'Jersey Boys' at Chanhassen Dinner Theatres might make you want to sing along

"Can't Take My Eyes Off You." "December 1963 (Oh, What a Night)." "Silhouettes."

These classic hits by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons are the stuff of which memories and babies are made. They hold a special place in the heart of Michael Brindisi, artistic director and co-owner of Chanhassen Dinner Theatres, where his production of "Jersey Boys," the Tony-winning jukebox musical about Valli and his Hall of Fame vocal group, opens Friday.

"We used to harmonize like [the Four Seasons] under the streetlamps in Philadelphia," Brindisi said, recalling his childhood. "I was part of a few groups and I had a great falsetto. Wish I still had it."

Patriarch of an entertainment family that includes his wife, Michelle Barber, and daughter Cat Brindisi, the singing actor-turned-director has been in the theater business for five decades. Directing is what keeps him alive, Brindisi said.

Ten years ago he fell off a table onstage while filling in as Tevye the milkman in "Fiddler on the Roof," hurting his neck and back. When he went to the hospital, he was diagnosed with spondylosis — arthritis of the spine. Brindisi had a successful operation that left him with mobility issues. Today, he uses a walking stick.

"People keep asking me when I'm gonna quit," said Brindisi, who turns 75 on Thursday. "My brain still works, and I feel pretty good. When my doctor asks me what I do for a living, I tell him I sit on a stool and say, 'It's not funny yet.' I'm gonna keep going just like the Energizer Bunny."

He is proud to stage "Jersey Boys" because it's an inspiring family story with beloved music, he added.

"The key to keep going, like the guy says in the play, is to chase the music," Brindisi said. "You have to find the music that makes you happy and that'll make a difference in your life."

Brindisi is certainly at home in the music of the Four Seasons. He shared how some of the top songs from the 1960s group resonate in his life.

"Silhouettes." "The other guy always got the girl. The theme is about the guy who passes the window and sees in the shadow of the blinds a friend of his with the girl that he wanted to date. That's my life. I was the one who never got the girl."

"My Eyes Adored You." "This one is about a marriage that didn't work out. I had a first marriage. Michelle had a first marriage. Nobody wants that to not work out. When I hear this song, I think of the failed marriage but that's not the end of the story. I had nine years in my first relationship. It was meaningful at the time and it just didn't work out."

"Can't Take My Eyes Off You." "I met Michelle in the hallway to the dressing rooms at Chanhassen. She was in 'Annie Get Your Gun' on the main stage. I was in 'What the Butler Saw.' Michelle was standing in the hall and her beauty literally took my breath away. I said out loud, 'You're the most beautiful person.'"

"Let's Hang On (to What We Got)." "Never quit. I sing this song out loud in rehearsal. In life, you feel like you're having troubles in a relationship, it's important to try to not quit. When Michelle and I have had issues, we've always come back to each other to make it work. A big theme in the play is going home. I think of that a lot now that both of my parents have passed. I've had a pretty good career as an actor and director. Family's really where it's at. And the play is about that. These four guys have the most successful career imaginable and all of them just want to be home."

"Working My Way Back to You." "In the show, it's the guys literally working their way back to each other. In life, if you have a fight with your spouse, you get to the point where you might think, I'm done with that. Then you go, 'Wait a minute. I want to work my way back to you.' It does take work, but it's worth it."

"Who Loves You (Pretty Baby)." "A father loves his daughter and I always think of Cat." Brindisi also is proud of his only child, adding that she's in the Guthrie Theater's upcoming "Into the Woods."

"Walk Like a Man." "Be a stand-up guy. It goes back to the Old West when a guy walks into a bar, you stand up. What it means is you're gonna do the right thing. I lean into that. How can I make the right decision for the company and the people I work with and for our guests? I try to live my life as a stand-up guy."

'Jersey Boys'
Who: Book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice. Composed by Bob Gaudio with lyrics by Bob Crewe. Directed by Michael Brindisi.
When: 8 p.m. Tue., 1 & 8 p.m. Wed., 8 p.m. Thu.-Fri., 1 & 8 p.m. Sat., 6:30 p.m. Sun. Through February 2024.
Where: Chanhassen Dinner Theatres, 501 W. 78th St., Chanhassen.
Tickets: $75-$105, 952-934-1525 or chanhassendt.com.