Details on ‘Frankie Camp’!
November 11th, 2013
JERSEY BOYS returns to Baltimore at the Hippodrome Theatre beginning tomorrow through Nov. 24. Tim Smith of The Baltimore Sun has a terrific interview with vocal coach Katie Agresta, music director Ron Melrose, and cast members Nick Cosgrove and Hayden Milanes, who give the reporter the lowdown on “Frankie Camp,” a training ground for actors who have shown potential to star in JERSEY BOYS in the “Frankie Valli” role. Below is a preview:
The “camp” is held periodically in New York for actors who have shown potential. In addition to intensive sessions on acting and choreography, the camp focuses on the sound that made a short, Newark-born Italian-American one of the most instantly recognizable singers in pop music.
“Frankie had an amazing instrument with an amazing falsetto,” says “Jersey Boys” music director Ron Melrose. “Usually, a falsetto is soft and choirboy-ish, but there was a gritty, street sound to his.”
On the first day of camp, Agresta zeroes in on that technique.
“Frankie flipped into [falsetto] like ice skating in and out of a park,” she says. “He just did it. I work with the guys on learning how to do that smoothly.”
Agresta also gives the singers yoga exercises and diet suggestions to keep the voice in shape.
Click HERE to read the entire feature.
