I saw five shows in my trip to New York last month (well, six, counting Sleep No More), and three of the five had understudies in the lead male roles (or an alternate, in the case of Hamilton). I thought Mauricio Perez, the understudy for Frankie Valli in Jersey Boys, was amazing. Actually, he was the understudy to the alternate, so if he's the show's third or fourth choice to go on, I can't imagine what the others are like. He was completely believable as both the teenage Frankie and the middle-aged Frankie, and the way he was able to "age" himself onstage by subtle modulations of his performance was remarkable. And of course his singing was beautiful. I think I have a new name to add to the "Broadway crushes" thread.
Updated On: 12/6/15 at 08:12 PM