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Hangin' with the Four Stars of JERSEY BOYS!
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Oct 26, 2022
The Tony, Grammy and Olivier Award winning musical Jersey Boys, is now back at New York City's New World Stages (340 West 50th Street) Stage 1, starring Jonathan Cable as Nick Massi, Aaron De Jesus as Frankie Valli, CJ Pawlikowski as Bob Gaudio and John Rochette as Tommy DeVito. BroadwayWorld's Richard Ridge just caught up with all four of the stars and you can catch the full interview below!
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Hello, I'm Richard Ridge for Broadway World. One of the most popular musicals of all time
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Jersey Boys, which tells the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons
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is back in New York, wowing audiences right here at New World Stages
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And I'm with all four of the boys to catch up. Okay, you have to talk about that first performance back
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I mean, you've had magical opening nights with this show, but that first performance back, what was that like
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I mean, you know, after, what did we do, three weeks of rehearsals? And, like, we were rehearsing in masks, and we've all been doing the show for so long
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But then to come back and to, I mean, the pre-show announcement started, and people started screaming
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The music started, and we, and, like, everyone started screaming in the house. Like it was just heartbeats like and, you know, full of love
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I mean, it was just so much fun. It honestly felt like Christmas morning
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And I keep saying that, but I really mean it. And like Bob doesn't enter for the first like 25 minutes
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So I'm backstage. I'm like listening to everybody applaud. And I like couldn't wait to get out there and join them
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Yeah, and it turned out to be this great moment because it was half friends and family
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It was all of our loved ones. And then it was a bunch of super fans who bought tickets four seconds after they came on sale
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And then it was just some other random people who happened to come that night. So it was this really great sort of love fest of reunion people and new and old people
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There's a great line in the show where Frankie talks about being out on tour
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And he says, you're charged up. You feel like you're 10 feet tall. And I've never felt that kind of excitement and anxiousness to do the show and to be there for the audience that I had on our opening night
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It was really something special. Or tall. You've never felt tall until that night
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You felt tall that night. Super fans. We have to talk about the Jersey Boys fans because from the very first day, Jersey Boys was announced anywhere in the world
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The Jersey Boys fans. What do you call them? Is there a name for the Jersey Boys fans? I personally have coined them the Bob Gaudians
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I don't know if they subscribe to that but you won't they don't subscribe to that
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is there an official name? we just say super fans and there's all levels
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and there's the ones that are nice and there's the ones that know your social security number
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and then there's the ones who are super supportive and write supportive things to you
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and we love them all like favorite fan moment for you or fan art or something someone gave you
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I have to say one of my favorite fan moments was it didn't come from a super fan actually
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Although the super fans mean the world to us and we love them so much. But one of my favorite fan moments, I was on tour with the show in Atlanta, I think
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And a gentleman came up to me after the show, an older gentleman from Columbia, didn't speak English
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But he kind of realized that I spoke Spanish and he came and expressed to me how emotional and how moving the show was
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even though he didn't understand a single word of the show. And it was one of those moments where I realized how, you know, the show really can transcend even language
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The story is universal. The music is so wonderful. And that's always been one of my favorite, you know, fan moments because he embraced me and got very emotional
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And he thanked me for the performance. And it's just one of those moments where I realize, you know, we have the ability, and especially now that we're coming back, to be a part of feeling again
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Of feeling togetherness in a group setting. Yeah. Yeah. You know, and since these are real people, you know, I live in New Jersey and there's lots of people still alive who grew up with Frankie Valli
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You know, so many people come and say, you know, I grew up with Frankie Valli. His dad's brother's sister used to deliver coffee to my friend's bagel shop
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Everyone everyone has all these stories, you know what I mean? So there's lots of fans like that, too. And they take so much pride in it
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You know, like New Jersey took so much pride in Sopranos and so much pride in this, you know
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So it's great, the people from New Jersey. And we love the people in New Jersey in the audience because they hoot and holler the first time I say New Jersey
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And then everyone's like, got him. We got him. Tonight's going to be good. There's that one guy from Belleville out there
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Totally. For you. I think we're all Gaudio fans. The Gaudians? The Gaudians
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I keep winking at the camera when I say it. I need the teeth whitening, like ding
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He'll add that in later. Great, great, great. One of my favorite moments with the fans that I finally get to see is when Bob's up in the pulpit and Frankie's down there singing Can't Take My Eyes Off You
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And as soon as the music starts, at least half the crowd puts their arm around their significant other, their loved one
