Interview: Eric Chambliss of JERSEY BOYS at Lied Center For Performing Arts

We chatted with Eric Chambliss, coming to the Lied Center in JERSEY BOYS!

They were just four guys from Jersey, until they sang their very first note. They had a sound nobody had ever heard... and the radio just couldn't get enough of. Go behind the music and inside the story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons in the Tony and GRAMMY Award®-winning true-life musical phenomenon, Jersey Boys. From the streets of New Jersey to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, this is the musical that's just too good to be true.

First of all, thank you for taking time today to speak with me!

Of course. Thank you.

I guess we'll just start at the beginning. I would love to hear about you and what drew you to performance art.

I guess my interest was first peaked in high school. It was something where a friend was doing the school play and I was looking for a new activity, so I did the play with him and realized how much I liked it. It kind of shifted my interest from sports to theater, and I found a balance between the two, but eventually I just kind of went in that theater direction as far as an interest. Over time I just cultivated different opportunities to explore it as a career option, and so I went from studying engineering to transferring to a theater degree at Northern Illinois University. I eventually started to book jobs professionally and just started to see how far that ladder could go. Before I knew it I was living in New York and was auditioning out of the city there, and I was booking jobs and climbing the career ladder.

Thank you for sharing that! I always love hearing how different the path is for different artists. I truly find it fascinating.

It really is! You find your own path for sure.

You entered the theater scene a little later in your childhood, but did you grow up singing? And if so, who were some of your biggest musical influences?

Oh that's a great question! I was definitely a fan of singing, but not until after I was interested in theater. It was through that experience that people said I should also do choir, and so it wasn't until junior year of high school that I even started to sing. I quickly learned to trust my voice and challenge myself to grow as a singer. I have a lot of influences from popular singers to just really good teachers that I had, such as Roger Amm, who was our choir director and a wonderful influence, as well as Sue Williamson, who was in charge of theater department. They were both very supportive of any student who was passionate about arts and wanted explore it. Growing up I appreciated anything from The Backstreet Boys to Tom Jones. I loved what I was currently listening to on the radio, but also things I was performing in the little revue shows that I was doing. In my late teens/early twenties we were doing 50s revues, and there was just all sorts of stuff that I connected with. But to tie it in with what I'm doing now, I will say that I've always had an appreciation for this style of music. I especially liked the 60s and 70s stuff that came from The Four Seasons. That's the music I was performing when I was first starting out.

You've performed regionally, on Broadway, and now on tour with a Broadway production. How is life different for you on the road than in other experiences you've had?

You know, they all have their advantages and their challenges. Moving around constantly is certainly a challenge of touring, but it also can be very exciting. One thing I love about touring is going from place to place and doing the show in front of different audiences. We really do get a different feeling when doing the show in front of audiences in Florida than we do in front of audiences in California. This is such a specific show as far as Jersey culture, and it's from a group that came from a very working class environment and who climbed the ladder in popular music. That resonates very strongly with all types of audiences, but we get different reactions as we travel around. That's something I really love about touring. With a show that sits down in a place like New York, it all becomes about really sustaining a quality show where those many people come to you. That also can offer a wide variety of experience. Both experiences have their challenges as far as maintaining the quality of the show and yet keeping the show fresh while doing it each night. But that's something that truly comes from good audiences, and that's something that had been missed. Getting back on stage has really been something to cherish.

Your credits really run a wide range as far as musical stylings with credits that range from Fiddler on the Roof to Altar Boys. Are there any types of musicals or roles that you would love to be a part of but have yet to experience?

I mean, yeah. I'm always open to new experiences and jobs, but I would love to sink my teeth into some Sondheim because I think anyone who does work in musical theater is always drawn to his work. It's just incredible and reverent and it advanced the entire art form and gave us a path to modern music theater. It's hard to even just pick one. Playing George in Sunday in the Park with George would be a big bucket list part of mine, I think.

Speaking of roles, can you tell us a little bit about your role in Jersey Boys, as well as a bit of storyline from your perspective?

Yeah! You know, it really is about perspective. I play Bob Gaudio and he is the songwriter and businessman of the group. He describes himself in the script as the last piece of the puzzle. Each individual kind of has their purposes to launch the group towards the success that they met. Frankie was the muse and Tommy was the one getting the groundwork done and who laid the foundation. Nick was a brilliant arranger and just brought a lot of style and charisma to the group of four. And then Bob came in and he was a really savvy businessman from early days because he toured from the time he was fifteen. He learned some very quick lessons and was able to apply those lessons to this group once he met the four guys, and Frankie was a great muse and wrote some great music for him. It took each one of them to kind of launch the group into that meteoric success.

Going back to the music of The Four Seasons... Do you have a favorite song of The Four Seasons, whether in the show or not?

I'm a sucker for Can't Take My Eyes Off of You. It's always been a favorite of mine and also of my fiancé, and one of my favorite parts of the show is a series of scenes that show just how difficult it was to get that song on popular radio. It ended up being one of their most famous hits. I get to do those scenes and then just kind of stand there and watch John sing it well every single night. I get a pretty good seat onstage for that.

That absolutely sounds like a pretty ideal seat for that number and experience!

Oh yeah. It's pretty great.

Is there anything that drew you to audition for this show in particular? Was there something that made you want to audition for it?

You know, it just kind of came up from my agent, but it was certainly something I was excited for. I didn't really start to see theater until later in my high school years. I grew up in a small town outside Chicago, and I would go into Chicago to see touring productions. This was a show that I saw almost right after it opened, and I loved it when I first saw it. I definitely listened to the soundtrack all the time. As I started to progress and do more work, I started to look at what was in front of me and what was available. So when a request for an audition for this one came from my agent I was of course excited, but I kind of kept my nose down and did the work. But once the offer came through it really hit me that this was a show I always really wanted to be a part of, and now it's here. It's really a satisfying feeling.

You touched on it a bit earlier with audience reception to the show, but what do you think it is about this production that really resonates with audiences? This show is a Tony Award winning show and has been around for a while now, but what you think it is that really keeps audiences coming back?

I mean, I am just a huge fan of this script. The writers wrote such an incredible script using source material from their lives. They got all the stories from at least Frankie and Bob, and I believe Tommy certainly contributed, and they created something that is just so relatable. I think people watch these guys in this story as they face the trials and tribulations that they do, both on professional and personal levels, and that just resonates with many different crowds. It certainly appeals as far as the library of music that is represented, and just the figures that they are as icons in music, but it's almost like an everyman scrap your way to the top story and I think that's easy to root for.

Well I know Lincoln audiences are eager to experience the production and to cheer you all on. Any final thoughts for our readers?

The last thing I can really say is that Jersey Boys has been around a long time for a reason. It's an easy show to love. Having theater back is something so special right now, and one thing I love each night is when we get to the curtain call and we get to acknowledge the audience just as much as they acknowledge us. That shared experience we have is irreplaceable. Seeing theater is something that has to stick around because it holds a very special place that other mediums can't quite hold up to.

How To Get Tickets

Friday, March 25, 2022 l 7:30pm

Saturday, March 26, 2022 l 2:00pm

Saturday, March 26, 2022 l 7:30pm

Sunday, March 27, 2022 l 2:00pm

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