‘Jersey Boys’ hit Opening Day, National Theatre, National Cherry Blossom Parade

WASHINGTON — From “Oh, what a night” to “O say can you see,” oh what a month April will be for the cast of “Jersey Boys” in Washington, D.C.

The quartet will perform at a number of events this month, starting by singing the national anthem at the Washington Nationals home opener Thursday afternoon at Nats Park.

First pitch is at 4:05 p.m., so arrive early to see the cast sing the “Star Spangled Banner.”

“It’s everybody harmonizing and everybody’s gonna hit it hard … It’s been arranged so it brings the essence of the Four Seasons harmonies and style,” said Aaron De Jesus, who plays Frankie Valli.

“We did it at a Warriors-Spurs game a little earlier in the year. That was pretty awesome. So it’s practiced. It’s ready to go,” co-star Drew Seeley tells WTOP.

The boys will then lead the National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade on Saturday, April 16, dancing their way down the street as the first act on the parade route.

“We’re going to sing a medley of songs from the show. It’ll be ‘Walk Like a Man,’ the girls are going to sing ‘My Boyfriend’s Back,’ and then we’re going to sing ‘Oh, What a Night’ together,” De Jesus said.

Of course, the main reason they’re here is to rock National Theatre now through April 24.

The hit stage musical won five Tony Awards, including Best Musical, during its original Broadway run in 2005. Now, it rages on with its national tour, telling the compelling true story of The Four Seasons: frontman Frankie Valli (De Jesus), mob-indebted founder Tommy DeVito (Matthew Dailey), songwriter Bob Gaudio (Drew Seeley) and background harmonizer Nick Massey (Keith Hines).

“It’s the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, how they come together as a group, how they toil through rock ‘n roll and pop stardom, and how they eventually go their separate ways,” De Jesus said.

Joining WTOP in studio, the four actors gave each of their characters a catchy nickname.

The Voice — Frankie Valli 

“I just so happen to have a similar tenor voice, not exactly the same as Frankie. Obviously nobody has a voice like Frankie,” De Jesus said of mastering Valli’s signature falsetto.

The Muscle — Tommy DeVito

“All these guys grew up together on the streets of New Jersey, so Tommy kind of put everyone together. He’s the ringleader of the group, found everybody, held the group together for 10 years. There were 10 years of struggles before ‘Sherry,’ their first No. 1 hit. So Tommy’s kind of responsible for keeping everyone on track. Tommy was the muscle,” Dailey said.

The Brains — Bob Gaudio

“Bob was the principal songwriter of the group, so he was sort of the brains behind the operation … And he was the best looking, so it’s perfect casting,” Seeley joked.

The Mystery — Nick Massey

“Early on, he was the mastermind behind the harmonies and the music. He never wrote anything down. He heard all the harmonies in his head, and he would just designate them to people. So he kind of kept all the music sharp, and he loved to have a good time. He lived for the music, but enjoyed all his time between the concerts. He was a big party animal,” Hines said.

Still, the show’s biggest character is arguably the music.

“If you think you don’t know the music, you’re wrong. Everybody who’s lived in this country for the last 50 or 60 years knows these songs. They’ve been everywhere from the radio to television commercials to (movies). When people first see the show, the first thing out of their mouths is, ‘I didn’t know they sang all those songs!’ You know the songs and you love the songs,” De Jesus said.

The songbook journeys through the band’s string of hits, starting with their three straight No. 1 singles — “Sherry,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry” and “Walk Like a Man” — as well as numerous other classics from “December 1963 (Oh, What a Night)” to “Ragdoll” to “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You.”

In many ways, “Jersey Boys” started the jukebox musical phenomenon, paving the way for future shows like “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical,” “Motown: The Musical” and “Million Dollar Quartet.”

“A lot of those (musicals) you mentioned are successfully largely due to ‘Jersey Boys.’ ‘Jersey Boys’ was kind of the pioneer of that style of jukebox musical … It certainly pioneered that idea of taking an artist’s music to show their life and use it in their life story. I think after the success of ‘Jersey Boys,’ people realized there was really a market out there for shows like that,” Dailey said.

Rather than characters randomly breaking out in song with abstract interpretations — as so often found in the musical genre — the “Jersey Boys” numbers come as recording sessions in the plot.

“‘Mamma Mia’ uses the ABBA songs to try to tell a fictional story. Our show uses the songs as part of the story … Not a fictional story. A real story,” De Jesus said.

This approach makes “Jersey Boys” not only a lavish spectacle for musical die-hards, but also an accessible night to the theatre for those who don’t necessarily consider themselves musical fans.

“I always like to say that this is a great musical for guys who don’t necessarily like to see musicals … There’s no ballet dancing or anything like that. It’s a musical for guys about guys,” De Jesus said.

The “fab four” cast has built camaraderie over six months touring together, while De Jesus has been doing the show for more than four years, having previously played the part of Joe Pesci in Las Vegas.

That’s right, it was a young Pesci who pulled the band together in real life, decades before making his film debut as Robert DeNiro’s feisty younger brother in Martin Scorsese’s “Raging Bull” (1980).

“(Pesci) and Tommy are still friends. He was one of the people that brought Gaudio into the group and introduced him to Tommy, saying, ‘Look, I got this guy who’s really talented. He’s a songwriter. He’s everything you’re looking for,’ at a time when the group was looking for something like that. So he plays a small role in bringing the guys together,” De Jesus said.

While these early days of the Four Seasons propel Act One, one of the most meaty scenes comes in Act Two. The group is unanimous that the “sit down” scene is the best in the entire show.

“There’s a big scene, actually the very first scene written for the show … in the second act where we’re trying to figure out a way to get Tommy out of his situation he’s gotten himself into. It’s like 12 pages of just acting with no music. It’s a pure dramatic scene … The writing is so good,” Hines said.

Whether you like dramatic acting moments or lively musical dance numbers, this one has it all.

“It’s really just the perfect marriage of a story and great music. There’s gambling debts, broken marriages, a lot of drama that these guys have to weather … The crazy part is that everything really happened. Some of the parts you think, ‘Aw, you couldn’t even write that,'” Seeley says.

But unlike the Clint Eastwood movie “Jersey Boys” (2014), the stage version is far lighter.

“It’s infectious. Even when there are nights that we show up tired to the theatre, the second that first down beat hits, you’re instantly just energized, ready to go,” Dailey said.

Expect to be on your feet clapping for the show’s final reprise of “Oh, What a Night.”

“We encourage everyone to (dance). The rowdier the better,” Hines said.

As you clap during that final encore, be sure to look around and soak it all in, knowing that you’re witnessing one of the all-time great musicals the theatre has ever produced.

“It just had its 10-year anniversary on Broadway. It’s only two years away from being one of the Top 10 longest running Broadway shows in history. It’s already No. 12. So it’s certainly left a legacy and it’s continuing to do so,” Dailey said. “I don’t think it’s going anywhere anytime soon.”

Click here for ticket information. Listen to the full interview with the cast of “Jersey Boys” below.