Dominic Nolfi: Changing Seasons at Jersey Boys
About the author:
Nobody knows Jersey Boys better than Dominic Nolfi, who played three of the Four Seasons as an understudy before being tapped to replace Tony winner Christian Hoff in the leading role of Tommy DeVito. A native of San Francisco, Nolfi began studying voice in the youth program at San Francisco Conservatory, then earned a B.F.A. at Boston Conservatory. Since joining Jersey Boys as a swing during the show’s premiere run in La Jolla, he has performed on Broadway not only as tough guy Tommy but also as composer Bob Gaudio and lead singer Frankie Valli. How did he do it? Nolfi traces his fascinating Jersey journey for Broadway.com.
Almost four years ago, I was cast as a swing in the La Jolla premiere of Jersey Boys. The creative team realized how vocally demanding the role of Frankie Valli would be, and I went on in the part eight times before the show came to Broadway. Over the next two and a half years, I played three of the roles—Frankie, Bob Gaudio, and Tommy DeVito—before getting to own the role of Tommy. On a two-show day, I’ve gone on as one Season in the matinee and a different one in the evening! It’s been a unique experience that I wouldn’t trade for anything.
The key to being a successful understudy is compartmentalizing. When you know you’re going on, you run through the show in your head as the character you’ll be playing. Jersey Boys is especially challenging because there’s so much singing and so much dialogue between songs. You’re switching between direct address—speaking directly to the audience—and singing in very tight harmonies. The timing is also difficult, because a lot of the dialogue is spoken over the music. If you go too fast, the lines won’t land correctly.
But the challenges are also what make the show special. Jersey Boys is almost a play with music, and Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice’s smart, funny book is packed with great scenes and speeches. Rick was actually the first person who told me he felt my temperament was best suited to playing Tommy.
The three Seasons I’ve played couldn’t be more different. Bob Gaudio is the brains of the operation, calm and a lot different from the rest of the boys. He has a vision, and that’s the quality you’ve got to get across to the audience. Bob himself is around the theater a lot, and I think he enjoyed my performance, even though I’m not the archetype for that part. Bob should be less “Guido-looking” than me! I loved singing it, especially “Cry for Me,” which I think is one of the best moments in the show.
I had a love-hate relationship with the role of Frankie. I enjoy knowing that I have performed it, especially in the first year, before we won the Best Musical Tony, but I don’t miss playing Frankie on a day-to-day basis. It’s a very intense vocal regimen. But when you’re feeling good and aren’t worried about getting through the next song, it’s a lot of fun. Jarrod Spector is playing the part on Broadway now, and he has one of the best voices of anyone who has done it.
And then there’s Tommy DeVito. I grew up in an Italian family, so I was able to tap into that macho, first-generation-American mentality. Italians are by nature hotheads: As sweet as they can be, the men in my family have short tempers, so I found it easy to identify with Tommy’s intensity. The biggest challenge is the fact that Tommy kicks off the show. As the first narrator, I have to set the tone for the evening. But Tommy is also given some of the best writing, and it’s fantastic to perform for New York audiences, who understand inside jokes about Joe Pesci and “the Rahway Academy of the Arts,” as Tommy calls the New Jersey prison. It’s a tremendously fun character to play because you get to grandstand and rally the audience.
Christian Hoff, who created and won a Tony for the role, was incredibly gracious to me. Because I was an offstage swing and not an ensemble member, I was able to watch his performance night after night, which was a huge gift. I learned about the style and intensity the character requires—I watched Christian’s energy in the first 20 minutes of the show to see how he captured the audience, and then I was able to filter my own experience into that. He was a role model in terms of how he conducted himself in the part.
Personally speaking, there have been many highlights. I’ve been to the White House twice with the show, once to perform for Senate spouses and once for a dinner honoring Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. It’s been surreal to talk to the real Tommy DeVito, who’s a super-great guy, Frankie Valli and Bob Gaudio. All of them have been very supportive. Bob will share his experiences and say, “I know how hard it is to perform these songs every night.”
When people ask how I keep my performance fresh, I remind them that I spent the first two and a half years working on different aspects as an understudy. I might go on for three shows and then not perform at all for a week and a half. If I’d been onstage every day, I might feel differently, but being on Broadway in Jersey Boys is still as good as it gets.
