October 13, 2009

Toronto Jersey Boy Michael Lomenda Will Always Be A Stettler Boy at Heart!

October 13th, 2009

JB Toronto Four Seasons
Playing bassist Nick Massi, Michael Lomenda, of Stettler, has found success on the musical theatre stage in Toronto in Jersey Boys. (Photo credit: Joan Marcus

Lana Michelin of the Red Deer Advocate has a feature on JERSEY BOYS’ Toronto’s Nick Massi–Michael Lomenda!

He stars as one of the Jersey Boys in the hit Toronto musical. But Michael Lomenda says he’ll always be a Stettler boy at heart.

For the past year, the 30-year-old actor, who was born and raised in Stettler, has been performing to full houses at the Toronto Centre for the Arts. He portrays Nick Massi in the 2006 Tony Award-winning musical Jersey Boys, about the rise of the 1960s pop group Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons.

Massi was the group’s bassist who quit the Four Seasons in 1965, for reasons that are largely unexplained.

But Lomenda thinks he understands why Massi exited just as the group was riding its biggest wave of popularity with three No. 1 singles, Big Girls Don’t Cry, Sherry and Walk Like a Man.

“I think he just wanted to go home. And that resonates with me,” says Lomenda, who still feels strong ties to the hometown he left in 1997 to attend Red Deer College, then Sheridan College in Ontario.

Lomenda believes that coming from a supportive community of 5,000 people has helped him throughout his theatrical career.

“There’s a certain level of — I don’t know if traditionalism is the right word — but a real sense of family that comes from growing up in a small town. You have a different perspective on things than people who live in the city because it’s a totally different upbringing.”

The most tangible example of community support happened soon after Lomenda began studying music at the age of five or six — a family friend actually gifted him a piano.

“Something like that is so integral to my career,” he says. “It’s amazing that someone would do that.”

Read the full story on Albertalocalnews.com.

3 Comments »

  1. Michael-such an important role that you are playing, my dad loved his music and shared it with all of whom he loved and very serious when it came to his music.
    Either playing or teaching dad Offered- three very important talents to The4SEASONS/JERSEY BOYS.
    Bass guitarist/Bass Vocals/Vocal Arranging (BOY!much sheet music was used). With the bass and vocals,he knew his work and more than #13 albums later in #5 years….. Artist’s today working to have #1 album out a year.(If they are lucky). The 4 Seasons -so loved, there music and gave it there heart, you can hear it,in there singing and playing.
    And for the AWSOME fans that were there from the beginning right to the New Generation who have such good taste in selecting such a wonderful group.
    Thanks! to JB,The Four Seasons music is Celebrated.

    Other great songs:
    Check out- Mack the knife, and “Don’t let go, by The 4 Seasons:
    Guess who Nick Massi is mimicking Yes! who does he sound like????
    Nick Massi loved to mimick certain entertainers with singing or speaking and did it well.

    The show shares a little part of reasons of his departure, which shocked not only fans,friends and most of all the family. But I’ll end on this note:

    HOME…A place where when you
    get there,you know your heart has been
    there all along.

    All my Best to the JB in Toronto, and happy to hear the show is extended…
    Blessings Always,
    Patti

    http://www.nickmassiart.com
    WorkHard/Dream/Bekind

    Comment by Patti-Massi-Candeliere — October 15, 2009 @ 4:00 pm

  2. Nick’s live stage version of “Mack The Knife” is absolutely fabulous – it can be found on the Four Seasons “Live” Vee Jay album. It is really a take off of the actual song and in it one of the lines is changed to say that Nick’s version of “Mack The Knife” will “put a scare in Bobby Darin” and it really does. You’ve got to hear it as well as Nick’s version of the Roy Hamilton classic “Don’t Let Go,” which can be found on the Philips “Dawn” album.

    Comment by David Cace — October 17, 2009 @ 3:09 pm

  3. David- nice research,your so right it would put a real scare in Bobby Darin he sounds so much like him. And “Don’t Let Go,” you would swear it was Elvis singing. Its pretty amazing…

    Patti

    http://www.nickmassiart.com
    WorkHard/Dream/Bekind

    Comment by Patti-Massi-Candeliere — October 18, 2009 @ 5:42 pm

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