ERIC JORDAN YOUNG
The following is used with permission from Eric Jordan Young and www.ericjordanyoung.com (added February 13, 2007)
Eric Jordan Young started his career as a performer after seeing a production of the musical DREAMGIRLS at Shea’s Buffalo Theatre when he was 12 years old. In 7th grade he landed the role of Peter Pan in his school musical and has been performing ever since.
Eric sang with the Buffalo Arts & Music Youth Chorale and appeared in many local television and film projects. His professional career started in high school performing in many shows produced by the Upstage New York theatre Co. (GEORGE M! DAMN YANKEES and OLYMPUS ON MY MIND). He attended Ithaca College in 1989 and graduated with honors holding a BFA in Musical Theatre and 12 productions, including OEDIPUS AT COLONUS, THE BACCHAE, A CHORUS LINE, HAIR, EASTERN STANDARD and JOHN BROWN’S BODY. Eric has returned to Ithaca College several times to teach and choreograph. While at Ithaca, Eric worked in summer stock, regional theatre and theme parks (Busch Gardens, Williamsburg). He is the proud recipient of the school’s 2003 Outstanding Young Alumni Award.
Eric Jordan Young has appeared on Broadway in CHICAGO (Billy Flynn), RAGTIME, SEUSSICAL THE MUSICAL (original Wickersham Brother) and THE LOOK OF LOVE. Off-Broadway, regional and touring credits include his Helen Hayes Award winning performance as Jake in SIDESHOW (Signature Theatre DC), the World Premiere of the Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty’s musical DESSA ROSE (Lincoln Center), the World premiere of Michael John LaChuisa’s LITTLE FISH (Second Stage Theatre Co.), MR. PRESIDENT by Gerard Alessandrini, AIN’T MISBEHAVIN’ directed and choreographed by Gerry McIntyre (Actors Theatre of Louisville), SMOKEY JOE’S CAFÉ (Sacramento Music Circus), the Tony Award winning production of CHICAGO (1st National Tour), RAGTIME (1st National Tour), DREAMGIRLS (National Tour), and the Andrew Lloyd Webber roller-skating musical STARLIGHT EXPRESS (Las Vegas Hilton).
Television credits include ABC’s Ugly Betty, Law and Order: Criminal Intent, the Rosie O’Donnell Show, Today, CBS’s Morning Show and several others. Eric made his NYC solo debut with his concert Sammy & Me live at Opia directed and choreographed by Tiger Martina. This celebration of Sammy Davis, Jr. material inspired him to develop a theatrical one-man musical with director and writer Wendy Dann. Young and Dann wrote SAMMY & ME which made it’s World Premiere at MusicalFare in Bufffalo, NY and the Hangar Theatre in Ithaca, NY. Young received Buffalo’s Artvoice Theatre Award for Outstanding Visiting Artist of the Year, and the show received a nomination for Outstanding Musical of the Year.
In addition to his theatrical endeavors, Eric has developed several other projects. His original songs "Time To Say Goodbye," "Where Did You Go?," and "Mama's Mad" were recorded with producer Justin Kawashima at Momentum Music and filmaker Marc Calamia produced/directed his first video (see personal projects for a sample).
JOHN LLOYD YOUNG
The following is credited to www.johnlloydyoung.com
JOHN LLOYD YOUNG stars as Frankie Valli in Broadway's JERSEY BOYS, the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, at the August Wilson Theatre, directed by two-time Tony winner, Des McAnuff. For his work in JERSEY BOYS, John Lloyd has won the 2006 Tony Award (Best Performance by a Leading Actor), the 2006 Drama Desk Award (Outstanding Lead Actor), the 2006 Outer Critics Circle Award (Outstanding Lead Actor), a 2006 Theatre World Award, and was nominated for the 2006 Drama League Award (Performer of the Year). Before JERSEY BOYS, John Lloyd completed the New York-area premiere of Michael Healey's THE DRAWER BOY, with Steppenwolf's John Mahoney (TV's Frasier), at the Paper Mill Playhouse. Regional appearances: McCarter Theatre; Kennedy Center; named one of 2004's Best Featured Actors in a Play by the NJ Star-Ledger for "Danny Saunders" in Aaron Posner and Chaim Potok's dramatic adaptation of THE CHOSEN, opposite Theodore Bikel, at Miami's Coconut Grove Playhouse and Jersey's Paper Mill Playhouse, directed by David Ellenstein. Plays Off and Off-Off Broadway: "Charlie" in Julia Jordan's THE SUMMER OF THE SWANS for director Joe Calarco (Lucille Lortel Theatre), "Moritz" in the Douglas Langworthy translation of Wedekind’s SPRING AWAKENING; nail-biting number theorist "Claudio" in Rinne Groff’s THE FIVE HYSTERICAL GIRLS THEOREM, directed by David Herskovits, for Obie-winning Target Margin Theatre; as well as appearances throughout New York at the Ensemble Studio Theatre, John Houseman, Douglas Fairbanks, Jose Quintero, Irish Rep and Cherry Lane Theatres. In development: "C", opposite Chazz Palminteri, in Broadway-bound A BRONX TALE, directed by Michael Greif. Festival Films: THE BELLIGERENTS, THE ROMAN SOLDIER. Television: computer tech "Cooper" on NBC’s LAW & ORDER. Member: William Inge Festival National Advisory Board. Graduate: Brown University.
photo credit: Peter Hurley
Photo credited to www.johnlloydyoung.com
photo credit: Joan Marcus