Free Places, Please!: Becoming a Jersey Boy by Daniel Robert Sullivan

leading role of Tommy DeVito in Jersey Boys : The Story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons . I have been a struggling professional actor for all of my adult life, and this job (God, I hope I get it) will be the only high profile one I have ever had. Jersey Boys is a worldwide phenomenon, and this will not only be my big break, but the fulfillment of a dream I have had since Mrs. King cast me in my first musical in the fifth grade.
    My hands are trembling. I inherited this nervous trait from my mother, although today the trembling is compounded by the vast amount of coffee I drank while running over my lines one last time. It’s been almost two years since my first audition for Jersey Boys . The one today will be lucky number thirteen.

THE FINAL AUDITION
    CLASSIC LAS VEGAS, MEDICINAL BANANAS, & DES McANUFF’S COLOGNE
     
    April 26th, 2009
     
    The audition is once again at the Dodger’s rehearsal studio, that beautifully sunlit room on 43rd Street. This feels right. I am able to go in already focused and ready to do exactly as I rehearsed the other day. Of course, on Friday there were only two other people in the room; today there are almost a thousand.
    Michael David is here. He is the famous producer in charge of Dodger Properties. An iconic theatre personality, he is instantly recognizable by his long, full beard. This beard is the first thing I see when I walk in the room. It is a fuzzy beacon of power.
    Frankie Valli is here. He really is a small man, in size and attitude. For a guy who has influenced the world of music (and theatre) so much over the past fifty years, I must admit that I expected a stronger presence. But he is humble. He is soft-spoken. He comes out of the room ten minutes before my audition and asks where to find the bathroom. He wears all black, and sports a gold watch and earring. He looks like classic Las Vegas. And his hair is the same as it has always been—big and round.
    Bob Gaudio is here …or so I’m told. I can’t see him. Knowing the way the show portrays Bob (quietly in control, out of the spotlight), I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that he becomes lost in the sea of faces. He does not introduce himself, nor does anyone else introduce him. I suppose he just watches from the back of the room, exerting his control later, in private.
    Merri is here. Richard is here. Tara Rubin (Merri’s boss) is here. Many interns are here. And all of these people feel like my cheering section. I feel like they are on my side, like they are rooting for me. I have never felt this kind of energy in a casting session before in my life. And Des is here. Of course. He asks me to play guitar and I bust out my trusty, “That’s All Right, Mama.” Richard told me that Des prefers his guitar players to look up at the audience when accompanying themselves, instead of looking down at the fret board. Des plays guitar well, so he should know how hard this is to do! But I practiced, and I commit.
    “That’s good, Dan. Now can you do the first scene?”
    The reader the casting office brought is someone I have never seen at a Jersey Boys audition before. But I know him! We performed together once before and he was also a reader on the last job I booked. He is good, really committing to the material. He isn’t as off-book for the scenes as I have become accustomed to, but I consider this a good sign; it shows me that he hasn’t been doing these same scenes all day long. I am unique. Hopefully I am the only Tommy being seen today. All signs look good.
    I perform the first Tommy-Frankie scene, the one that establishes their big brother-little brother relationship. There is a set of keys used in this scene, and for the first time I actually bring a set to pull out of my pocket. This was a great debate for me, whether to bring real keys or not. See, an actor traditionally doesn’t want to bring props with him to an audition. It isn’t necessary, and can sometimes make him look a bit crazy. (I won’t get into