Casting Announced For Detroit Engagement of JERSEY BOYS; Matt Bailey, Joseph Leo Bwarie & More To Star

Casting has been announced for the Detroit engagement of the Tony, Grammy and Olivier Award winning hit musical JERSEY BOYS, the story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, playing the Fisher Theatre, December 17, 2009 - January 23, 2010. The cast of JERSEY BOYS will be led by Matt Bailey (Tommy DeVito), Joseph Leo Bwarie (Frankie Valli), Josh Franklin (Bob Gaudio) and Steve Gouveia (Nick Massi) as The Four Seasons, with Jonathan Hadley and Joseph Siravo.

The ensemble of JERSEY BOYS includes Christopher DeAngelis, Graham Fenton, John Gardiner, Farmington Hills native Eric Gutman, Leo Huppert, Michelle Knight, Renée Marino, Brandon Matthieus, Denise Payne, Nathan Scherich, Brian Silverman, Courter Simmons, Ryan Strand, Katie Tomlinson, Kara Tremel and Kevin Worley.

JERSEY BOYS is the winner of the 2006 Best Musical Tony Award®, the 2006 Grammy Award® for Best Musical Show Album, and most recently, the 2009 Olivier Award for Best New Musical.

Directed by two-time Tony® Award-winner Des McAnuff, JERSEY BOYS is written by Academy Award-winner Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, with music by Bob Gaudio, lyrics by Bob Crewe and choreography by Sergio Trujillo.

JERSEY BOYS is part of the 2009-10 Season presented by Broadway in Detroit.

JERSEY BOYS is the story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons: Frankie Valli, Bob Gaudio, Tommy DeVito and Nick Massi. This is the story of how a group of blue-collar boys from the wrong side of the tracks became one of the biggest American pop music sensations of all time. They wrote their own songs, invented their own sounds and sold 175 million records worldwide - all before they were thirty.

JERSEY BOYS opened at the August Wilson Theatre on Broadway to critical acclaim on November 6, 2005. The JERSEY BOYS National Tour opened to rave reviews in San Francisco on December 1, 2006, played a record-breaking run in Los Angeles and is still breaking house records in cities across North America. There are seven current productions of JERSEY BOYS: New York, London, Chicago, Las Vegas, Toronto, Melbourne, Australia, and a US National tour.

 

The JERSEY BOYS design and production team comprises Klara Zieglerova (Scenic Design), Jess Goldstein (Costume Design), Howell Binkley (winner of the 2006 Tony® Award for his Lighting Design of JERSEY BOYS), Steve Canyon Kennedy (Sound Design), Michael Clark (Projections Design), Charles LaPointe (Wig and Hair Design), Steve Orich (Orchestrations) and Ron Melrose (Music Direction, Vocal Arrangements & Incidental Music).

 

JERSEY BOYS is produced by Dodger Theatricals, Joseph J. Grano, Tamara and Kevin Kinsella, Pelican Group, with Latitude Link and Rick Steiner.

 

The Original Broadway Cast Recording of JERSEY BOYS, produced by Bob Gaudio, was recently certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. The cast recording is now available on Rhino Records. JERSEY BOYS: The Story of Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons (Broadway Books) is the official handbook to the smash Broadway hit. StubHub is The Official Fan to Fan Ticket Marketplace of JERSEY BOYS.

Performance times for JERSEY BOYS, premiering in Detroit, December 17, 2009 - January 23, 2010 at the Fisher Theatre, located at 3011 W. Grand Blvd., in Detroit, are:

- Special Monday evening performances on Dec. 21 and Jan. 18 at 8 p.m. (No other Monday evening performances)

- Tuesday through Saturday performances at 8:00 p.m. (No performance on Dec. 24)

- Wednesday matinees on Dec. 23 and Jan. 20 at 1 p.m.

- Friday matinee on Dec.18 at 1 p.m.

- Saturday and Sunday matinee performances at 2:00 p.m. (No matinee performance on Dec. 19)

- Sunday evening performances at 7:30 p.m.

Ticket prices for the Detroit engagement of JERSEY BOYS begin at $34 (inclusive of parking and facility fees) and are now on sale at the Fisher Theatre box office and all Ticketmaster locations. Tickets will also be available for purchase online at www.ticketmaster.com or www.BroadwayinDetroit.com, and by calling Ticketmaster at 1-800-982-2787. Limited premium seats are also available at all sale locations as well as online and by phone. For group sales (20 or more) please call (313) 871-1132 or email groupsales@nederlanderdetroit.com (use JERSEY BOYS GROUP as your subject line). For additional information, call (313) 872-1000 or visit www.BroadwayinDetroit.com.

For more information, please visit www.JerseyBoysInfo.com or www.BroadwayinDetroit.com.

CAST BIOGRAPHIES

The Four Seasons

MATT BAILEY (Tommy DeVito) Originally from Northern California, he has appeared in over 30 shows in 17 states. New York credits include The Most Happy Fella, Cinderella (Lincoln Center), Ghostbrothers of Darkland County (with John Mellencamp & Stephen King), Mental (Cherry Lane), Night of the Hunter. Regional favorites: Edward II, The Full Monty, Bat Boy, Musical of Musicals (Kevin Kline nom.), Hamlet, Jacques Brel..., the Muny, Williamstown Theatre Festival. For more visit www.mattbailey.info.

JOSEPH LEO BWARIE (Frankie Valli) Opened Jersey Boys Las Vegas as ‘Frankie' twice a week and is honored to join this company. Favorites from his early years: Highway to Heaven, Mama's Family, The Addams Family, Radio Flyer, Batman Returns and seaQuest DSV. He's performed on the Academy Awards, originated ‘Chachi' in Happy Days: A New Musical, and co-created six original family musicals produced by Garry Marshall's Falcon Theatre. Member of LA's award-winning Troubadour Theater Co. Recent Film/TV: The Princess Diaries 2, Chronic Town, I Hate My 30s and 2009's Race to Witch Mountain as ‘Frankie Valet.'

JOSH FRANKLIN (Bob Gaudio) Josh is an actor singer/songwriter originally from Colorado. Broadway: Grease 2007 revival (u/s Danny, Teen Angel, Vince), Legally Blonde (u/s Emmett). Tours: All Shook Up (u/s Chad), Disney's On The Record, Grease (Teen Angel). BFA Webster U. Check out his original music at www.joshfranklin.net and/or www.myspace.com/joshfranklinmusic

STEVE GOUVEIA (Nick Massi). Steve is from the original Broadway cast of Jersey Boys, and can also be heard on the original cast recording (2006 Grammy award). Regional: Jersey Boys, The Collected Works of Billy the Kid (La Jolla Playhouse, dir. Des McAnuff), Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story, It Ain't Nothin' But The Blues, Hedwig and The Angry Inch, and Hair (with Sara Ramirez). As a musician/songwriter, Steve has worked with members of The Doors, Manfred Mann, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, Porcupine Tree, Icehouse, A Cast of Thousands, The CBS orchestra, and many others. For more info, go to www.stevegouveia.com

Hometown cast member

ERIC GUTMAN (Norm Waxman and others) is thrilled to be home in Detroit after three years with Jersey Boys (Tour, Chicago, Broadway). A proud Michigander, his local credits include I Love You, You're Perfect... and Forbidden Hollywood (Gem Theatre), Hello, Muddah... (Jet Theatre), Hedwig...Angry Inch (Breathe Art). www.ericgutman.com