March 12, 2006

Jersey Boys’ Supporting Actors: Part II

March 12th, 2006

The Jersey Boys Blog is highlighting the careers of supporting cast members Donnie Kehr, Michael Longoria, and Mark Lotito.

Donnie Kehr: In Jersey Boys, Donnie Kehr plays Norm Waxman, in addition to other parts. Kehr, the son of musician Harry Kehr and ballerina Dolores E. Kehr, grew up in New York City. He is a classically trained performer who made his Broadway debut at age twelve in Lengend, a play starring F. Murray Abraham. Kehr was the original pinball lad in The Who’s TOMMY, which won five Tony Awards and a Grammy Award for Best Theatrical Recording. In 2003, Kehr starred with Tony Braxton in Elton John and Tim Rice’s Aida on Broadway.

As a musician, along with his brothers, Michael and Steven, Donnie co-founded the band “Urgent” on EMI-Manhattan Records in the late 1980s. As a collaborative songwriter and lead singer of the band, they reached the Top 100 on Billboard’s pop charts. Donnie also released a 2005 solo CD entitled “Shift.”

Kehr’s film credits include the following: “Saturday Night Fever” (1977); “Baby, It’s You” (1983); “Wall Street (1987); “Chaplin” (1992); and “Geppetto” (2000).”

Michael Longoria: Michael Longoria plays 17-year old Joey Fishes (Pesci), as well as other roles in Jersey Boys. In addition to Jersey Boys, Michael has also performed in the Broadway production of Hairspray, the European tours of A Chorus Line and West Side Story, and regional tours of Peter Pan and Wendy and Avenue X.

Longoria grew up in a house of music guided by his mother who, in the 1970′s, played keyboard and sang in a cover band called “Brown Image”. He and his mother performed a duo act that toured Southern California performing concerts of mariachi music at festivals & outdoor fairs. As an early teen, Michael was accepted into a magnet high school for the Arts in Los Angeles, where he studied jazz, gospel, musical theater and choral music. At 17, Michael received a scholarship to study acting at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, where he received a BFA.

In the spring of 2005, Longoria released his self-composed debut album entitled “Under 1000 Shades of Blue” and now performs regularly in New York City clubs. Tomorrow night, he will perform at the Duplex Cabaret Theatre at 9:30 PM as part of the Broadway Downtown series.

Mart Lotito: Actor Mark Lotito currently plays mobster Gyp De Carlo and other roles in Jersey Boys. Lotito has performed in numerous Broadway productions over the past several years including Fiddler on the Roof; Dinner at Eight; The Boys from Syracuse; The Smell of the Kill; The Producers; Betrayal; Marie Christine; Victor/Victoria, and The Most Happy Fella

On television, Lotito has had several guest starring roles on episodes of “Cosby”; “Law and Order”; “Law and Order: SVU”; “NYPD Blue,” and “The Sopranos”. His film credits include “Moonlight Mile”; “Just Like in the Movies,” and “The Saint of Fort Washington.”

Here’s what critic Martin Denton of nytheater.com said about these talented actors,

“Mark Lotito and Donnie Kehr play the grown-ups—usually mafia dons or the equivalent—and they’re great. Michael Longoria plays Joey Fishes and numerous other roles and always seems about to take off into the stratosphere, so light-on-his-feet and exuberant is he.”

Part 3 will feature John Leone and Dominic Nolfi.

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