An Actor’s Life: John Lloyd Young’s In-Depth Interview
February 3rd, 2006Joanna Parson from ActorsLife.com has done an outstanding in-depth interview with Jersey Boys’ John Lloyd Young. Parson talks to Young about his incredible success in his Broadway debut playing Four Seasons’ legendary lead singer Frankie Valli; the immense responsibility for carrying such a hit on Broadway; his career path that led him to the big Broadway break; advice to actors auditioning for Jersey Boys in the future, and much more.
Here’s a sample of Parson and Young’s recent conversation:
Parson: You are the lead in this musical– recreating the music of the Four Seasons depends largely on the unique sound you create as Valli, and you take the last bow at the end of the show. What’s it like having the responsibility for carrying a hit on Broadway?
Young: Well, perhaps surprisingly, it’s just like playing any other leading role. I don’t take it any more seriously just because it’s happening in a bigger arena (and I didn’t take prior roles any LESS seriously). I’ve had leading roles in the recent past that were also very challenging, and you have to give them your all or else you can fail in front of hundreds or thousands of people. A lot of what ends up on Broadway fails, and rarely can you blame the actors; I had the script of JERSEY BOYS and the material in front of me, a great cast and creative team. I knew the show was good. So it was actually EASIER, emotionally, because I could just concentrate on my role (which was a formidable task, by itself), and not worry that the other elements wouldn’t come together.
Parson: Many people feel that Jersey Boys is one of the best-written biographical musicals of all time– certainly better than recent jukebox musical disappointments on Broadway. Did you know, reading the script, that it was special?
Young: The first time I read the script way back for the La Jolla version, I thought, “This show has Broadway written all over it.” And I remembered that a year later when I was up for it again. The good script really motivated me to seize the role. I just knew the show would be successful from the script alone. And my part had an arc and was a challenging role to act. That is EXTREMELY rare in a catalogue show, so I knew no matter what, that I’d be able to bring some true acting skill to the table.
Parson: This show is going to have a long life, spawning road and regional productions. What advice would you give actors auditioning for Jersey Boys in the future?
Young: The role of Frankie can eat you alive if you don’t respect it. I trained vocally every day for four months specifically for this high-falsetto singing, swam to build up my lungs, changed my diet and entire regimen before I even TOUCHED the score. You can’t just roll out of bed and sing a show like this, so if you think you’re right for Frankie, start training now! Believe me, if you do, you’ll have an edge on most everyone else out there. There are simply not dozens of people who can sing for 2 1/2 hours straight, 27 songs a show in high falsetto 8 shows a week just waiting in the wings. (and if there are, amen for the casting office) TRAIN.
