Hoff, who originated his role in both the Tony-winning musical's La Jolla Playhouse premiere and the subsequent Broadway run, will play the title role in the forthcoming Roundabout Theatre Company revival of Pal Joey.
Hoff and Longoria will be succeeded by Dominic Nolfi as DeVito and Jarrod Spector as Four Seasons lead singer Valli. The duo begin their performances on Broadway Sept. 30 at 7 PM; that evening will also welcome Matt Bogart to the role of Nick Massi.
Spector and Nolfi will join a cast that features Sebastian Arcelus (Bob Gaudio) with Peter Gregus and Mark Lotito. The ensemble comprises Miles Aubrey, Bridget Berger, Kris Coleman, Douglas Crawford, Ken Dow, Heather Ferguson, Russell Fischer, Eric Gutman, Katie O'Toole, Joe Payne, Dominic Scaglione Jr., Sara Schmidt, Eric Schneider and Jake Speck.
Christian Hoff's Broadway and national tour credits include Jersey Boys (Tony Award), The Who's Tommy and Jesus Christ Superstar. His regional credits include Jersey Boys; The Rocky Horror Show; The Tin Pan Alley Rag; The Merry Wives of Windsor, Texas; Violet; and Lone Star Love. Hoff has been seen on screen in "ER," "JAG," "Party of Five," "Millennium," "The Commish," "Honor Thy Mother," "In Love and War," "For the Very First Time" and "Encino Man."
Michael Longoria created the role of Joey in Jersey Boys; he was also the understudy for the role of Frankie Valli before succeeding Tony winner John Lloyd Young in the role. The actor has also been seen on Broadway in Hairspray and in regional productions of Peter Pan and Wendy (Barrymore nomination), Avenue X, West Side Story and A Chorus Line. Also a singer-songwriter, Longoria has performed at Joe's Pub, the Knitting Factory, the Cutting Room and CB's Gallery. His debut recording, "Under 1000 Shades of Blue," is available by visiting www.michaellongoria.com. Jersey Boys, according to press notes, is "the story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons: Frankie Valli, Bob Gaudio, Tommy DeVito and Nick Massi. It's a journey of how a group of blue-collar boys from the wrong side of the tracks became one of the biggest American pop music sensations of all time. They wrote their own songs, invented their own sounds and sold 175 million records worldwide — all before they were 30."
The creative team includes Tony-winning director Des McAnuff and choreographer Sergio Trujillo as well as Klara Zieglerova (scenic design), Jess Goldstein (costume design), Howell Binkley (lighting design), Steve Canyon Kennedy (sound design), Michael Clark (projections design), Charles LaPointe (wig and hair design), Steve Orich (orchestrations) and Ron Melrose (music direction, vocal arrangements and incidental music).
Jersey Boys premiered at the La Jolla Playhouse in October 2004 before arriving in November 2005 at Broadway's August Wilson Theatre. The Broadway production garnered four Tony Awards: for stars John Lloyd Young and Christian Hoff, lighting designer Howell Binkley and for Best Musical.
The award-winning production features music by Bob Gaudio, lyrics by Bob Crewe and a book by Marshall Brickman & Rick Elice.
There are currently five productions of Jersey Boys: New York, London, Chicago, Las Vegas and the North American tour. A sixth production will open in Melbourne, Australia, in March 2009.
For more information visit www.JerseyBoysInfo.com.
