Guilford's Nick Fradiani to Lead Touring Group of "A Bronx Tale"

GUILFORD, CT — 2015 - and Guilford's own - Nick Fradiani, Jr. will lead the national tour of A Bronx Tale.

Fradiani will star as Lorenzo in the road production of the popular musical.

The A Bronx Tale tour will kick off its second year of traveling across the country right in Connecticut - at Waterbury's Palace Theatre on October 22 - before embarking on a 22-week tour to 34 cities, including Detroit, Orlando, Memphis, Pittsburgh, Durham, West Palm Beach, Omaha, Costa Mesa, Sacramento, Austin and many more to be announced.

In an interview with Patch Monday morning, Fradiani talked about how he landed the role and what it means to his growing career.

"Someone from the cast (of A Bronx Tale) contacted my agent and asked me to audition for the role, " said Fradiani.

Even though Nick admits he really never thought of musical plays as a career path during his years growing up playing his bands, he immediately took the idea of trying out for A Bronx Tale - in part because of his father, Nick Fradiani, Sr., who is also a well-known musician in the Greater New Haven area.

"My dad was always a huge fan of the movie (of A Bronx Tale)," Nick Jr., said "I think he took me to see it at least 10 times over the years."

Fradiani Jr. rose to attention as the lead singer of the pop/rock band Beach Avenue when they competed on the ninth season of the reality talent show America's Got Talent.

He entered as a solo singer on the fourteenth season of American Idol, and won the show in May 2015.

Fradiani released his studio album, Hurricane, in August 2016, and a six-song EP, Where We Left Off, in October 2017.

Based on Oscar nominee Chazz Palminteri's critically acclaimed play that inspired the now classic film, A Bronx Tale is streetwise musical will take you to the stoops of the Bronx in the 1960s—where a young man is caught between the father he loves and the mob boss he’d love to be.

Bursting with high-energy dance numbers and original doo-wop tunes from the songwriter of Beauty and the Beast, A Bronx Tale is an unforgettable story of loyalty and family.

Directed by Oscar winner Robert De Niro and Tony winner Jerry Zaks, A Bronx Tale features a score by Oscar winner Alan Menken and Tony nominee Glenn Slater and choreography by Tony winner Sergio Trujillo.

Before landing the coveted role, Nick Jr. said his final audition was in front of all the stars of the show - including Palminteri.

Fradiani Jr. said he expects there'll be a big Connecticut contingent to greet him when the show opens in Waterbury in late October.

"It's kind of crazy that it'll be opening in Waterbury," Nick Jr. said. "Part of me wishes I had a few shows under my belt before we hit Connecticut but on the other hand it will be great to have so much support in the audience."

Asked what doing close to 200 shows over the next half-year-plus will mean to the rest of his singing career, Fradiani Jr. said he made arrangements by "recording a bunch of new music over the summer," which he hopes may get released while the show is touring.

He also said he hopes to play some accoustic shows, including a Christmas show that has kind of become a tradition that he plays with his dad.

Visit https://bronxtalemusical.com/ to find a complete listing of the cities and dates that A Bronx Tale will be appearing.