Nick Cartell Returns Home For One-Night-Only Concert At Herberger Theater Center

The Herberger Theater Center will welcome home beloved Broadway performer and Phoenix native Nick Cartell for An Evening with Nick Cartell & Friends on Friday, October 24, 2025, at 7:30 p.m. on the Center Stage.

Cartell, who has performed the role of Jean Valjean in Les Misérables more than 1,000 times on the national tour, returns to Arizona for an intimate evening of music and memories. Blending heartfelt storytelling with soaring vocals, the performance will include selections from his debut album, as well as Broadway classics, Disney favorites, and jazz standards.

Audiences can also look forward to surprise guest appearances throughout the evening, making this concert a true celebration of artistry, humor, and homecoming.

“Performing in Phoenix always feels like coming full circle,” said Cartell. “The Herberger is where so much of my love for the stage began, and I can’t wait to share this music with the community that shaped me.”

Cartell’s career began at the Herberger Theater, where he appeared in West Side Story. Since then, he has performed on Broadway in Paramour, Scandalous, and the Tony-nominated revival of Jesus Christ Superstar, and toured nationally with The Phantom of the Opera. A graduate of Arizona State University, he also co-produces Broadway Fights Ovarian Cancer with his wife, Christine.

FEATURED GUEST ARTISTS

Joining Cartell for this special performance are Stephanie Likes, Rusty Ferracane, and Kristen Drathman, each a celebrated Arizona performer and educator.

• Stephanie Likes, a Broadway veteran (Les Misérables), is a graduate of Chandler High School and an educator whose award-winning theatre program has launched students to Broadway and top university training programs.

• Rusty Ferracane is a professional actor, singer, director, and playwright whose credits include the American premiere of Enter the Guardsman Off-Broadway. He is a founder of The Actors Group and currently developing a new musical that was a semifinalist at the O’Neill Center.

• Kristen Drathman is a Phoenix-based performer and voice teacher who has sung internationally—including at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics—and has helped train dozens of young artists who have gone on to successful professional careers.

MUSIC DIRECTION

The performance will be accompanied by Mark Fearey, an award-winning music director and vocal coach. Fearey serves as Faculty Coach/Accompanist at Grand Canyon University and Resident Music Director for Valley Youth Theatre, with credits including Matilda, Shrek, and Newsies. A graduate of Mercyhurst College and ASU, he has collaborated with Jordin Sparks, Emma Stone, Kimiko Glenn, and Amber Wagner.