BWW Interviews: Nick Cosgrove is Frankie Valli in JERSEY BOYS at the Fisher Theatre

Nick Cosgrove could not be more excited to be performing the role of Frankie Valli in Jersey Boys, which is part of Broadway in Detroit's current season. "I'm really excited to be on tour and come to Detroit and play this role every night," he says.

Cosgrove, a Chicago native, who first saw Jersey Boys in his hometown at age seventeen, realized that Frankie Valli was his dream role. The actor, now twenty-four, feels privileged to take on the role and be part of the show. "First of all, it's an honor to be portraying this man, who is still currently on the road, still performing to this day in his late seventies, and tell his story," he says. "There is also a certain responsibility in my hands to do the storytelling justice and to do his music justice because so many people come to the show with high expectations to hear his sound, so I have a big responsibly to fulfill that."

Jersey Boys is the critically acclaimed show that earned Tony, Grammy, and Olivier Awards about The Four Seasons: Frankie Valli, Bob Gaudio, Tommy DeVito, and Nick Massi. The show tells their story of how they started out and became one of the greatest successes in pop music history selling over 175 million records worldwide before they were thirty. The production is still currently running on Broadway and has many touring productions out all around the world.

"It's not just a show for people from that era. People, more and more, are beginning to recognize this music whether it's a song while in a grocery store, on the radio, or on a commercial," says Cosgrove, "The music of The Four Seasons is not just part of that generation anymore, it is connecting with the new, younger generation as well, which is the best thing to me." He enjoys looking out into the audience during their closing number and seeing the wide variety of ages that are enjoying the show. "There are so many different kinds of people in the audience," he says, "People who were born in that era and grew up with the music, but also it is becoming more filled with younger generations who are wanting to be part of the experience."

The audience will enJoy Songs such as "Sherry," "Big Girls Don't Cry," Rag Doll," Oh What A Night," and "Can't Take My Eyes Off You." They will also see a cast that really understands the story they are performing. "The show is about four guys that travel on the road together singing and performing and we are a company of people that travel on the road together and sing together, so it's really cool to connect to the show in that way because we are actually living that type of lifestyle that the show is about," says Cosgrove.

"I recommend the show to all ages because it's about family," he says, "Not just one type of family, but many types. These four guys have the road family and their home family, but it shows their brotherhood and love for music. Every song becomes your favorite, one after the next, because it's a show that seeps into your skin and you can't get enough of it."

Jersey Boys is running currently until January 6 at the Fisher Theatre in Detroit. For more information or tickets, visit www.broadwayindetroit.com.

Katie Laban is BroadwayWorld�s Detroit Contributing Editor and a freelance writer and photographer in the Detroit area. She also writes for Hear Magazine. She has a strong passion for all things creative, especially theatre, and loves to support Michigan arts.

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