PUBLISHED ACCOUNTS VARY as to the real Valli's age-a subject that he has always refused to discuss and refused to discuss with me-but 70 and 72 are two of the more frequently cited numbers.

You'd think that would mess with a guy's head. Valli, you might say, is suddenly riding high in the slipstream of his own life. In one of life's more bizarre turns, the Broadway telling of the remarkable life story of Frankie Valli has greatly rejuvenated the career of the actual Frankie Valli. That's why he's playing the flashiest casino in Jersey, instead of the second-tier joints that peddle oldie acts to slot-loving seniors or college auditoria. That's why his fee has gone way up-his live concerts now pull in $75,000 a night or more. That's why Valli sold out the Chicago Theatre last spring and why he's returning in November. That's why the Borgata showroom is sold out for a three-night stand. 'How many of you,' Valli asks, peering out from the Borgata stage, his voice betraying no emotion, 'have seen 'Jersey Boys'?' But his signature, onstage blend of total sincerity and Jersey nonchalance has been perfected over more than 50 years of talking to audiences just like tonight's.

On a hot Friday evening in late August, the original Jersey boy is still out on the road with his trademark falsetto.Valli is a naturally shy and serious man with little tolerance for fools or charlatans and even less patience for the irritations and encumbrances of long-term celebrity. 'The inspiration,' it reads, 'behind the hit Broadway musical 'Jersey Boys.' ' For the uninitiated potential ticket-buyer, it comes with a helpful caption. AT THE ENTRY to the showroom of the upscale, uptight Borgata Hotel and Casino-gritty Atlantic City's belated attempt to compete with the more relaxed luxury of the Las Vegas mega-resorts-there's a smiling, soft-toned picture of Frankie Valli.

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