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