With irresistible charm and rapport, Under the Streetlamp offers audiences the opportunity to get to know four critically acclaimed stars of stage and screen, Eric Gutman, Christopher Kale Jones, Shonn Wiley , and Brandon Wardell, the latter, a local Charlestonian. Catch ROCKIN' AROUND THE CLOCK on your local PBS station. Its a great tune. He is thankful to God for all the blessings in his life. Im really excited about the collaboration with Dan Ponce. ADDENDUM ( Cunio, for example, has the purest rock, roll, and soul voice in the group, showcased on some Aretha, some Kinks, some Isley Brothers, and some Beatles. Under the Streetlamp, a concert featuring Jersey Boys stars Michael Ingersoll, Shonn Wiley, Michael Cunio and Christopher Kale Jones, will be filmed Aug. 20 at 8 PM at the Star Plaza Theater in . Jones said he began practicing his high falsetto in earnest and got the part of Frankie Valli, the leader of The Four Seasons, the 1960s rock group sensation whose story is told in "Jersey Boys.". Such as getting us on Access Hollywood, and things like that. Were constantly competing to be better performers and better at what we do within our organization. You see true, unadulterated joy and enthusiasm on their faces. You really caught the spirit and camraderie of these guys. Chris: And that is the truest thing you will hear in this whole interview. So the phrase The American Radio Songbook is one that you came up with, Cunio? It means accompanying, or coming along with) increase in groups that invoke the retro repertoire? Three days after Michael, Chris, Shonn, and Cunio graciously and candidly gave me 73 minutes of their time, I went to their kickoff concert of the tour, at Club Nokia in Los Angeles, a premier entertainment complex that also houses the Staples Center and the Nokia Theater. Stubbs: Fans of the music would love this show even if you just stood at four mikes and sang, but from watching the concert on PBS, watching all that movement, its like a theres whole second show going on. Shonn: Weve taken an opportunity in our show to specifically pay tribute to Frankie, Bob, Tommy, and Nick, like you see in the special. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. And that goes beyond the artistic pieces how the personalities worked together, and honestly that might even be the most crucial thing, and we knew we had our guys. Chris: And Ive changed, by the way. Were proud of their success and we hope to have some of our own as well, of course. Cunio: It opens the second act. Listen to the LIVE album recorded January 6th and 7th at Chicago's very own Mercury Theater. The Three Desires. Dan Ponce wrote the vocal arrangement in conjunction with us, for one of our new tunes for the tour. Movies. And we had the great fortune and the grace to have opportunities to be performing our little show in the middle of the country and have been seen by the right kind of people who wanted us to be seen by more than just the people we were performing for. With their unique style and modern "Rat Pack" persona, Under the Streetlamp bring the American Radio Songbook to a whole new level in their second television special for PBS. I spend a lot of time looking at footage on youtube. Do you want to get a long-term engagement in a showroom in Vegas or Atlantic City? The Four Cunios. Menu. Movies. Christopher Kale Jones. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Christopher Kale Jones. Under the Streetlamp (TV Movie 2011) Christopher Kale Jones as Self. (Shonn sings the only Monkees tune in the show.) Chris: They were so excited they were shouting and screaming, and the crowd of people who were maybe 50-plus were excited to see kids who were excited about it, and they got really excited. With irresistible charm and rapport, Under the Streetlamp offers audiences the opportunity to get to know four critically acclaimed stars of stage and screen, Michael Ingersoll, Christopher. Therell be a lot of new stuff coming within the next six months to a year. Excerpt: (Photo credits: Carol B. Exuding the irresistible rapport of a modern day Rat Pack, Under the Streetlamp proves why retro never sounded so now! He emodies all the pluses of Tommy DeVito, leaving the minuses behind. When I started the piece about stubbletwos band, I figured youd be doing all the talking with the guys just nodding politely, but your interjections were insightful and really gave these fellows a wonderful platform. Lots of activities were going on, whether it was dominoes or stickball, and musicians would congregate underneath the streetlamp, and they didnt have a lot of money for instruments, and so their voices became instruments, whether it was the percussive nature of the shoo-bee-doo-wahs, and then the lead singers and that, and I think Cunio sums it up the best which is . Other theatre includes reprising his role as Frankie Valli in the St Louis premiere of Jersey Boys (St Louis Theater Circle Award), starring as Seymour in multiple productions of Little Shop of Horrors (Chicago; and opposite wife Jenna Coker-Jones in Washington DC), the world premiere music It Came From Outer Space (John Putnam), Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Joseph, Kevin Kline nomination), Olympus On My Mind (Barrymore nomination), The Sound Of Music (Captain von Trapp),Grease, The Music Man, Miracle on 34th Street, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Ragtime, The King & I, The Wizard of Oz, Aladdin, and Peggy Sue Got Married. Listen to the LIVE album recorded January 6th and 7th at Chicago's very own Mercury Theater. @JerseyBoysInfo #OhWhatARun. Theres one show for the ears and another one for the eyes. Under the Streetlamp is, from left, Shonn Wiley, Christopher Kale Jones, Michael Ingersoll and Brandon Wardell. Despite his looks on the website Reckless Place (someone an aging accountant wouldnt want to run across in a dark alley at night), Cunio is enormously talented. "We call the song catalog the 'American