Joey Pero Returns to BANDSTAND Tonight
By: BWW News Desk Jun. 30, 2017
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The Tony Award winning production of the new musical Bandstand, directed and choreographed by Tony Award winner Andy Blankenbuehler (Hamilton) and featuring music by Richard Oberacker and a book and lyrics by Robert Taylor and Richard Oberacker, welcomes Joey Pero back to the production in the role of Nick Radel beginning tonight.
Bandstand will mark Pero's Broadway debut after originating the role of Nick Radel in the world premiere Paper Mill Playhouse production. Joey assumes the role from Alex Bender who has played the role since the first preview on Broadway.
Director and choreographer Andy Blankenbuehler won his third Tony award for his choreography in Bandstand, which is now playing at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre (242 West 45 Street).
Bandstand stars Tony Award nominee Laura Osnes (Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella) and Corey Cott (Gigi) and features Tony Award winner Beth Leavel (The Drowsy Chaperone), Joe Carroll (Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella), Brandon J. Ellis (Once), James Nathan Hopkins (What's It All About: Bacharach Reimagined), Geoff Packard (Matilda) and Joey Pero (Broadway debut).
1945. As America's soldiers come home to ticker-tape parades and overjoyed families, Private First Class Donny Novitski (Cott), singer and songwriter, returns to rebuild his life with only the shirt on his back and a dream in his heart.
When NBC announces a national competition to find the nation's next great musical superstars, inspiration strikes! Donny joins forces with a motley group of fellow veterans, each an astonishing musician. Together, they form a band unlike any the nation has ever seen. Along the way, they discover the power of music to face the impossible, find their voice and finally feel like they have a place to call home.
The Bandstand ensemble features Mary Callanan (Mamma Mia!), Max Clayton (Something Rotten!), Patrick Connaghan (Broadway debut), Matt Cusack (One Man Two Guvnors), Andrea Dotto (Broadway debut), Marc A. Heitzman (Broadway debut), Ryan Kasprzak (Broadway debut), Andrew Leggieri (Broadway debut), Erica Mansfield (Finding Neverland), Morgan Marcell (Hamilton), Drew McVety (The Front Page), Kevyn Morrow (The Color Purple), Jessica Lea Patty (Evita), Becca Petersen (Broadway debut) , Keven Quillon (Shrek), Jonathan Shew (Broadway debut), Ryan VanDenBoom (Something Rotten!), Jaime Verazin (Finding Neverland), Mindy Wallace (An American in Paris) and Kevin Worley (On the Town).
The award winning Bandstand design team includes Tony Award nominee David Korins (Scenic Design), Tony Award winner Paloma Young (Costume Design), Tony Award winner Jeff Croiter (Lighting Design), Tony Award nominee Nevin Steinberg (Sound Design), 2017 Tony Award nominee Greg Anthony Rassen (Co-Orchestrator, Music Supervisor and Music Arranger), Tony Award winner and 2017 Tony Award nominee Bill Elliott (Co-Orchestrator), Fred Lassen (Musical Director and Conductor), Mark Stuart (Associate Choreographer) and makeup, hair and wig design by J. Jared Janas and Dave Bova.
Bandstand is produced on Broadway by Tom Smedes, Gabrielle Palitz, Terry Schnuck, Tom Kirdahy, Roger Horchow, Peter Stern, Michael Palitz, Jane Dubin, David Lyons, Sarah Perot, James L. Nederlander, James & Catherine Berges, Darren DeVerna & Jere Harris, Jeff & Ellen Adler, Nancy & Randy Best, Deep End Productions, Patty Baker, Terry D. Loftis/Scott D. Huffman, Independent Presenters Network/Charles & Lisa Siegel, Rosie Gunther McCooe/J. Scott & Sylvia G. Bechtel, Roy Putrino/Heather Shields, Diane & John Kalishman/Alison & John Ferring and The Shubert Organization in association with Paper Mill Playhouse.
Tickets are on sale to the general public and available by visiting www.telecharge.com or calling 212-239-6200 or 800-432-7250
Joey Pero (Nick Radel) is making his Broadway acting debut in Bandstand. He is a trumpet recording artist who has performed for audiences in 43 states and 7 countries. An alumnus of the Juilliard School and New England Conservatory, he toured with Jazz Legend Maynard Ferguson in 2005. Joey was a featured performer at the 2009 Presidential Inauguration and released his highly praised debut record Resonance that same year. He headlined the 2011 International Trumpet Guild Conference in Minneapolis, MN and has performed with Jersey Boys in Las Vegas, The Las Vegas Composers Showcase and upon moving back to New York City in 2016, An American in Paris, Cagney The Musical and the national tour of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella. The Drum and Bugle Corps activity played a major role in Pero's development where he remains active teaching, arranging and performing. Joey would like to send a heartfelt thank you to all of his family, friends and mentors for their consistent support and encouragement over the years, as well as the trumpet community's overwhelming presence. He is currently working on his second release due out in fall of 2017. For more information visit joeypero.com or follow him on Facebook at facebook.com/joeyperomusic
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