Brown Grad JLY–A Big Man in Town
November 13th, 2006In the latest issue of Brown Alumni Magazine, writer Joel Cohen profiles 1998 Brown grad John Lloyd Young. Along with highlighting Young’s early years in Plattsburg, New York, Cohen talks to Young about his amazing journey playing Frankie Valli in the megahit musical Jersey Boys.
The show, which chronicles the rise and fall of the Four Seasons singing group, was an instant hit when it opened a year ago. Three months later, Young was signing his caricature at Sardi’s restaurant in Times Square. In June, the show took home four Tony awards, one of which was for best musical and another for Young as best actor in a musical. The actor signed a talent-holding contract with ABC for a future, as-yet-undetermined TV role, but in October he renewed his Jersey Boys contract, at least for several months.
Although Young sang in Sondheim shows at Brown, when he tried out for Jersey Boys he hadn’t been in a musical in years. And he really couldn’t dance. “So [the directors] put me in a sweltering studio boot camp,†he says. “Sometimes, spot-turns made me nauseous, sometimes to the point of throwing up. It was the literal meaning of dreadful—I would feel dread. Though intricate, the choreography is not really that difficult, but if you’re a klutz, you look horrible. Now people can’t believe I’d never danced before.â€
To prepare for his upcoming Broadway debut, Young listened constantly to Valli and the Four Seasons. His cousin took him to Las Vegas to watch Valli sing and interact with the audience. Although Young took notes on a napkin, he avoided meeting the singer. “I didn’t want to jinx anything or have him tell the producer, ‘I don’t want this kid to play me.’ â€
Young did eventually meet Valli, who attended the show several times and gave advice about maintaining stamina and advised holding back a bit. “Hearing it from him,†Young says, “was the supreme validation of my own instincts and the direction I was already going in.â€