Photos provided by Broadway In Chicago

As one of this millennium’s major musicals, “Jersey Boys” is a perpetual favorite on Broadway, the road and permanent residencies in many major cities across the globe. Even with its universal impact, Chicago may as well be its second home to the Tony and Grammy-winning “Best Musical,” but no matter how often it appears, the crowds keep coming to places as spacious as the Auditorium Theatre thanks to the fact that everything surrounding Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons never gets old.

Though “Jersey Boys” is guaranteed to strike a chord with music lovers who grew up in the 1960s and ‘70s, songs such as “December 1963 (Oh, What A Night)” and “Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You” have become so ubiquitous that any age is aware of their existence.

For the latest edition, Jonny Wexler is exceptional in the main role, as are the other fellas (Corey Greenan as Tommy DeVito, Eric Chambliss as Bob Gaudio and Jonathan Cable (Nick Massi), whose harmonies under a New Jersey streetlamp went on to sell over 100 million records and earn a spot in the hallowed halls of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. But even more captivating then the doo-wop and soulful pop mega-hits such as “Sherry,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Walk Like A Man” and “Who Loves You” is the surprisingly dramatic story behind the group’s ascent, falling out and eventual enshrinement.

Like any memorable “Behind The Music” episode, the guys’ ability to live the rock and roll lifestyle rival the rowdiest, but add in a near-crippling gambling addiction, tax debts, mob connections or a sudden death, and the arc scales heights rarely, if ever, attempted on the famed VH1 series. No small screen showing could ever do justice to personally seeing all the private battles unfold on stage, which on opening night of the current week-long run, was punctuated with several gasps, laughs, tears and cheers.

Though “Jersey Boys” is guaranteed to strike a chord with music lovers who grew up in the 1960s and ‘70s, songs such as “December 1963 (Oh, What A Night)” and “Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You” have become so ubiquitous that any age is aware of their existence. Yet even the most ardent fan probably doesn’t realize just how wild but ultimately rewarding the ride actually was, so much so that both “Jersey Boys” and the real-life Valli (who’s now 84) continue performing in perfect harmony to this very day.

“Jersey Boys” continues at the Auditorium Theatre through Apr. 7. For additional details, visit JerseyBoysInfo.com and BroadwayInChicago.com.

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