Nicolas Dromard
Nicolas Dromard (born October 7, 1980) is a Canadian singer and stage actor, best known for his performances as Fiyero in the San Francisco sit-down production of the musical "Wicked". He also performed in the Broadway musical version of "Mary Poppins" as part of the original Broadway cast ensemble, and later as Bert on Broadway and in the National Tour. He recently performed in the national tour and Broadway productions of Jersey Boys as Tommy DeVito. Early life. Born in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, Dromard attended the Greta Leeming Studio of Dance in Nepean, Ontario in his youth . He went on to study music at École secondaire publique De La Salle, a performing arts high school in Ottawa, where he learned to play the piano and the flute. He was inspired to start dancing when he saw a Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers movie. He would dance in the halls at school, and his teacher told his parents to sign him up for dance lessons. He studied singing under the instruction of Yoriko Tanno-Kimmons, who runs a voice studio in Ottawa. Dromard's first language was French; born to French parents, he didn't learn English until  the age of seven. Dromard's first paid acting role was "Little Boy" in a TV movie called "The Tin Soldier" at age 12. Dromard was very active in his hometown, participating in amateur community theater shows such as Anne of Green Gables – The Musical and Crazy for You (musical). In 1998, he was in New York City at a dance contest when he was scouted to be part of the Radio City Productions Christmas Spectacular at a satellite production in Branson, Missouri. In 1999, Dromard earned his Canadian Actors' Equity Association card by performing in "West Side Story" at  the Stratford Festival of Canada in Stratford, Ontario. He earned his American Actors' Equity Association card when he performed in the 2002 Broadway revival "Oklahoma!" as Sam. Section::::"Wicked". 1st national tour. Dromard was cast as an ensemble member (a swing) in the 1st national tour of the musical "Wicked" in October 2004, after spending eight hours dancing and singing in auditions. The production started previews at the Canon Theatre in Toronto, Canada on March 9, 2005, and officially opened on March 21, 2005. Stephanie J. Block and Kendra Kassebaum originated the roles of Elphaba and Glinda, respectively. Alongside them were  Derrick Williams as Fiyero, David Garrison as the Wizard, Carol Kane as Madame Morrible, Jenna Leigh Green as Nessarose, Logan Lipton as Boq, and Timothy Britten Parker as Doctor Dillamond. San Francisco. After auditioning for the role of Fiyero in October 2008, he was chosen to star in "Wicked's" San Francisco open-ended engagement, alongside Teal Wicks as Elphaba and Kendra Kassebaum as Glinda. The San Francisco production began previews on January 27, 2009 at the Orpheum Theatre, and officially opened on February 6, 2009. Both Dromard and the San Francisco production received critical acclaim, including: The SF Examiner : The Contra Costa Times: Dromard performed during the production with both Academy Award winner Patty Duke and Emmy Award winner Carol Kane, both as Madame Morrible. Dromard left the cast on June 26, 2010, to play Bert in "Mary Poppins" on Broadway. He was replaced as Fiyero by Cliffton Hall. The San Francisco production of "Wicked" was seen by nearly a million people during its first year, according to "The Best of Broadway", and averaged over $1.0 million in weekly grosses at the box office, according to "Variety" Magazine. "Wicked" was named "Musical of the Decade" in 2009 by  Entertainment Weekly and termed "the defining musical of the decade" by "The New York Times". The San Francisco production of Wicked closed on September 5, 2010. Section::::"Mary Poppins". Original Broadway cast. Dromard performed as part of the ensemble (swing) in the original cast of "Mary Poppins" on Broadway, which premiered at the New Amsterdam Theatre. It started previews on October 14, 2006, and officially opened on November 16, 2006. It starred Ashley Brown in the title role of Mary Poppins and Gavin Lee as Bert. Dromard understudied many roles in the ensemble as a swing, including Von Hussler, William, and  Bert. Broadway. In early 2010, Dromard auditioned again for "Mary Poppins", and landed the role of Bert in the Broadway production. This meant he would not finish out "Wicked's" San Francisco run (which was to end in September 2010), and he left the role of Fiyero on June 27, 2010. He played the role of Bert on Broadway for four weeks in 2010 (from July 16 to August 23) before heading out on the national tour. In December 2012, he announced via his website that he will once again being playing the role of Bert on Broadway. He will  be performing the role at the "New Amsterdam Theater" in New York from January 10, 2013, until August 8, 2013 (barring a contract extension). National tour. Nicolas