44 | DECEMBER 9 • 2021
DETAILS:
Jersey Boys, Dec.
12-18 at Music Hall,
350 Madison Avenue,
Detroit.Tickets start
at $25 (includes facil-
ity fee) and can be
purchased online at
ticketmaster.com, by
phone at 800-982-
2787 and in person at
the Fisher Theatre Box
Office. Patrons will be
required to show photo
identification and proof
of a negative COVID
test within 72 hours
of the performance
date or proof of full
COVID-19 vaccination.
Additionally, all patrons
will be required to wear
a mask while inside the
theater regardless of
one’s vaccination status.
ARTS&LIFE
THEATER
D
evon Goffman got
the best present of all
for Chanukah. After
being displaced from New
York to Florida during the
pandemic and taking a gig
as a drama teacher, Goffman
got the call to play his dream
role. The actor returns to the
D next week for the kick-off
relaunch of the Jersey Boys
national tour Dec. 12-18 at the
Music Hall.
The Tony, Grammy and
Olivier Award-winning Best
Musical, Jersey Boys chronicles
the rise of Frankie Valli and
the Four Seasons and features
all their show-stopping hits
like “Big Girls Don’t Cry,”
“Walk Like a Man,” “Sherry”
and “Oh What a Night.”
Goffman’s been in four pro-
ductions of Jersey Boys since
2011 and is now taking a star
turn as Tommy DeVito, one of
the Four Seasons.
“I’m beyond excited to bring
back live theater to the coun-
try and play the most favorite
role of my life. How many
times as an actor do you get
to portray a living legend on
stage?” asks Goffman, who is
no stranger to playing musi-
cal icons and performing in
Detroit, including roles in The
Buddy Holly Story, Motown:
The Musical and On Your Feet!,
about the lives of Gloria and
Emilio Estefan.
The real Tommy DeVito
died of COVID on Sept. 21,
2020, at age 92. Frankie Valli
(played by Jon Hacker) and
Bob Gaudio (played by Eric
Chambliss) are the only two
surviving original members
of the group who went by the
Variatones, The Four Lovers
and Variety Trio before set-
tling on Frankie Valli and The
Four Seasons.
Growing up in Buffalo, New
York, Goffman was one of the
only Jewish kids in town. He
played football in high school
and was in bands when he was
younger.
“Jersey Boys is an amazing
story that connects to our
story as actors. You had these
guys from the streets of Jersey
having a dream of being rock-
stars. And for a musician like
myself, portraying this role is
so special,” says Goffman who
plays guitar onstage.
What’s also special is that
Goffman gets to be in a show
together for the first time with
his wife, Katie, who is the
dance captain and a swing in
Jersey Boys. Katie was already
touring with Jersey Boys when
all theater productions were
shut down in March 2020.
The two met at an audition
in 2012. Their dating history
consisted of flying to see each
other over the years while
Jersey Boys launches its
national tour in Detroit.
Waiting for
Goffman
JULIE SMITH YOLLES CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Devon
Goffman