Peter Gregus, and Ryan Jesse in Jersey Boys
(© Joan Marcus)
PETER GREGUS: I was part of the cast at La Jolla, and I like to hang on to a role when given the opportunity. This doesn't happen that often. Also, I have been a dancer my whole life and have had surgery on both of my knees and on my ankle. So I'm happy I don't have to physically kill myself here.
TM: What do you love about being part of this particular show?
PG: Jersey Boys is a small company. We only have 17 people. We go out a couple of times per month. It's very intimate. We love to have new people join the cast, but it doesn't happen that often -- everyone stays! It also gives me an opportunity to try other things. I was the associate director of Broadway Bares for many years, and I am adapting a play by June Havoc called Marathon 33, which will have its first run at the Pittsburgh Playhouse.
TM: What has been your biggest challenge?
PG: The biggest challenge is you forget that you're telling a story that most people are hearing for the first time. So as an actor, you have to make sure everyone understands that story. I have my notes from La Jolla and Broadway rehearsals in my dressing room and look at them weekly. When needed, I will read over the script and everyone else's lines to get back on track.
TM: What have you learned most from being in Jersey Boys?
PG: This has been a training ground for me as an actor, so I have learned a lot of lessons. Not every audience responds the same way to the show; sometimes audiences won't applaud until the end of the night. Our director, Des McAnuff, said that the audience is not one person; they are a group of individuals acting in their own way. You have to be truthful about how you are telling the story and they will react in their own way.
