Longoria To Formally Assume Lead In Jersey BoysThere is a God. When
John Lloyd Young leaves the incredibly popular
Jersey Boys this, the immensely talented
Michael Longoria -- who regularly plays Joey (as in
Pesci) "and others" -- will succeed him as
Frankie Valli.
According to a
bulletin I received from Longoria via MySpace:
I know many of you have been patiently awaiting the news as to what the deal is regarding my future with Jersey Boys. So here is the official news. I will take over the role of Frankie Valli in Broadway's Jersey Boys starting November 27th, 2007. Thanks for all the love you guys and gals have sent my way on my comments page for the last year... I hope those of you who didn't get a chance to catch my Valli during the matinees this past year will come see me at night now!
As I've previously mentioned in
one of my semi-regular "Curse of the Understudy" columns, I found myself disappointed one Friday night when I took in a performance of
Jersey Boys -- before it even won the Tony for Best Musical, -- because John Lloyd Young was out. Little did I know that I'd be wowed by his truly amazing understudy, Longoria, in the role of Frankie Valli. I subsequently purchased the original cast CD, and I can tell you that Longoria's voice is actually much better suited to Valli's full range than Young's. Quite the crowd-pleaser, Longoria was definitely the best thing about the show.
Earlier this past June, while Longoria was filling in once again for Young, Frankie Valli himself saw the young actor portray him.
In his MySpace blog, Longoria wrote:
Well, it finally happened. The real Frankie Valli came to see me play him in Jersey Boys on Broadway this past week. I've dreamt of this moment for almost 2 years, but it didn't turn out quite as I had imagined. The audience was so alive! Maybe cause they saw Frankie in the theatre, or maybe cause everyone in the show was so fierce that show. He brought two of his sons who were given the option of seeing the film "Oceans 13" or Jersey Boys...They chose JrzyByz. Frankie inroduced me by saying, "this is the guy who played dad today...". Never in my wildest dreams had I ever imagined I'd be spending time with this musical legend, portraying his life. I was in awe, thanking God that I didn't know he was there and had a great show. We chatted a little, I thanked him for coming and was moved when he told me he thought I was "f------ sensational". What a guy!
Congratulations to a real trouper. While I never did have a chance to see John Lloyd Young perform (except on television), I can tell you that Longoria will be worth the price of admission.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:Honorable Mentions: SOB's Singular Sensations Of '06 (December 30, 2006)
Longoria Back To The Peak As Valli (October 20, 2006)
The Curse Of The Understudy (October 2, 2006)
Jersey Boys' Valli Understudy Gets Spotlight (June 15, 2006)
The Tonys: If I Could Vote...for Best Musical (May 31, 2006)
Labels: Broadway, Casting Changes, Jersey Boys, John Lloyd Young, Michael Longoria, Musical, Understudy
Cry-Baby To Move Forward Without Schuck
Steve On Broadway has learned that the musical version of
John Waters'
Cry-Baby, which was to begin a four-week New York City workshop last month, will move forward without
Conrad John Schuck.
The actor perhaps best known for his role alongside
Rock Hudson and
Susan St. James on television's "
McMillan & Wife" has more recently become known to legions of youthful fans as Daddy Warbucks in the last Broadway revival of
Annie, as well as in the subsequent touring production.
Jan Maxwell is the other major acting name to be associated with the upcoming Broadway-bound tuner that will enjoy its world premiere this November at La Jolla Playhouse in California.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Broadway, Casting Changes, Conrad John Schuck, Cry-Baby, Film, First Word On New Show, Jan Maxwell, John Waters, Musical
Chaperone: No More Foster Care
After nearly a year on Broadway in her Tony nominated turn as twenties starlet Janet Van DeGraaff in
The Drowsy Chaperone (and longer than that if you count the Los Angeles tryout), actress
Sutton Foster is set to depart the production on April 15.
Co-star
Georgia Engel (pictured above right, dancing the "Toledo Surprise" with Foster) will exit the show on April 1. Seems like a perfect day for the lovably ditzy Engel.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for The Drowsy Chaperone tickets. Related Stories:
Labels: Broadway, Casting Changes, Georgia Engel, Musical, Sutton Foster, The Drowsy Chaperone, Young Frankenstein
A Cast That Is A-Changin': Sign Of The Times?Late yesterday came word from the new
Twyla Tharp musical
The Times They Are A-Changin' that lead actress
Caren Lyn Manuel was out and understudy
Lisa Brescia is suddenly in. It's not necessarily unusual for shows to undergo cast changes en route to the Great White Way. Indeed,
Jenn Colella (who's now part of Broadway-bound
High Fidelity) was dropped from the show in favor of Manuel after its San Diego tryouts.
However, the fact that it's occurred
after the
Bob Dylan-based tuner has already begun previews on Broadway doesn't appear to be a good harbinger of things to come. Indeed, even the iconic
folk singer himself is reportedly keeping his distance.
