Mike Backes

JERSEY BOYS Comes to TheatreZone In Naples
by Stephi Wild - Feb 27, 2025

TheatreZone, Naples' professional Equity theatre company, will present Jersey Boys, the Tony Award-winning musical that tells the rags-to-riches-to-rags story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons.

Review: JERSEY BOYS at Garden Theater
by Paul Batterson - Dec 3, 2024

What did our critic think of JERSEY BOYS at Garden Theater?

Interview: Adam Marino And Mike Backes of JERSEY BOYS at Short North Stage
by Paul Batterson - Nov 1, 2024

​​​​​​​When Mike Backes found out he was cast as Tommy DeVito in Short North Stage’s upcoming production of JERSEY BOYS, one of the first people he called was someone he had never met before: Adam Marino who will be playing Frankie Valli in the show.

Lindsay Pearce, Jarran Muse & More to Lead Industry Reading of New Musical DAYS OF RAGE
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Nov 7, 2023

An invitation-only industry presentation of DAYS OF RAGE, A Musical Explosion, a new musical from Hyeyoung Kim and Shoshana Greenberg, will be held on Monday, December 4th, 2023 in New York.

Richard H. Blake Will Direct Reading of TRUE NORTH: A MAGICAL NEW HOLIDAY MUSICAL
by Stephi Wild - Oct 11, 2023

TRUE NORTH: A MAGICAL NEW HOLIDAY MUSICAL will have an invitation-only industry reading on Monday, October 23 in New York City, directed by Richard H. Blake. Learn more about the musical here!

Luke Hawkins, Sarah Meahl, Will Ray, and Hanley Smith Will Lead Fulton Theatre's WHITE CHRISTMAS
by Stephi Wild - Oct 26, 2022

The Fulton Theatre has announced complete casting of their holiday production of Irving Berlin's White Christmas. Will Ray (Bob Wallace) and Hanley Smith (Betty Haynes) join forces once again.

MOB WIFE to Hold Private Industry Reading Next Week
by Blair Ingenthron - Sep 10, 2022

The creative team of “Mob Wife, A Mafia Comedy” has announced a private industry reading of this madcap musical on Monday, September 12, 2022 in Manhattan.

Hunter Foster, Cassondra James & More to Take Part in Theatre Aspen's 2022 Season
by Chloe Rabinowitz - May 31, 2022

Theatre Aspen announced today the complete casts and creative teams for the company’s 39th Season, which includes the Tony Award-winning musicals Gypsy and Jersey Boys on the mainstage, as well as the summer Cabaret Series at Hotel Jerome and additional programming and special events for the summer.

Photos: First Look at A BRONX TALE at John W. Engeman Theater
by Stephi Wild - Mar 30, 2022

All new production photos have been release from A Bronx Tale, now playing at the John W. Engeman Theater!

VIDEO: See a Sneak Peek of A BRONX TALE: THE MUSICAL at the John W. Engeman Theater
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Mar 29, 2022

The John W. Engeman Theater is presenting A BRONX TALE: THE MUSICAL through Sunday, May 8, 2022.

Photos: Inside Opening Night of A BRONX TALE THE MUSICAL at The John W. Engeman Theater
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Mar 29, 2022

Opening Night of A BRONX TALE: THE MUSICAL took place at the John W. Engeman Theater on Saturday, March 26.

Photos: First Look at A BRONX TALE at the John W. Engeman Theater
by A.A. Cristi - Mar 29, 2022

The John W. Engeman Theater has announced the cast and creative team for A BRONX TALE: THE MUSICAL. Performances begin on Thursday, March 24, 2022, and run through Sunday, May 8, 2022.

Cast & Creative Team Announced for A BRONX TALE at the John W. Engeman Theater
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Mar 14, 2022

The John W. Engeman Theater has announced the cast and creative team for A BRONX TALE: THE MUSICAL. Performances begin on Thursday, March 24, 2022, and run through Sunday, May 8, 2022.

BWW Review: A BRONX TALE at Axelrod Performing Arts Center Portrays A Meaningful Story About Family Loyalty
by Erica Handel - Nov 2, 2021

The Axelrod Performing Arts Center welcomes audiences for the first time since the shutdown. A Bronx Tale: The Musical kicks off the theatre’s 2021-2022 season. This production is directed by original Broadway cast member Richard H. Blake, who played the role of Lorenzo.

A BRONX TALE to Reopen the Axelrod Performing Arts Center
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Oct 5, 2021

The Axelrod Performing Arts Center will reopen its doors on Friday, October 29, with the first performance of A Bronx Tale The Musical directed by Broadway veteran Richard H. Blake. Based on Oscar nominee Chazz Palminteri’s play and subsequent film, A Bronx Tale is set in an Italian American neighborhood in the Bronx of the racially charged 1960s.

BWW Review: Chasing the Music: MSMT Mounts Spectacular JERSEY BOYS in Westbrook
by Carla Maria Verdino-Süllwold - Sep 3, 2021

In the final moments of the 2005 hit musical JERSEY BOYS, Frankie Valli muses, “We were all just chasing the music.” For those fans of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons and the Bob Gaudio/Bob Crewe/Marshall Brickman & Rick Elice show about the group’s rise to fame and artistic and personal struggles, the “chase” need take them no farther than Westbrook Performing Arts Center where Maine State Music Theatre has mounted a spectacular production that is a must-see. In their only main stage show of the 2021 season, MSMT’s JERSEY BOYS, directed by Mark Martino and choreographed by Kenny Ingram, is a joyous, boisterous, dazzling, powerful, incisive, edgy and ultimately uplifting story that rivets from start to finish.

Florida Studio Theatre Opens Its 2019-2020 Winter Cabaret Season with THAT'S AMORE!
by Julie Musbach - Sep 9, 2019

Florida Studio Theatre (FST) kicks off its 25th Winter Cabaret Season with That's Amoré!, an original musical revue celebrating the great songbook and talent of Dean Martin. This timeless Cabaret features the music that Martin made famous and examines the highlights of his career in comedy, film, television, and music. Beginning September 25 in FST's Court Cabaret, That's Amoré! features such hits as a?oeEverybody Loves Somebody,a?? a?oeVolare,a?? and a?oeAin't That a Kick in the Head.a??

BWW Review: A BRONX TALE at Bass Performance Hall
by Kathleen Anwar - Jul 27, 2019

If it's possible to be nostalgic for a time and place in which you've never lived, you will experience that feeling in A Bronx Tale.

Fort Worth Premiere Engagement Announced For A BRONX TALE
by A.A. Cristi - Jun 21, 2019

Performing Arts Fort Worth proudly presents the first national tour of the hit Broadway production, A BRONX TALE, at Bass Performance Hall July 23-28. The show is part of Performing Arts Fort Worth's 2018-2019 Broadway at the Bass series. Tickets start at $44 and are on sale now!

VIDEO: Chazz Palminteri and Robert De Niro Visit A BRONX TALE in Boston
by Stephi Wild - Apr 11, 2019

Two iconic stars made a surprise appearance at last night's performance of A Bronx Tale in Boston. The show's creator, Chazz Palminteri, and co-director Robert DeNiro (who also directed, and starred in, the film) took the stage following curtain call to give a speech.