Who are those Jersey Boys?

Ever since Jersey Boys first hit Broadway in late 2005 it's gotten nothing but rave reviews.  I haven't seen the show yet, and I was originally a little skeptical because I'm not a big '50's "doo wop" guy.  But in the time we lived in New York, every friend our age (late 30's) and younger who saw it said the same thing:  "It's great!"  That said, I'm looking forward to the show's 4 week stay at the Fox.  (It will be here from April 23rd to May 18th.)

The cast for the St. Louis run was announced today.  I found it particularly interesting that Erik Bates, who plays one of the Four Seasons in the play is probably better qualified than any actor for his role.  His previous job was as a backup singer for the real Frankie Valli in the 21st century incarnation of the Four Seasons.  You don't get much more in character than that!

Anyway, for those interested, here's the info on main cast members as announced this afternoon.

CAST BIOGRAPHIES

 

ERIK BATES (Tommy DeVito) Prior to joining Jersey Boys, Erik toured singing backup as one of the Four Seasons with the man himself, Frankie Valli.  He’s beyond thrilled to be a part of this production sharing the history of the original Four Seasons. Credits include: Broadway: Miss Saigon, Regional: Romeo and Juliet, West Side Story, The Fantasticks. Check out his original music at www.erikbates.com.

STEVE GOUVEIA (Nick Massi). Broadway: Jersey Boys. Steve is one of the original cast members of Jersey Boys, having been with the show ever since its world premiere at the La Jolla Playhouse in 2004. Regional credits include The Collected Works of Billy the Kid (dir. Des McAnuff), Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story, It Ain’t Nothin’ But The Blues, Cabaret, Pageant, Hedwig and the Angry Inch and Hair (with Sara Ramirez). As a musician, he has performed with members of The Doors, Manfred Mann, Icehouse, The CBS Orchestra, The Verve Pipe, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, and many others. For more info, check out www.stevegouveia.com.

 
CHRISTOPHER KALE JONES (Frankie Valli) Chris originated the role of Frankie in the 1^st National Tour and is the grateful recipient of a 2008 Garland Award for his performance.  Career highlights: working on the new musicals Zhivago (Dir: Des McAnuff, La Jolla Playhouse) and The Ballad of Little Jo (Dir: Tina Landau, Steppenwolf Theatre). For more: www.chrisopherkalejones.com

 
ANDREW RANNELLS (Bob Gaudio) Broadway: Link Larkin in Hairspray.  Regional: Chris in Miss Saigon, Jimmy in Thoroughly Modern Millie, Billy in The 60’s Project, Hedwig in Hedwig and the Angry Inch.  Andrew has provided voices for characters in numerous animated series and commercials.