FANS of American rock and roll singer Frankie Valli are in for a treat when Oh! What a Night comes to Theatre Royal Winchester.

A celebration of Valli and the group The Four Seasons – one of the biggest acts of the 1960s and 70s – this special evening showcases their many hits, which have now been immortalised in the multi-award winning theatre production, Jersey Boys – chronicling their life, and which has packed out theatres internationally since its debut in 2005.

Featuring well-known songs including Big Girls Don’t Cry, Can’t Take My Eyes Off You and of course, December ’63 (Oh What A Night), this performance combines slick harmonies and infectious personalities with impressive dance moves and is an energetic show that will leave theatre-goers feeling nostalgic and begging for more.

Valli began his singing career in the early 1950s with the Variety Trio (Nickie DeVito, Tommy DeVito, and Nick Macioci).

Valli’s desire to sing in public was initially granted when, having heard Valli sing, the group offered him a guest spot.

In late 1952, the Variety Trio disbanded and Valli, along with Tommy DeVito, became part of the house band at The Strand in New Brunswick, New Jersey. For his part, Valli played bass and sang.

He cut his first single, My Mother’s Eyes (a cover of the 1929 George Jessel song from Lucky Boy), in 1953 as Frankie Valley, a variation on a name he adopted from “Texas” Jean Valli, a female hillbilly singer.

As discussed in a 2014 article, Frankie said in 2010 that Jean took him to meet music publishers Paul and Dave Kapp, telling them he was her brother.

As a result, his first single was listed under ‘Frankie Valley’, and the name stuck—though he eventually changed the spelling.

Oh! What a Night will be at Theatre Royal Winchester on Friday, February 7, at 7.30pm. Find out more, or book tickets, at theatreroyalwinchester.co.uk or call the box office on 01962 840440.