During last Sunday's Tony Awards telecast, viewers were treated to a musical segment spotlighting the many faces of singer Frankie Valli.
The moment featured all of the actors portraying Valli in "Jersey Boys" around the country, including the touring production and open run productions in Las Vegas, New York and Chicago. They sang some of the most popular songs from the musical.
The face of the Windy City's Valli, Dominic Scaglione, is brand new, along with two other "new Seasons" who in April, joined veteran cast member and Chicagoan Michael Ingersoll who portrays Nick Massi.
The other newcomers are Michael Cunio as Tommy DeVito and Shonn Wiley as Bob Gaudio.
Presented by Broadway In Chicago and TheatreDreams, the blockbuster hit "Jersey Boys" is celebrating its second smash year in Chicago at the Bank of America Theatre, 18 W. Monroe St. in an open run.
On June 3, the cast and producers celebrated the one millionth ticket sold during the Chicago run.
That's further evidence of the popularity of this story of Valli and The Four Seasons, a group of blue-collar boys from the wrong side of the tracks who became one of the biggest American pop music sensations of all time, writing their own songs, inventing their own sounds and selling 175 million records worldwide - all before they were 30.
For Wiley, being cast as songwriter Gaudio, the youngest member of the group, represented both an honor and a career challenge.
"Both Frankie Valli and Bob Gaudio are involved with the final approval for the casting for the lead roles," said Wiley, a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University, who moved to Chicago from New York, where he lives with his actress wife Meredith Patterson.
"And when we are being trained to step into these men's lives, we are told by the producers to study the previous actors and 'lean on the shoulders of those who have already played these roles."
And although Wiley recently met the real Valli face to face while he was performing in concert in Chicago this spring, he has yet to "officially" meet Gaudio.
"While performing in New York in 'No, No, Nanette,' I had the chance to meet quite a few people, like Rosie O'Donnell, newsman Brian Williams, Patti LuPone, Ann Miller, Sandy Duncan, Rod Stewart and Joanne Woodward. But it's different when you're playing someone in the spotlight. It gives you an even greater reason to want to shake hands with that person."
Wiley said joining the cast was one of the most welcoming experiences he's ever encountered during his stage life.
"It's the story, the chemistry of the cast and the audiences that make this show so special," said Wiley, who added many audience members enjoy seeing "Jersey Boys" repeated times.
"Audiences will comment that they can notice a shift in the stage story when Bob matures and really begins to become the driving force for the group along with Frankie. These are the men who helped make music loved by generations."