Radio Songbook,'" Wiley said. During his three years with the show Ingersoll had the good fortune to play to sold-out crowds in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Chicagoin over 1,300 performances. We would congregate in the center of the stage, and we would sing some tunes and make some beautiful music. Expand. With this group, I helped produce 3 TV specials, one docu-series, and 4 albums (all available for streaming and download). Under the Streetlamp. Even though it's 100 degrees and the calendar reads July, singer Christopher Kale Jones, and his three other performance partners in the Under the Streetlamp group, are already thinking about Producer 1 Credit. Try to keep up with this quarter, Under the Streetlamp, in this Las Vegas show! Not only did I love the show one friend who saw it with me the first time said he looked over at me during the show and it was as if I was injecting heroin into my arm but I was also very impressed and surprised afterwards at what a nice guy Chris was. And also, I think Sergio (Trujillo, JBs choregrapher) is kind of a genius as far as what he did with JB. (Laughter). And like puzzle pieces, though they fit together just right, no two are exactly the same. (More laughter). Entertainer Michael Cunio promises audiences a party at every performance of Under the Streetlamp, the skyrocketed foursome of talented young singers introduced as new stage faces just two years ago. While his current pursuits keep him in Chicago, the group continues to tour around the US. Funny thing is that his three brothers followed the same convention, so they were a houseful of Cunios. More on DARIN: Pieced together with charismatic storytelling that goes behind the veil of Bobby's fame and brash public life,Darinflows from the poignant to the celebratory, all while delivering hit after hit. But their energy and their reactions, especially in the PBS special they are every bit as much the stars as we are, and thats as it should be. PBS favorite and Jersey Boys star Christopher Kale Jones celebrates the dazzling versatility of Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Bobby Darin. What a fantastic job he did with SNC! But the thing we like about Under The Streetlamp is, we consider it the humblest of spotlights. Everything Coming to and Leaving HBO and HBO Max . Apr 13, 2017 at 11:43 pm. Elgin Community College Arts Center presents "Jingle Bell Rock" with nationally recognized performers Michael Ingersoll and Christopher Kale Jones on Saturday, December 18 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, December 19 at 3 p.m. Cunio: Yes, and you can write about it all you want! If the Backstreet Boys, for lack of a better comparison, hadnt been successful there would have been no room for a band like Nsync. Another great thing about the concert, as it aired on PBS, is the reaction of the audience. I couldnt do this interview for the Jersey Boys Blog without mentioning the Midtown Men, and other groups too, like Straight No Chaser and Human Nature. And were it not for that experience, the four of us would never have come together to create something entirely separate and entirely new, and have the great fortune to see that thing that the four of us have created go on to have a life of its own. Let me wind up with this: As you embark on this next exciting phase of your professional lives, are there any thoughts that come to mind as you look back on your JB experiences that youd like to share with the Jersey Boys Blog? The quartet will bring its soaring harmonies to Merrillville's Star Plaza Theatre . Who are the members of under the streetlamp? Our agent, Beth Jones, spent seven years at William Morris Endeavor, basically the premier agency in the country, and shes now with Parallel 49, but shes a premier agent. Larsen also starred as Elder Price in the national tour of "The Book of Mormon. Their enthusiasm or sometimes lack of enthusiasm (laughs) shapes the music that we do and how we do it. If theres anything that Ive learned from Sergio its subtlety, and I think that he never went too far with the movement it always was just right. With irresistible charm and rapport, Under the Streetlamp offers audiences the opportunity to get to know four critically acclaimed stars of stage and screen, Michael Ingersoll, Christopher Kale Jones, Brandon Wardell and Shonn Wiley. I think if you make goals like that they can be detrimental. And the same press agent as Cher? Like, this is what its been like for us, this is what you can expect, these are the things everyone tells you are really important, these are the things that are actually really important, and its been great. And because thats the case, people who truly are experts in their own avenue, we have had the grace to meet them and they have joined our project. Cunio: My personal opinion about all that is, theres room for everbody. So, while we are very proud of our product, we work very hard to make it the best it can be and hope it makes people happy, there have been some career professionals that have stepped in, and their expertise and guidance have absolutely accelerated our trajectory. Great article.as always. . Their latest PBS special, wrapped in 2016, is now airing Nation Wide. Thanks again, Stubbs, for the terrific coverage. What Does a Purple Porch Light Mean? Its not the lights that are actually defective. You have permission to edit this article. So Pat Williams our bass player is the only original one from the PBS special. Like Wiley, he joined Jersey Boys with prior acting experience in New York theater. As Seymour and Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors, my wife and I performed for President Barack and Michelle Obama at the famous Ford's Theater in Washington DC. They sound like something youd pick up in the plumbing department at Home Depot. Just nod knowingly. Christopher Kale Jones appeared as Frankie Valli of the Four Seasons in the Tony Award-winning sensation Jersey