Dromard performed the role of Bert on tour for a year and a half, starting in September 2010 in Indianapolis, Indiana and ending in March 2012. During his run, he played opposite actresses Caroline Sheen and Laura Michelle Kelly, both of whom portrayed the role of Mary Poppins. Dromard has earned much praise for his role as Bert, receiving rave reviews at every tour stop: The Grand Rapids Press: The Salt Lake Tribune : Around the Town Chicago: Section::::"Jersey Boys". On May 1, 2013, Nicolas Dromard announced on his website that he was going to be joining the National Tour of Jersey Boys as Tommy Devito. His first performance was on June 4, 2013, in Salt Lake City, Utah. He's already received critical acclaim for his role: Deseret News: Broadway World Reviews: Additional theatre. Section::::"Mamma Mia". In 2000, Dromard was part of the ensemble for the North American premiere of "Mamma Mia", which started in Toronto. It made its United States premiere at the Orpheum Theatre in San Francisco before heading to Broadway . Section::::"The Boy From Oz". In 2003, Dromard was a part of the ensemble in "The Boy from Oz", a musical from Martin Sherman and directed by Philip Wm. McKinley. The production started previews at the Imperial Theatre on September 16, 2003, and officially opened on October 16, 2003. It starred Hugh Jackman in the lead role of Peter Allen. The production closed on September 12, 2004. Section::::"Hairspray". Dromard joined the ensemble of "Hairspray" for the 2004 production in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The production started previews on April 8, 2004, at the Princess of Wales Theatre and officially opened on May  5, 2004. The production closed after seven months on November 28, 2004. Section::::"Dancing in the Dark". Nicolas Dromard was part of the ensemble for the world premiere of "Dancing in the Dark," a musical directed by Gary Griffin with a book by Douglas Carter Beane. It premiered at The Old Globe Theatre in San Diego, California, and ran from March 4, 2008 to April 13, 2008. The show was based on the MGM film "The Band Wagon" and starred Scott Bakula in the lead role of "Tony Hunter." Section::::"White Christmas". In September 2012, it was announced that Dromard would be  travelling to the Denver Center for the Performing Arts in Denver, Colorado to play the role of Phil Davis in Irving Berlin's White Christmas, a musical based on the movie-musical of the same name (White Christmas - 1954). Workshops. Section::::"Cry-Baby". In April 2007, Dromard participated in a workshop for "Cry-Baby", which ran for 68 performances in New York City. Based on the movie of the same name by John Waters, the production went on (without Dromard) to officially open on Broadway on April 24, 2008 at the Marquis Theatre. It earned four Tony Award nominations and choreographer  Rob Ashford won a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Choreography. Section::::"Frog Kiss". Dromard played the role of Klaus in "Frog Kiss", a musical produced by Tamara Tunie. Based on the classic tale of a frog who needs a kiss, It featured a book by Charles Leipart and music by Eric Schorr. It was chosen to be part of the New York Musical Theatre Festival in 2010, and seven shows were performed at the Theater at St. Clements. Section::::"Make Mine Manhattan". Nicolas Dromard starred in the workshopped revival of "Make Mine Manhattan" at the Connelly Theatre in New York City. It  is based on the original 1940s revue of the same name. It was presented by the UnsungMusicalsCo.. Directed by Ben West, the show featured a book by Arnold B. Horwitt and music by Richard Lewine. It ran from March 1 to March 17, 2012. The revue was met with critical acclaim: BroadwayWorld: Used York City: Other roles. Section::::"Crazy For You". In 1996, Dromard starred as Bobby Child in his community theatre's production of "Crazy For You". This Gershwin musical was produced by the Company of Musical Theatre in Ottawa. Section::::"West Side Story". Nicolas Dromard portrayed Big Deal in the  Stratford Festival of Canada's 1999 production of West Side Story (musical). He earned his Canadian Actors' Equity Association membership for this performance. Section::::"Dracula". In 1999, Dromard was the standby for Renfield in a Stratford Festival of Canada production of "Dracula", a musical version of Bram Stoker's Dracula. It featured a book by Richard Ouzounian and music by Marek Norman. Section::::"Gypsy". In early 2003, Nicolas Dromard played the role of Tulsa in the Stephen Sondheim musical "Gypsy" at the Arkansas Repertory Theatre. Nominations and awards. 2011: BroadwayWorld Boston Award: Best Actor in a Touring Production ("Mary Poppins") 2012: IRNE  Award (Independent Reviewers of New England) Nomination: Best Visiting Performer ("Mary Poppins") 2012: BWW Critics Choice Awards (Jay's Picks): Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Touring) ("Mary Poppins")