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and they are just transported back to the first time they heard that song or it was their wedding dance
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So it is the most endearing moment for me to watch I really enjoy David and Gia They got a podcast It wonderful They came and interviewed us before our opening and that was really fun
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And then at our opening, Nick Massey's son was actually there. And through some other super fans, it was relayed to me that he really liked our performance
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And people are trying to like, I don't know if I'm going to take him up on it yet
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But they want me to go meet him. We'll see. But it was really special to have him there to kind of witness our moment in history coming back
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And it was cool. You have to take them up on that. You know that. I mean, I think so
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Yeah. Who is the longest history? Who's done the Jersey Boys the longest
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More performances. Perhaps him and I have done it the most. Yeah, we're about the same
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How many performances? Do you know how many you've done? Over 3,000
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I've been doing it for about 10 years now, since 2011. All right, so you're like in the Yul Brynner category of King and I
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Seriously? Yeah. 3,000. Yeah, we're getting there. And I'm right behind him
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Yeah, I'm very close to that. I started with the show at the beginning of 2012
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Did you start on the road? Where did you start? I started in Las Vegas, and I did Las Vegas for three and a half years
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then I toured for two years, and now I've been here since the opening at New World Stages
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Las Vegas must have been amazing to be in the show there. It was amazing
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If you've seen the show in different venues, This is the smallest venue we've ever had
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Las Vegas was the largest venue that Jersey Boys has ever played. So it's been fun to kind of size down the show as I've progressed with the show
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It's really, really fun. Where did you start? I started on the first national tour, and then my wife actually joined me
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And my wife, Leslie Rochette, played Francine for years. And then I moved to the second national tour, and then I moved to the Broadway one, and then I moved here
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That's awesome. You've been everywhere. I've been everywhere. And I was Norm Waxman for a million years, and now I'm Tommy
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So when you hear Norm Waxman on stage, you're like, wait a minute. I used to play him
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Oh, my God. I spaced out the other night. At the end of Act One, when Norm Waxman and Tommy face off, I was zoned out
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And I run out. I go, hey, guys, what's up? And I almost came out and said Norm's line. I almost came out and was like, hey, Frankie, fabulous show
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You get, oh, my God. But I didn't. It's not me anymore. Yeah
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Yeah. But I didn't do that. I love that. How many performances have you done
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You know, I joined six months before COVID hit. Like, we're definitely the new guys
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Did you join at the same time? No, he's after me. I joined on tour in 2017
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I did a year as a swing, and then I did a year as Nick on the road. And then I joined here a month before COVID
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So, yeah. I mean, it's a dream to be here. I was telling you before, I ushered here
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My first job in New York when I moved here in, like, 2007, I was an usher in these theaters
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when I think, not School of Rock, what's the other, Rock of Ages was here
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Celia Cruz was over here. The Bubble Show has been here for a million years
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so it was still here. But yeah, I mean, it's really special to be here. So you used to take tickets here at Stage 1
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which is your house now. I actually won a Halloween costume contest
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with my girlfriend at the time. Constantine Maroulis voted on us. Constantine was not my girlfriend
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But I was risky business, and she was flash dance. And it was, you know
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we fit the theme with the 80s show and we won the costume contest in this theater like 2008
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Now you're on stage here. And now I get to be here doing it, yeah. All right, do you remember
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your first performance on stage? Oh my, you know what? I always joke that like
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the first performance, you black it out. You black it out because there's no time to like think back on how it's going
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You have to keep forging ahead, particularly with this show. You, Bob walks on stage
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and does not stop talking and singing for the next 45 minutes
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Um, so as much as I would like to say, I remember it crystal clear
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It was like all such a blur. Um, but yeah, I, I, I had only done Bob for six months before COVID hit
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And then, uh, I did the film this summer, which was lovely. And so it is like so refreshing to be back here with like our family, with our company
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doing the show again. Do you remember your first performance on stage? I do
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On this stage or on a stage doing Jersey Boys? On a stage doing Jersey Boys
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I do. I was playing Jip DiCarlo in Wisconsin. And I remember my second performance as Tommy
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I busted my head open, I hit myself with a guitar, and I bled all over the place
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My second performance as Nick on the road, I did it for all of my college friends
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that came out from Chicago to Rockford, Illinois, and it was just a rock show
