Star of Jersey Boys on Broadway John Lloyd Young will bring his Tony Award-winning performance as Frankie Valli to the West End next month when he takes over from Ryan Molloy in the hit musical at the Piccadilly Theatre.
The American actor, who originated the role in the New York production, will appear in the Olivier Award-winning production at its new home from 15 March to 27 April. Jersey Boys will play its final performance at the Prince Edward Theatre on 9 March.
Alongside his prestigious Tony Award, Young picked up Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle and Theatre World Awards for his Broadway debut in the musical that tells the story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons. He will also appear in Clint Eastwood’s forthcoming film adaptation of the real-life story, which is due to be released in June 2014.
Young will be joined by fellow new cast member Matt Nalton, who makes his West End debut as Nick Massi in the production. Edd Post and Jon Boydon will continue in their roles as Bob Gaudio and Tommy De Vito, and Michael Watson will play Frankie Valli at certain performances.
Completing the cast for the show’s move to the Piccadilly Theatre are Nicola Brazil, Sophie Carmen-Jones,
Thomas Goodridge, Lucinda Gill, Matthew Hunt, Mark Isherwood, Charlotte Jeffery, Ben Jennings, Stuart King, Sandy Moffat, Sean Mulligan, Tom Senior, Emma Stephens, Matt Thorpe, Graham Vick, Ben Wheeler and Rob Wilshaw.
The production charts the story of four blue-collar boys from the wrong side of the tracks and their journey to become one of the biggest American pop bands of the 1960s. It features many of the band’s legendary hits including Beggin’, Big Girls Don’t Cry, Can’t Take My Eyes Off You, Rag Doll, Who Loves You, Fallen Angel and Sherry.
Jersey Boys is eligible for the BBC Radio 2 Audience Award at this year’s Olivier Awards with MasterCard. To vote for your favourite long-running show visit the Olivier Awards website.