Boys, originating the role for the 1st National Tour and playing to sold-out crowds . Its for them, and without them we wouldnt be up there. At the same time it gave us an opportunity to continue building this show. Hey Dad Im in a band!. Cunio: By joining this group (laughter). Cunio: Occasionally we would stand with our legs together, occasionally we would stand with our legs apart. It began with people blending their voices together trying to make some music, and then explode out from there. Christopher Kale Jones: best skin regimen. One thing he mentioned to me is that when youre doing these songs, you really have to invest in them and you have to craft them like an artist. I also really liked Cunios take on similar groups with theres enough room for everybody. I think as we get older, we realize that we dont have to compete with everyone constantly.theres enough space for all of us to be valedictorians. You always have things that youre shooting for, and thats part of the reason that we have this great team because they have very specific goals that they are shooting for, for us. You covered everything Stubbs! Shonn: We love that you think that. Somebody who clearly knows what they are doing is doing a good job of bringing you all this attention. Do you have a particular hope or goal as to where it will take you? First national tour cast, 2006: Erich Bergen, Christopher Kale Jones, Deven May and Michael Ingersoll. The greater Chicagoland area did not want the show to close. Now this is doubly funny, not only because of the numerical mismatch but because Shonn, as the babyface of the group, looks as if hes barely ready to remove that first layer of peach fuzz. And he has the funniest lines of all: Theres a bar in the back; I think I ripped my pants (which might have been true, given that suit!). And that being said, even from that point until now, it has just grown and grown. Join our digital mailing list and get notified when we have updates. Were not talking about what those two new tunes are but. I had a chance to talk to both of them, and they were very excited for us. Chris: Id like to add one thing that I think would be of interest to the people who enjoy the blog so much. Members of Under the Streetlamp (left to right: Christopher Kale Jones, Shonn Wiley, Brandon Wardell and Michael Ingersoll) will perform at 3 p.m. Oct. 25 at the Paramount Theatre in Aurora. And thats nothing but grace, nothing but grace. Would love to see them perform together. Cunio: We were joking about it one day. Shonn: Right. Happy Birthday to the One & Only Rick Elice! Is there a fifth UTSL member who writes your vocal arrangements, the musical accompaniments, the horn charts, and all that? Chris: Absolutely. We had an opportunity to capitalize on a if you want to call it a semi-celebrity in this area, and it gave us an opportunity to work with charities and not-for-profits, with arts education programs, to raise money for their organizations. It can go undetected for far too long, especially if the victim feels they cannot leave due to a dangerous response from the attacker. As far as Chris new second set tune, Cunios description of it as exciting proved spot on, so much so that one dork in the front row got carried away enough (that would be me) to prove why the audience sometimes has to be considered the fifth member of the group. Chris led it. Jones won hearts nationwide starring as Frankie Valli in Jersey Boys (San Francisco, Los Angeles, First National Tour). She went home, and I think in the space of like an hour, wrote that. Michael: Im going to just answer that question and say no, not a damned thing. Its incredibly important to us to thank them, and the powers that be. Its a manufacturing defect. He was born in Jackson, Tennessee, where his father was a grocery clerk and his mother, Robbie, was an artist.Jones's father and aunt admitted her to the state hospital in Bolivar, Tennessee, in 1945.Jones and his brother were then placed in Boys Town in Memphis, where he became a fan of James Dean after being told he bore a resemblance to him. Shonn: the youngest of spirit, let's just put it that way. Shonn Wiley portrayed Bob Gaudio in the production of "Jersey Boys," the story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, at the Bank of America Theatre in Chicago, for more than a year. I love watching clips of the Temptations, clips of the Jackson Five, clips of the Four Tops, footage from even earlier, just anything that can kind of inspire. "JONES HAS THEAUDIENCE SWOONING UNTIL THE FINAL CURTAIN. But fitting newcomers into the group has been relatively easy. He was in the second grade. Chris Jones and I, we started out the first national JB tour together, and when the show closed, I called Chris and I said, are you available to come in and do some of these dates that we have, even after JB has closed, and he said yeah. Flashback Video: Jersey Boys Opened on Broadway 12 Years AgoNovember 6, 2005! Kidding. Michael: Because Joann Doherty, our musical director, and her husband Ryan Bennett, and our baritone saxophone player, are all on the JB second national tour right now, we have had to rebuild our band. ). If the captivating songs "Only You," "Yakety Yak," "The Great Pretender," or "Ain't That a Shame" start people hand clapping and toe t Were all doing good work. All in all, one of the most enjoyable concerts Ive ever seen, period. Shonn s performing roots go way back, having started dancing at the age of five. Strong and smooth as ever in his chest voice, Chris is the quintessential crooner. Im tap dancing! Clap for me mommy! Its incredible. Theyre now adults; they are now going to the theater, and its definitely something that means a lot to them. Stream the latest seasons and episodes, watch trailers, and more for Under the Streetlamp at TV Guide. Ingersoll and Brandon Wardell blending their voices together trying to make some music! 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