(NEWTON, NJ) -- Gerry Polci and Lee Shapiro may not be household names but back in the 70’s, they sold millions of records. They were heard on the radio, seen on TV and live in concert. So who are they? They’re the former stars of the hit-making factory known as Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons and they're bringing some of the biggest hits of the 70s to The Newton Theatre on Friday, September 9, 2016 at 8:00pm.
They toured the world with Frankie, recorded numerous hit albums with him, and sang the lead vocals on songs like Oh What a Night – the biggest Four Seasons’ hit of all time. When they met in 1973, they were two boys from New Jersey barely out of their teens, and the Four Seasons hadn’t had a charted hit record in years. Along with Frankie Valli and songwriter/ producer Bob Gaudio, Gerry Polci and Lee Shapiro successfully transitioned the group’s sound from ‘60s doo-wop to ‘70s pop with mega-hit songs like Who Loves You and Oh What a Night.
Spurred by the runaway success of Jersey Boys, the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical based on the Four Seasons’ career, these former Seasons, who are now in their late 50s and early 60s, re-united - along with an A-list group of musicians who wrote, recorded and performed with Carly Simon, Cat Stevens, Elton John, Jim Croce, Chicago, Luther Vandross, The Ramones, Carole King, and other mega-star acts of the era. Now bringing the show on the road, they call themselves The Hit Men.
Their show is an amazing multi-media look back through rock and roll history, including fascinating back stories of what it was like being on the road and in the recording studios with the legendary acts. And, of course, there are all those amazing hits…with The Hit Men performing great songs from the Four Seasons songbook (from Rag Doll, Dawn, and Walk Like a Man, to Can’t Take My Eyes Of You, and Sherry), plus other smash hits that members of The Hit Men helped make famous back in the day such as Cat Stevens’ Peace Train, Jim Croce’s Leroy Brown, Carly Simon’s You’re So Vain, Tommy James’ Mony Mony and more.
Tickets for The Hit Men range from $39 to $54. Purchase tickets by visiting www.thenewtontheatre.com or contact the Box Office at 973-383-3700.
The historic Newton Theatre, located at 234 Spring Street in Newton, NJ, was founded in 1924. Revitalized and fully renovated, Sussex County’s premier entertainment venue reopened in 2011 as a 605 seat capacity live performing arts center. With it’s rich history and diverse programming The Newton Theatre is essential to the buoyancy of New Jersey’s Skylands region.
