HIT musical Jersey Boys is heading for the Alhambra and for one of its stars, it's a return to the theatre where he first appeared as a child.

The Tony, Grammy and Olivier Award-winning musical, telling the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, stars Dalton Wood of Haworth as Tommy DeVito, who started the group. The Four Seasons had a sound nobody had heard before, and the radio couldn’t get enough of it. But while their harmonies were perfect, off stage it was a different story.

Packed with hits including Beggin’, Sherry, Walk Like A Man, December 1963 (Oh What a Night), Big Girls Don’t Cry and Who Loves You, Jersey Boys is, says Dalton, more gritty than people might expect. "It's a biopic rather than a musical," he says. "It's lots of fun, and the songs are fantastic, but it's the true story of four working-class guys. Tommy is a big gambler and gets into money troubles. He's the leader of the band, he brought them all together and he likes to be in control. He has issues, he’s a big character to play. But I'm not the same Tommy as the last person who played him, it's important to put my own spin on him. It's not a tribute act."

Dalton, 27, and the other three lead actors spent an intense week working on the distinctive harmonies. "I've got a lot of voice recordings in my phone. It's so intricate," he says. "It has to be clean and together, and that's still a challenge. We have to get it right because everyone knows these songs. A lot of people come for the music, which is timeless - Beggin' is a hit all over again, thanks to TikTok - and they get this incredible back story too.

"They had the four-part harmonies and Frankie’s unique falsetto, and they were a group - a team and a family, not some manufactured band. They loved what they did and worked hard to get to the top."

The show is packed full of hits that everyone grew up with. Does Dalton have a favourite? " I love the big three, so that’s Sherry, Big Girls Don’t Cry and Walk Like a Man. Those were the group’s first big hits. We perform them one after another. The dance moves and the harmonies come out - they’re such fun to perform."

Dalton started performing aged six and was a member of Ilkley Upstagers and amateur societies in Keighley and Halifax. He appeared at the Alhambra as a child in Billy Elliot and Summer Holiday.

"It will be great to be back at the theatre, in my first professional role there," he says. "I did amateur theatre until I was 20 then I went to Bird College in London to do performing arts. I worked on a cruise ship in the Caribbean, playing Kenickie in Grease, then lockdown happened and I taught singing online, which I still do.

"Now I'm on tour with a show I really enjoyed as a kid. We’ve had standing ovations every night so far, for us as performers it’s nice to be back out there again after so long. We end the show with such joyous numbers everyone knows, even if they weren’t around when they were first out.

"Its going to be really special to be back on the Alhambra stage. Luke Suri, who's playing Frankie, is from Sutton and we first performed there as kids. My family and friends are coming along - my mum's going four times! - and it will be my birthday when we’re there. I can't wait."

* Jersey Boys is at the Alhambra from March 8-19. Call (01274) 432000 or visit bradford-theatres.co.uk