John Cudia is a classical singer and a musical theatre actor who has played many of the biggest roles in musical theatre on
Broadway
Broadway may refer to:
Theatre
* Broadway Theatre (disambiguation)
* Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
** Broadway (Manhattan), the street
**Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
.
Born on September 21, 1970, Cudia was raised in
Toms River, New Jersey
Toms River is a township in Ocean County, New Jersey, United States. Its mainland portion is also a census-designated place of the same name, which serves as the county seat of Ocean County.[Donovan Catholic High School
Donovan Catholic High School, (formerly Monsignor Donovan High School) located in Toms River, is the only Roman Catholic high school in Ocean County, New Jersey, United States, and operates under the supervision of the Roman Catholic Diocese of ...]
).
"Broadway Actor’s Message to Brackman Thespians: ‘Have Fun’"
The Sand Paper, June 12, 2019. Accessed September 23, 2019. "Before his talk, Cudia, a graduate of Monsignor Donovan (Now Donovan Catholic) in Toms River, warmed up with two selections from ''South Pacific'', 'Some Enchanted Evening' and 'Younger Than Springtime'".
Cudia began his career in regional theater. His credits include Jesus
Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...
in ''Jesus Christ Superstar
''Jesus Christ Superstar'' is a sung-through rock opera with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice. Loosely based on the Gospels' accounts of the Passion, the work interprets the psychology of Jesus and other characters, with ...
'', Lieutenant Cable in '' South Pacific'' and Tony in ''West Side Story
''West Side Story'' is a musical conceived by Jerome Robbins with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by Arthur Laurents.
Inspired by William Shakespeare's play ''Romeo and Juliet'', the story is set in the mid-1 ...
''. His first role on Broadway was Feuilly in ''Les Misérables
''Les Misérables'' ( , ) is a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century.
In the English-speaking world, the novel is usually referred to by its original ...
''. He went on to play many of the lead male roles in ''Les Misérables'', including Jean Valjean. Cudia's claim to fame is his critically acclaimed portrayal of the Phantom in Andrew Lloyd Webber's ''The Phantom of the Opera
''The Phantom of the Opera'' (french: Le Fantôme de l'Opéra) is a novel by French author Gaston Leroux. It was first published as a serial in from 23 September 1909 to 8 January 1910, and was released in volume form in late March 1910 by Pierr ...
''.
His first encounter with Phantom occurred when he was cast as a temporary swing in the U.S. touring production in 1999. There, he met Kathy Voytko, an alternate Christine, who is now his wife. Nine months later, he was given the role of Raoul in the touring cast. He played Raoul on Broadway for 3 years (2003–2005), where he was an understudy for the Phantom. Finally he was cast as the "full-time" Phantom in the U.S. touring production in 2006. Cudia stayed with the touring company until spring of 2008, when he left to portray Valjean in the Marriott-Lincolnshire Theater's production of ''Les Misérables''.
Cudia then returned to Phantom, this time playing the title role at Broadway's Majestic Theatre Majestic Theatre or Majestic Theater may refer to:
Australia
* Majestic Theatre, Adelaide, former name of a theatre in King William Street, Adelaide, built 1916, now demolished
*Majestic Theatre, Launceston, a former cinema in Tasmania designed by ...
as a 10-week substitute for long-running Phantom Howard McGillin
Howard McGillin (born November 5, 1953, in Los Angeles, California) is an American actor. He is known for his role of John Jasper in ''The Mystery of Edwin Drood'' and for portraying the role The Phantom in Andrew Lloyd Webber's ''The Phantom of t ...
. Cudia played his first performance in the ten-week stint on May 22, 2008, and continued until McGillin returned on July 28, 2008. He then returned to the ''Phantom of the Opera'' national tour.
He left the tour in May 2009 to celebrate the birth of his first child. Cudia then became the "permanent" Phantom at the Majestic Theater, having taken over for Howard McGillin on July 27, 2009. He concluded his run as the Phantom on September 4, 2010, and was replaced by Hugh Panaro
Hugh Panaro (born February 19, 1964) is an American actor and singer known for his work on Broadway.
Early life
Panaro was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and resided in the East Oak Lane section of the city with his family. As a schoolchild, ...
.
Cudia returned to Broadway when he joined the closing cast of the Broadway revival of ''Evita Evita may refer to:
Arts
* Evita (1996 film), ''Evita'' (1996 film), a 1996 American musical drama film based on the 1976 concept album of the same name
* Evita (2008 film), ''Evita'' (2008 film), a documentary about Eva Péron
* Evita (album), ''E ...
'', understudying Juan Peron
''Juan'' is a given name, the Spanish and Manx versions of ''John''. It is very common in Spain and in other Spanish-speaking communities around the world and in the Philippines, and also (pronounced differently) in the Isle of Man. In Spanish, t ...
. In April 2016, he reprised the role of Peron in the Vancouver Opera
Vancouver Opera is the second largest performing arts organization in British Columbia and the largest opera company in western Canada. Its mainstage performances occur in the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, other venues in Vancouver and occasionally els ...
production.
He made his Lyric Opera of Chicago
Lyric Opera of Chicago is one of the leading opera companies in the United States. It was founded in Chicago in 1954, under the name 'Lyric Theatre of Chicago' by Carol Fox, Nicola Rescigno and Lawrence Kelly, with a season that included Maria ...
debut as Curly in its production of ''Oklahoma!
''Oklahoma!'' is the first musical theater, musical written by the duo of Rodgers and Hammerstein. The musical is based on Lynn Riggs' 1931 play, ''Green Grow the Lilacs (play), Green Grow the Lilacs''. Set in farm country outside the town of ...
''. He recently began his career as an operatic tenor.
References
External links
*
*
John Cudia
at Broadway World.com
* http://www.playbill.com/news/article/129013-Cudia_Will_Succeed_McGillin_World's_Longest-Running_Phantom_on_Broadway
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cudia, John
1970 births
Living people
American male musical theatre actors
People from Toms River, New Jersey
Male actors from New Jersey