Stardom

A Hawaii actor plays the lead in the U.S. tour of "Jersey Boys"

The next best thing to starring in a Broadway show is having a long-term contract as the star of the national touring company, right?

Hawaii-born Christopher Kale Jones, who stars as Frankie Valli in the national touring company of "Jersey Boys," says it's not that simple.

"This career is one of the few in which advancing within a company does not necessarily advance your career as a actor. The longer you stay with a given theatrical production, the more out of the limelight you become in some ways," Jones explained last week, on the phone from Tampa, Fla. He has about a week left to enjoy Florida before the show moves to Minneapolis.

"Jersey Boys" is being booked for engagements through 2010, with no current plans to bring it Hawaii.

Should the show eventually make it here, though, it will be a great homecoming. Jones, born and raised on Oahu, began his preparation for "Jersey Boys" with roles in musicals at Hawaii Baptist Academy, Castle High School and Army Community Theatre.

But getting back to the subject of career advancement -- Jones is the only member of the original touring company's Four Seasons quartet still with the tour. The other three -- playing Tommy DeVito, Bob Gaudio and Nick Massi -- have moved on.

"At some point an actor has to make a decision whether they are content, just because they love the show and want to do it and are willing to sacrifice a little career advancement, or whether they need to make the hard decision to leave a wonderful, successful hit show and try to pursue whatever is the next step."

Jones has no plans to leave. He'd be the logical choice to step into the role on Broadway if the current star, Michael Longoria, leaves. Playing Valli on Broadway would definitely be an upward career move.

"Jersey Boys" honors one of the biggest American rock era vocal groups, following Valli and friends as they pursue fame as the Variatones, the Four Lovers, and finally, after several personnel changes, the Four Seasons. The show's title refers to the group's origins in Newark, N.J.; the group took its name from a bowling alley.

Although Jones is at least one generation removed from Valli's era as a hitmaker, "people have the same struggles and goals, regardless of the time period," he says.

"The biggest thing for an actor in playing different time periods is the trappings. How much things cost, what kind of clothes you wear, and what kind of cars are popular. Some of (the differences) are played to comic effect in the show ... but to be honest, the adjustment was not very hard for me."

The Broadway production opened in November 2005 and won four Tony Awards, including best musical.

Jones, 29, moved to New York in 2001 after earning a theater degree from Chicago's Northwestern University, with the goal of being on Broadway in five years. It took him a little longer than that to get his starring role in "Jersey Boys."

He won the role in September 2006, and had an opportunity to talk with Gaudio about Valli's "driving influences, and how he was as a singer," before rehearsals started in October.

"Technically, the national tour isn't Broadway, and yet I'm incredibly satisfied with my career and where it's taken me, and I'm glad I stuck with it. Acting is one of those professions that you really have to love enough that you can be unsuccessful and still want to do it."