© Mike Shapiro

Jersey Boys just opened at The Broadway Palm in Fort Myers, Florida, and crowds are going wild! Many shows are already sold out, and few tickets remain for our production that runs through April 9th. As an actor, there is nothing more exciting than performing for full houses each night, and it is such a pleasure bringing the music of The Four Seasons to life for audiences that grew up listening to it. The show runs about 2 hours and 30 minutes, contains 51 scenes, over 35 fun-filled songs, and was quite the task to put up in just over two weeks time. Luckily, with the professionalism and talent this cast and company brings, we were able to present the community of Fort Myers with a polished and powerful piece of theatre that is sure to bring the audience to their feet.

Devon Goffman directed this production and was joined by his wife, Katie Goffman, who choreographed the show, bringing The Four Season’s iconic moves to life. Both of them spent time as actors in the national touring company of Jersey Boys. I appreciated the valuable insights they were able to bring from working on the production prior, and it was an honor to work under their leadership.

I’ve enjoyed getting to sink my teeth into each character, playing roles such as “handsome Hank,” the comedic musician Tommy brings into the group at the start of their careers, Stosh, a dim-witted gangster who works with his partner, Donnie, to scam Frankie out of five grand, and Joe Long, a trusted bass guitarist who’s added into the group after the original Four Seasons split off. I also feel lucky to understudy the role of Nick Massi and dive into the relationships he has with each member of the group. He is such a talented musician and master with harmonies, and yet, somehow, he ends up in the background most of the time, longing to create his own group, but also wanting to fit in and remain with the “family” he has in The Four Seasons. It’s exciting to take part in maintaining the legacy of The Four Seasons, and I look forward to entertaining more members of the Fort Myers community who cherish their sound. If you’re in the area, make sure you get tickets before they’re gone. I hope to see you there!

Looking for tickets? Send me a message or visit The Broadway Palm’s website below.

The Broadway Palm - Jersey Boys Tickets

What does the public think? Check out our reviews below!

NBC 2’s “Jersey Boys” Review by Dave Elias

I couldn't be more thrilled to announce that I'll be heading to the Broadway Palm in Fort Myers, FL to play Hank Majewski, other ensemble roles, and understudy Nick Massi in their production of Jersey Boys. The show runs from February 17th through April 9th, and I fly out for rehearsals in about a week. I feel so grateful for this opportunity and fortunate that I'll be surrounded by family during my stay, who have made Fort Myers their winter home for years. If you're feeling the winter blues and would like to get away, or you just happen to be in the area, get your tickets soon! I'd love to see you there.

It’s official! I couldn’t be more excited to announce that I’ll be making my national tour debut! Casting has finally been announced for the 2022 touring productions of An American in Paris and South Pacific. I’ll be on the road from the middle of January until the end of May, performing in the vocal Ensemble for An American in Paris, and as the Bass soloist/Ensemble in South Pacific. With Big League Productions, we will be presenting these shows in rotation; switching between each when we travel to a new city. Our company will be traveling to 32+ states, so be sure to check the websites below to see if we stop in a city near you.

Broadway World - An American in Paris 2022 Casting Announcement

Broadway World - South Pacific 2022 Casting Announcement

While Covid-19 may have had a huge impact on the entertainment industry, closing theaters and planned productions around the country, the voice over industry has been booming. I’ve always had an interest in voice over, having recorded for mainstage productions back in college, but I never had the proper equipment to do it all on my own. This past December, I decided to invest in myself, purchasing a Shure SM7B microphone, Focusrite interface, and other equipment needed to set up a home studio. These past two weeks, I’ve been working with Josh Cahn and eight other students on Zoom to hone my voice over and audio editing skills.

