Interview: Daniel Quadrino in JERSEY BOYS at Paper Mill Playhouse

Jersey Boys is the first show of Paper Mill’s 2024-2025 season. Directed by Michael Bello, it begins performances on Wednesday, October 2 ahead of a Sunday, October 6 opening night. The run continues through Sunday, November 3 on the Millburn Stage.

“It’s incredibly fitting to kick off our 86th season with this newly reimagined version of a true Jersey story,” said Mark S. Hoebee, Producing Artistic Director of Paper Mill Playhouse. “To our great pride, our ‘four guys under a street lamp’ will be the first homegrown Jersey Boys production in the state of New Jersey. Oh, what a night it will be!”

With phenomenal music, memorable characters, and great storytelling, Jersey Boys follows the fascinating evolution of four blue-collar kids who became one of the greatest successes in pop-music history. 

Daniel Quadrino plays the lead role of Frankie Valli in Jersey Boys.  Broadwayworld had the pleasure of interviewing him about his career and the upcoming show Paper Mill Playhouse.

Quadrino is so excited to be making his Paper Mill debut in such an iconic show starring as Frankie Valli. Earlier this year, Daniel appeared in the Tony-nominated Broadway revival of The Who’s Tommy, direct from The Goodman Theatre in Chicago. Other Broadway credits include Wicked, Newsies, and Bye Bye Birdie. National Tours: Waitress (Ogie), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Mike Teevee). Off Broadway: Fowl Play (Archie). Regional: La Jolla Playhouse, PCLO, The Muny. Television: NBC’s Peter Pan Live! @dannyquadrino

Can you tell us a little about the very first time you performed on stage? 

One of the first times I performed onstage was at a talent show when I was in fourth grade. I sang “Somewhere Out There” from An American Tail: Fievel Goes West.  It was that moment when I realized I wanted to be a singer. At the time, “American Idol” was so popular and that was the ultimate dream, but as time went on things shifted and I was in dance classes and stumbled upon Musical Theatre where I learned I could sing, dance, and act all at the same time. I have always loved to perform on stage, but it wasn’t until seventh grade (many would say that was late to get my start but I was just fashionably late to the party, in my opinion!) that I did my first full-length musical. It was Hello Dolly!... I was Ambrose and my wife Ermengarde was taller than me and it became an entire bit! (I live for a bit & A LAUGH!) After that, I got involved in community theatre and was in every show that my school put on. 

Who are a few of the people that have inspired you to pursue a career in the theatre arts? 

In a lot of ways, I owe my drive and inspiration to the Original Broadway Cast of Wicked. I remember turning to my mom at intermission right after Idina Menzel absolutely crushed “Defying Gravity” and said, “I have to do this!” It was a real full circle moment for me when I joined the company almost 15ish years later! Aside from Idina, Kristin Chenoweth, Norbert Leo Butz, and the rest of the amazing ensemble, I’ve been heavily influenced by pop artists— I grew up listening to Whitney Houston, Cher, The Beatles, and of course The Four Seasons. 

You have amazing credits.  What are some of the challenges of balancing such a busy career?

Thank you! I consider myself extremely lucky to have been part of such iconic and amazing shows… it’s definitely a lot to balance, but the more “seasoned” I get, the more I learn about what I need to keep myself at the top of my game. It really varies from show to show! In my last show, The Who’s Tommy, I needed to make sure that my body was always warm and I was stretching and cooling down to make sure I could dance Lorin Latarro’s stunning and electrifying choreography eight times a week while BELTING at the top of my range. As for Jersey Boys—this show is a marathon and I am on stage a majority of the time – singing something close to, I think 27 songs – so I need to make sure I have the best rest possible, eat clean, steaming, hydrating, working out, and warming up and making sure I stay healthy to be able to hit those high Frankie notes, and so I can prep to go on the emotional journey of the play.

We know you are making your Paper Mill Playhouse debut.  How do you like working with the renowned Playhouse in NJ?

It has always been a dream to work at Paper Mill and it’s been such a delight thus far! They really make sure that us company members and everyone working on this whirlwind of a process feels taken care, seen, and at ease. It really takes a village to put something like this together and it’s been nothing short of magic watching the entire room put their best and most focused foot forward to make this production come to life. 

How have you recently prepared for the role of Frankie Valli in Jersey Boys?

As soon as I got the call that I’d be playing the role of Frankie, I went right to my voice teacher to start working on finding my version of the iconic Valli voice. No one will ever be able to compare to that angelic rock voice, but I am having such a blast finding my version of it and working on this score. Also, Rick Elice’s book is SO well done and it really is fun to dive into the emotional journey that these four men went on. Aside from that, I have been going on YouTube deep dives to find any and all clips of the Four Seasons performing to learn more about their physicality and how to inform my movement!

Some theatergoers may have seen Jersey Boys in the past.  Why do you think they should revisit the experience at Paper Mill Playhouse?

I think people should revisit this show at Paper Mill Playhouse because it’s a brand new production. It’s still Jersey Boys, but it’s unlike anything you’ve seen before and there really is something for everyone. Plus, how could you not want to come and experience this music again, again and again! 

(The Company of Jersey Boys-Photo by Billy Swann)

Can you tell us a little about the cast and creative team to the Millburn stage?

The cast is not only stacked with talent, but it’s full of good people who want to make this show as good as it can be. Most of us have never done the show before and for a process as quick as this one, it’s exciting and overwhelming but everyone is really stepping up to the plate and hitting it out of the park. I am constantly in awe of the talent in the room and that is because our amazing director Michael Bello, choreographer Kyli Rae, and lovely associates Rebecca Kriztzer and Nichole Forde have worked so hard on their end to make sure that we all have the information we need and treat us with care to put this show on its feet. Getting the chance to work with Michael on Jersey Boys is such a dream come true. We first worked together on Tommy and I knew I wanted to work with him again – so when this came along, it just felt like the stars aligning.

Please share with us some of your future plans.

Right now I am so devoted and focused to making sure I can get through this marathon of a show and I couldn’t be more excited for the challenge! 

Anything else, absolutely anything you want Broadwayworld NJ readers to know!

You better get your tickets to Jersey Boys fast because it’s selling out and you really don’t want to miss this! 

You can follow Daniel Quadrino on social media: @dannyquadrino on IG/TikTok

Paper Mill Playhouse is located at 22 Brookside Drive, Millburn, NJ  07041. Tickets to Jersey Boys and upcoming shows may be purchased online at www.papermill.org, at the box office or by calling 973.376.4343.

Photo credit for Daniel Quadrino's headshot: Michael Hull

 

 

 

To post a comment, you must register and login.