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The people were screaming and going crazy. Yeah, yeah. So it's hard being a swing because you swung for a few different roles, right
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Yeah. Yeah. Yes. I mean as a swing I covered Norm Jip Nick and Tommy It was you know you got to be ready any second And that I mean we got you know three guys back there ready to do any role any time Hats off to Swings
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It's a tough job. Give it to the Swings, because that's the hardest job to have
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You have to have three or four tracks in your head, and you have to know just the one track when you're on stage that night
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being like, oh, who am I tonight? Am I Norm? Yeah, like John was saying, you might say the wrong word
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It might just come out of your mouth. Even if you're not a Swing, you do that song. It's going to be your first performance on stage in Jersey Boys
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It was in the end of 2011 in Fort Lauderdale at maybe the Broward Center
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It has 10 billion seats, and I was so terrified. And I was Norm Waxman and all the other parts he does
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And I remember I was running around, and he's super busy for a while. And then the biggest break is right before you're actually Norm for the first time
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And I was backstage like, oh, man, I'm tired. It's nice to get a break. And they're like, you're on, you're on
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So, of course, I was late, and I run out. and then so I have this money in my pocket and my first line to Tommy is you're late and he goes
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I'm late I was like oh anyway thanks so it was a great show that was your first one on yeah that
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was my first time on and look at me now does it spook you through the rest of the show I always
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ask people when a boo-boo happens like early on in the show do you like oh my god am I gonna be
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let go does it get written up in a report I mean I don't worry about getting let go but yes you
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They always say the second you screw something up, you're instantly drenched. If you see a guy who's drenched, it's because he messed up early on in the show
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You forget one line and you're just instantly drenched for the rest of the show. It's a badge of honor, though
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You know that in any show. I've spoken to everybody, especially the Hamilton guys have it the worst and the Hamilton women
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Because once you're on that turntable and if you forget something, you're done
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And they all do it and the fans love it. Because the fans are all there. Oh, he screwed up tonight
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If it's a badge, I should look like a lieutenant with just like a thousand badges down my hall
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First performance on stage. Yeah, it was in Las Vegas. It was exciting
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It was my first day with the, my first performance with the show. We had just, we reopened the show
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The show had moved from one of the casinos to the Paris. And so it was the first, we were literally reopening the show
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And so it was opening night and it was amazing. We had just had our daughter. She had just been born a couple months before
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And so it was, it was an exciting experience. My first time as Frankie came a few months after that because I played Joey when I first started with the show
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But it was amazing. It was so much fun. And to open a show in Las Vegas, I mean, come on
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Yeah, it was great. What was it like being back in the rehearsal room for the first time since the shutdown
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Because I spoke to you for during, like right after the shutdown happened
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I mean, everybody was learning how to stream yard and Zoom and try to, I forget who was the latest
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I was very late. You were very late. You had that skittish, I think someone had skittish Wi-Fi
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I think I did or whatever. But it's like, you know, we all learned that early on. But I mean, when you all knew that you were coming back and that first day in the rehearsal room, what was that feeling like
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Well, it was one of those things. We were waiting for it forever. So it finally came
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And then we actually rehearsed in this kind of oddly small room. But it was just great
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Everyone was just hugging each other. And then we went to sit down and no one knew if they were going to remember it
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and then everyone totally remembered it. And then in three seconds, we were ready to do the show again
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And it was really nice. It was really nice. I remember the first few chords that they played when we started singing together
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I couldn't help but get a little emotional. And it was just amazing to hear everybody back together again
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For me, the music is a big part of the experience. And so hearing the chords, us singing together in harmony
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oh, man, it was beautiful. There is just, there's this air of excitement throughout the entire day because we are all
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part of this renaissance of theater in New York City and there's such importance and
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humility in all of that. So it's an honor to be back part of this new wave of theater bringing New York City back
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on its feet. I felt remarkably socially awkward because, and it probably seemed that way, but like, you know
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I hadn't been with friends or in a group of performers in a year and a half or more. And
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you know, it's like you go to Thanksgiving and like you all love your family, but like you haven't
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seen each other in a while. So it's like, what are we going to talk about? Remember when we did that thing? And then like, you know, as we got into rehearsals, like we all just kind of, it was a