Critics in San Diego were not terribly kind when reviewing the February tryout there. The San Diego
Union Tribune's
George Varga lamented, "Rather than employ the wonderful complexity of Dylan's metaphor-rich songs as a starting point, or even as a final destination, Tharp's visually arresting but muddled production reduces his rich body of work to a simplistic, plot-challenged exercise in warm, fuzzy nostalgia."
It's been reported that many substantial changes have been made since San Diego. The show's leading man
Michael Arden is
quoted on Playbill.com saying, "[T]he show feels more whimsical now. It's the same song list and order, but some of the tones and textures have changed, and given it more depth."
Will that be enough to save a show that's not enjoying terribly positive buzz? Can director / choreographer Twyla Tharp pull off a pleasant October surprise? We'll find out when the musical finally opens on October 26 at the
Brooks Atkinson Theatre.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Labels: Broadway, Casting Changes, Musical, The Times They Are A-Changin'
Casting Call (Week Ending May 21, 2006)
Although theatrical news over the past two weeks has largely been devoted to late 2005-06 season openings, as well as award nominations and wins, there has also been a significant number of announcements pertaining to upcoming productions and their casts.
While the casting news that may have received the most buzz has been that surrounding Hugh Jackman and his participation in the Taylor Hackford-helmed workshop of
Leap of Faith (based on the 1992 movie with Steve Martin), perhaps the most noteworthy report surrounds recently-minted Academy Award-winning actor Philip Seymour Hoffman’s return to the stage in LAByrinth Theater’s
Jack Goes Boating. I last saw Hoffman in the haunting semi-autobiographic Broadway portrait of Eugene O’Neill’s family in
Long Day’s Journey Into Night a few years ago in which Hoffman co-starred alongside Tony Award-winners Brian Denehy, Vanessa Redgrave and Robert Sean Leonard. In
Jack Goes Boating, beginning this winter, Hoffman will be joined by John Ortiz and the always delightful Daphne Rubin-Vega.
As for Jackman, it’s clear that his participation is much in demand as he’s also been rumored to be sought for a new Joe Mantello-helmed Broadway revival of
Pal Joey, as well as
Stop the World, I Want to Get Off. Celebrated choreographer Matthew Bourne’s name has also been attached to the
Pal Joey revival. As Jackman demonstrated through his triumphant, Tony Award-winning portrayal of Peter Allen in
The Boy From Oz, he can turn even the most dubious of roles into a tour-de-force performance. He was absolutely remarkable. The only drawback in that show was that he was compelled to impersonate the nasally Allen rather than using his glorious, natural voice. Regardless of which production he’s ultimately attached to, I’m looking forward to once again enjoying this gifted performer.
Other recent and noteworthy casting includes. . . . Disney’s announcement that Donny Osmond -- often the perennial Joseph in various productions of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat -- will soon be the new Gaston in the long-running Broadway hit
Beauty and the Beast. I’ll be interested in learning whether Osmond has seriously bulked up or will simply use padding to play Belle’s dim suitor . . . . Tony Award-winner Chuck Cooper will join 80s pop idol-turned-Broadway actress Deborah Gibson in Van Hill Entertainment’s production of
Saint Heaven, a spiritually-toned musical love story that begins performances at the Stamford (CT) Center for the Arts, June 1-11. I last saw Gibson in the role of
Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella opposite Eartha Kitt’s fairy Godmother several years ago. . . . Jeremy Kushnier, Andy Karl and his real-life wife Orfeh will star in the musical version of
Bright Lights, Big City. Karl, whom I originally saw in
Disney’s On the Record in 2004, has made quite a name for himself over the past year, particularly with his Off-Broadway role in the much-lauded
Altar Boyz, as well as his lead role in
Slut.
Bright Lights, Big City -- the new adaptation of the famed Jay McInerny novel -- will descend on Philadelphia’s Prince Music Theater, beginning June 14 for a limited premiere engagement. . . . and finally, Linda Gray leads the casting in the stage adaptation of
Terms of Endearment, which has already been announced as part of the upcoming season in both Houston and Hartford in 2007. Gray is undoubtedly best known for her years portraying Sue Ellen Ewing on television’s “Dallas.” But more recently, she assumed the role of Mrs. Robinson in the stage version of
The Graduate.
Expect more exciting casting news in the weeks ahead.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for Jack Goes Boating/LAByrinth ticket information.
Click here for Beauty and the Beast (Broadway) tickets.
Click here for Saint Heaven tickets.
Click here for Bright Lights, Big City tickets
Click here for Terms of Endearment (Houston Alley) ticket information.
Related Stories:Casting Call (Week Ending June 7, 2006) (June 7, 2006)
Labels: Beauty And The Beast, Casting Changes, Donny Osmond, Hugh Jackman, Jack Goes Boating, Long Day's Journey Into Night, Pal Joey, Philip Seymour Hoffmann, Stunt Casting, The Boy From Oz