When I first started the course, I didn’t know what to expect. I hoped we’d discuss the voice over industry in depth, talk about self branding, editing, and technique, but I never would have imagined I’d learn as much as I did in such a short time. We covered the whole gambit from technological terminology, point-to-point websites, specific editing plug-ins, voice over technique, and more. I couldn’t be happier with the progress I’ve made from the beginning of class to the end, and I look forward to diving into voice over more in the future.

If you’re someone who’s been interested in voice over, specifically commercial VO, I couldn’t recommend Josh’s course through The Growing Studio enough. He’s a great guy who’s there for his students and wants to see them grow; always willing to answer any of their questions. Should you decide to take his course, tell him I say, “Hi,” and let me know what you think. I certainly enjoyed it, and I couldn’t be more excited to see where my voice over journey takes me.

Theatre has always been a place of comfort for me; somewhere I felt I belonged and was always surrounded by a diverse community of supportive individuals. However, comfort can easily turn to fear when something you hold so close is suddenly taken away. A lot has happened this past week, ending with Broadway theaters suspending their productions until the middle of April because of the Coronavirus. Everybody is practicing social distancing, including myself, and while I sit quarantined in my NYC apartment, I can’t help but reflect on the state of the world at present.

The Coronavirus has a lot of people in a panic. There are a lot of unknowns, and almost every hour there’s a new update informing the public of new closings, travel bans, or other forms of societal isolation. For Broadway, that big change happened on Thursday, March 12th, when Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that Broadway would go dark until the week of April 13th. In all of Broadway’s history, this is the longest shutdown. Schools have closed, canceling theatrical productions, and colleges around the country have begun canceling their senior showcases as well (Otterbein’s is still up in the air). People are disheartened and angry that their lives have been disrupted. Many seem to feel hopeless, and though these unfortunate events are frustrating, I believe out of this difficult period, great art will emerge!

On the same day Governor Cuomo made his announcement about Broadway closures, Lincoln Center Theater’s production of FLYING OVER SUNSET was supposed to have its first preview. This is a WONDERFUL new production with book and direction by James Lapine, music by Tom Kitt, and lyrics by Michael Korie. Seeing it get put on hold was quite disheartening. Many people worked on this production and were excited to reveal this original work to an enthusiastic audience, however, like many, a lot of company members were disappointed by the news of the suspension. They would still conduct an evening dress rehearsal, but the excitement quickly faded knowing they would no longer have an audience to interact with. The staff at LCT quickly came together.

That same evening, I was able to attend the dress rehearsal for FLYING OVER SUNSET that took the place of their first preview performance. Every staff member received an invitation to come watch, and what would have been an audience of zero quickly turned into a house of around 50 LCT staff members, all cheering on the cast, crew, and creative team. As an actor myself, I understand the strong desire to perform for an audience, especially after an extended period of rehearsals. Seeing each member of the cast light up when they saw us in the house filled me with joy. You can’t help but feel sorry for Broadway at a time like this. The work that went to waste, the loss of so many stories, and all of the actors who would’ve made their Broadway debuts. It is in these times, however, that we must remember what it means to be an artist; how art can make a difference.

Broadway is known for its big, flashy musicals and dramatic plays with big budgets. It can be easy to forget the true reason we do art. We get so distracted and caught up in the craziness of this industry, feeling as though we often have to “fend for ourselves.” We loose track of its real beauty; the ability to inspire and make a difference in someone’s life through storytelling.

During this time of hardship, I’m going to try and find the positives in my day to day life, and I encourage you to do the same. Don’t retreat to the dark depths of despair. Now is the time that audiences need you more than ever! You may be quarantined, but that doesn’t mean you can’t create. Now is the time to write that script you’ve always thought about, record that song everyone’s told you to sing, or collaborate with a friend on a scene. Just because the world’s been turned upside down doesn’t mean that theatre has to take a back seat. People need you, and lets face it, you need you! You’re going to be spending a lot of time in quarantine, so find the positives in this world and go create! Broadway will be up and running again before you know it, and when it does start back up, amazing art will most certainly follow.