'Jersey' bops to Ahmanson

'Boys' to replace 'Mountain'

By GORDON COX

'Jersey Boys' will shore up the Ahmanson Theater next season as a Motown tuner has dropped out.

NEW YORK -- "Jersey Boys" will replace the world premiere of a Motown-based musical at the Ahmanson Theater in May.

The national tour of the Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons biotuner will run from May through July. Tour starts in San Francisco in December.

The Ahmanson had planned to debut the tuner "Ain't No Mountain High Enough," which has been delayed due to copyright issues.

"It has become increasingly evident that copyright issues which have arisen during the development of this musical have become too complicated to be resolved in time to fulfill the promise of a 2007 presentation," Center Theater Group artistic director Michael Ritchie said in a statement.

After two seasons featuring the world premieres of tuners "Drowsy Chaperone" and "Curtains," Center Theater Group will now stage an entire season of imports from Broadway and the West End.

"Mountain" was slated to play June 26-Aug. 12. Dates have not been set for the Ahmanson's 2007-08 season, so it's unknown if an extension is possible for "Jersey Boys."

"Jersey Boys," which got its start at the La Jolla Playhouse, won the Tony this year for musical.