27 songs are recognizable even to younger audience members, including “Big Girls Don’t Cry” and “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You.”
Countless remakes have been done of the original music from the Four Seasons, and their songs have been featured in movies like “Dirty Dancing” and shows like “The Sopranos.”
The Four Seasons were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990, only five years after it opened.
The cast of “Jersey Boys” lives up to this incredible record, paying homage to the group which helped define pop music in the 1960s, and the show will have you “Beggin’” to “Stay” and listen to Cosgrove’s falsetto and the group’s infectious harmony for the rest of the night.
“Jersey Boys” is playing through Nov. 25 at the Overture Center.
