Alex Boniello (born October 5, 1990) is an American actor, musician, author, and producer best known for his portrayal of the voice of Moritz in the 2015 Broadway revival of '' Spring Awakening,'' as well as his performance as Connor Murphy in the Broadway production of ''

Dear Evan Hansen ''Dear Evan Hansen'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, and a book by Steven Levenson. The musical follows Evan Hansen, a high school senior with social anxiety, "who invents an important role for himself in a tr ...

.'' In 2019, he won the

Tony Award for Best Musical The Tony Award for Best Musical is given annually to the best new Broadway musical play, musical, as determined by Tony Award voters. The award is one of the ceremony's longest-standing awards, having been presented each year since 1949. The awa ...

as a producer for

Hadestown ''Hadestown'' is a musical with music, lyrics, and book by Anaïs Mitchell. It tells a version of the ancient Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. Eurydice, a young girl looking for something to eat, goes to work in a hellish industrial underworl ...

Career

Boniello grew up in

Wood-Ridge, New Jersey Wood-Ridge is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the borough's population was 10,137, reflecting an increase of 2,511 (32.9%) from the 7,626 counted in the 2010 Census Wood-Ridge was in ...

and attended

Wood-Ridge High School Wood-Ridge High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school that serves students in seventh through twelfth grade from Wood-Ridge, in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States, operating as the lone secondary school of the Wood-Rid ...

, where he began acting with roles like Lumiere in Beauty and the Beast and Mark Cohen in Rent. He enrolled at

Wagner College Wagner College is a private liberal arts college in Staten Island, New York City. Founded in 1883 and with an enrollment of approximately 2,200 students, Wagner is known for its academic program, The Wagner Plan for the Practical Liberal Arts. It ...

, majoring in drama. His start in professional theatre came with the touring company of '' American Idiot'' in 2013 as part of the ensemble''.'' He also understudied the roles of Johnny and St. Jimmy. Boniello was also a member of the cast of '' 21 Chump Street'' in its 2014 premiere and is featured on the show's original cast album. In 2015, Boniello performed in the Off-Broadway production of ''Brooklynite.'' Later in the year, he was cast as the "Voice of Moritz" in the Deaf West Production of '' Spring Awakening'', and stayed with the company with its transfer to Broadway. He completed his run at the

Brooks Atkinson Justin Brooks Atkinson (November 28, 1894 – January 14, 1984) was an American theatre critic. He worked for ''The New York Times'' from 1922 to 1960. In his obituary, the ''Times'' called him "the theater's most influential reviewer of his ...

theatre on January 24, 2016. On April 13, 2018 it was announced that Boniello would be replacing

Mike Faist Michael David Faist (; born January 5, 1992) is an American actor. An alumnus of the American Musical and Dramatic Academy, Faist is the recipient of a Grammy and an Emmy, with nominations for a Tony and a British Academy Film Award. Faist be ...

as Connor Murphy in ''

'' on Broadway. He made his debut in the role on May 15, 2018 and played his final performance on January 26, 2020 alongside co-star Andrew Barth Feldman. As a producer, Boniello is known for his work on the Broadway musical ''

'', for which he won the

in 2019. During the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

, Boniello and Andrew Barth Feldman hosted ''Broadway Jackbox'' on

Twitch Twitch may refer to: Biology * Muscle contraction ** Convulsion, rapid and repeated muscle contraction and relaxation ** Fasciculation, a small, local, involuntary muscle contraction ** Myoclonic twitch, a jerk usually caused by sudden muscle co ...

, where they played games with fellow actors in order to raise money fo
Broadway for Racial Justice
and the Actor's Fund. As the pandemic continued, he began streaming video games on his personal Twitch channel. Boniello released his debut EP titled ''Hi'' on multiple platforms on January 8, 2021. His debut work as a children's book author, ''A Case of the Zaps'', will be published by Abrams Books in August 2022.

Personal life

Boniello proposed to his long-term girlfriend, April Lavalle, on May 9, 2021. They have been together since college, and live together in New York City with their cat, Penny. Boniello has suffered from an anxiety disorder since he was 17 years old.

Credits

Theatre Credits

Filmography

Discography

Extended plays

Singles

Awards and nominations

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Boniello, Alex 1990 births American male musical theatre actors Living people People from Wood-Ridge, New Jersey Tony Award winners Wagner College alumni