Boys Will Sue Boys

The original stars of “The Jersey Boys” are headed for a court battle with the producers of the hit musical over whether the former members of the cast have the right to tour a show with a similar theme.

In April, Franki Valli and Robert Gaudio of the Four Seasons, Jersey Boy Productions and the show’s playwrights filed suit against the men, alleging they were performing a copycat show and infringing on the copyrights and style of “Jersey Boys.”

The lawsuit sought an injunction to bar the group from continuing to tour “The Boys in Concert” and $150,000 for each infringed composition that the men performed during their show.

But the performers – Christian Hoff, Michael Longoria, Daniel Reichard and J. Robert Spencer – recently struck back with a suit of their own.

In court papers, the group asserted that “Jersey Boys,” which “tells the story, through music, of the singing group Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons,” is entirely different from “The Boys,” in which the former cast members sing songs from the ’60s and tell personal anecdotes of their Broadway experiences.

The countersuit alleges Valli and Co. have used “bully tactics” to injure the livelihood and reputations of the performers, threatening musicians that worked on both productions and engaging in a campaign to keep venues and promoters from booking “The Boys.”

The performers’ suit claims $1 million in damages and seeks an injunction to keep the “Jersey Boys” producers from interfering with their show, in which they are simply exercising “their legal right to sing the songs they love.”