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really fun getting to rediscover the show, getting to rediscover moments. Everything feels so fresh and new when we do it now
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It felt that way in rehearsals too. And then rekindling friendships. It's been, you know, this magical gift that, you know
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we've gotten to be a part of. It I don know if I ever experience anything like it in my life I just want our audience to know the theater is the safest place to be right now especially here in New York I love for you guys just to talk about how safe it is to be here
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and the protocols and why people should come and see shows and see Jersey Boys again
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Yeah, I can't believe I don't have a mask on right now. No, it's very safe. Everyone has to be completely vaxxed to enter the building
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whether you sell popcorn or you're in the show or you're seeing a show
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or you're an usher like Jonathan. And oh, yeah. Congratulations. It's a very safe place to be
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You know, I even say at home, I don't even do that much socially, but I feel safe being here
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This is the most I do all day. It's come to the theater. Yeah. I mean, everybody that wants to be here is taking the necessary steps to be here
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And so there's comfort in that. And knowing that everybody is, you know, has been regularly tested, has been vaccinated, all those things
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it brings comfort to us. And so it's great. I feel totally safe
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Yeah, you walk into the building and you automatically feel like you're in a safe zone
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all of a sudden because there's been so much testing, so much precautions taken care of. And
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I think we're doing it right. It feels like we're doing it right
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We have air purifiers and filters backstage. I don't know what they did to the theater itself
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but like the fans are running now. You look out, when we look out
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we're performing to a room full of masked people. And if people get spicy and don't wanna follow the rules
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there's a staff to tell them to put their masks back on. We take it seriously
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And because we wanna be safe, we want our audience to be safe. And it really does feel that way
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Finally, if you could just sum up what it means, because we've all missed this. We've missed this for two years
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And now, you know, you walk down these streets now, all the marquees are lit. People lining up to buy tickets
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People getting dressed. They bring their families. I mean, I walked by here the other day
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There were like, you know, grandparents and parents and young kids coming to see Jersey Boys and introducing the show, like, to their kids for the very first time
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I mean, just the gratitude of what it means to you. You guys do what you do. You perform
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You know, you make magic. The arts is the one thing that saved all of us during this pandemic
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And, I mean, you guys are the best at what you do. Just what it means just to be back. it just feels magical because i came here for a rehearsal during the pandemic and new york felt
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like it was asleep and i think with art being back in midtown manhattan it feels like the heart of
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new york is back and you know the lights on broadway is a famous metaphor because it does
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mean something so i think new york feels alive again it feels it sees the blood flowing through
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its veins again with the lights of Broadway back on. Beautiful. Yeah, it's wonderful. I've said this
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before, but, you know, all of the amazing first responders and frontline workers that got us
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through the pandemic that helped us heal physically deserve such a debt of gratitude from all of us
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But it's kind of fun to be a part of maybe the emotional and soul healing that the arts really
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can do for everybody. And so that to me is an honor to be a part of that, to be a little part
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of helping people feel again and get excited again and go on a journey voluntarily again
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that's not theirs necessarily, but they get to experience it by just sitting in the audience
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and watching and feeling like a part of that. That's a beautiful thing and I'm so grateful
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to be a part of it. That's terrific. For you? Arts and theater is, they are the heartbeat of New York
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City and it is an honor and a privilege to be a part of that and be bringing that back, helping
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New York get back on its feet in this day and age. Beautiful. I feel like I've been floating around
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in a cloud of gratitude for like three weeks since we opened up again. You walk around and, you know
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there are still some businesses that are you know boarded up or shuttered but it's right by a bar
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that's like teaming with people and you know there are all these outdoor dining spaces where people
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are going and eating or drinking and then coming and seeing a show safely again you know they have
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to be vaccinated to go eat or drink anywhere um it's just it's it's like a historical moment and
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to get to be a part of it, I'm just forever infinitely grateful to be here with these guys
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doing this show. It means everything to me. Well, for our audience watching, if you're looking for
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one of the most enjoyable and feel-good nights, look no further than Jersey Boys here at New
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World Stages. And I've got all four of them here today. Come back to the theater
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