PREVIEW: Jersey Boys at The Civic
Perfectly pitched performance predicted [by Sharu Delilkan]
Bob Gaudio teaches Dion Bilios the tricks of the trade.
Having grown up when Grease the movie hit the big screen I was keen to speak to Dion Bilios, when I heard that he was cast to play Frankie Valli in Dodger Theatrical’s production of Jersey Boys – The Story of Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons.
The 24-year-old Sydney-sider’s first comment to me was “There aren’t many opportunities for a short guy to be up front singing, so I jumped at the chance to play Frankie.”
The 5 ft 6 in singer, dancer and actor says although he has never been in a band, getting together with the other three other performers as The Four Seasons – Declan Egan (Bob Gaudio), Anthony Harkin (Tommy De Vito) and Glaston Toft (Nick Massi) – has felt very much like being part of a musical group.
“And with us touring to promote the show, doing a few excerpts from the musical, it almost feels like we’re a band on tour,” he says.
Broadway’s gritty smash hit musical tells the story of how four blue collar boys from the wrong side of the tracks became one of the biggest American pop sensations of all time. Valli, Gaudio, De Vito and Massi joined forces to become The Four Seasons, writing their own hits and developing their unique sound, eventually selling over 175 million records before they were 30 years old.
BROADWAY BABY: Theatre Scenes goes to Broadway
A Kiwi in NYC [by James Wenley]
A battle for Broadway Real Estate in Times Square
Where can you find Harry Potter leading a dance number, Samuel L Jackson acting as a civil rights Mofo, and Spiderman trying not to fall into the audience? The Great White Way, the Capital of the Musical: Broadway Baby. New York, New York.
Last month I travelled to New York in pursuit of a dream: To see a real live, all singing, all dancing Broadway show. I’ve always been a big fan of the Musical experience, so where better to go? But I didn’t want to see just one singular sensation. Oh no. My mission was thirteen shows in ten days. Every night, and some afternoons too, I’d be seeing a new Broadway show.
Many thought I was crazy. Some asked how I could possibly remember them all. Others feared for my wallet. Worth it? You betcha.
I stayed at literally the cheapest hotel in New York. The reviews were burning. But you can’t always trust reviews can you (cough)? Luckily, it was pretty decent, and the bed even quite large. It was on a street right near the heart of Time Square – Spiderman was playing right next door (a gentleman’s club was our other neighbour…). It proved an excellent base to check out the theatres, galleries and the odd Occupy Wall Street protest (a theatrical triumph in its own right).
And the shows? Ah, the shows.