May 11, 2010

John Michael Dias’s Journey to Jersey Boys

May 11th, 2010

John Michael Dias
John Michael Dias (Photo Credit: Joan Marcus)

Providence Journal Arts Writer Channing Gray has a marvelous interview with John Michael Dias, who shares the role of Frankie Valli on the JERSEY BOYS national tour. Here’s a preview:

So far, Fall River native John Michael Dias has gotten to see Buffalo. The 29-year-old singer-actor, who grew up in Tiverton, shares the grueling role of Frankie Valli in the smash hit “Jersey Boys,” doing a couple of shows a week to give Joseph Leo Bwarie a much needed rest.

But he has only been with the tour, which Wednesday opened a month-long run at the Providence Performing Arts Center, for less than a month.

“I’m pretty new,” said Dias in a call from Buffalo.

He has actually been with the show since 2007, though. He appeared in it in San Francisco and then spent most of his time in Chicago, where the show ran for a long while. It has since closed and Dias was picked up for the national tour, which will be in Providence until June 6.

But it wasn’t easy getting the part originally.

He had heard about the show from a friend in California while it was still at a small playhouse in La Jolla in 2005. She knew of Dias’ high tenor and what he could do with it, and said he’d be perfect for the part of Frankie Valli. Dias got nowhere, though.

The company was looking for more seasoned actors, and the then 25-year-old Dias was pretty green. Then he tried out for the Queen musical “We Will Rock You,” and the audition pianist, who was also the music director for “Jersey Boys,” mentioned him to the folks in charge.

Thirteen auditions and 2½ years later, Dias got the part.

Visit Projo.com to read the entire interview with John Michael Dias.

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