Kyle Dean Massey (born November 17, 1981) is an American actor and singer. He is best known for his leading roles in the

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 ...

musicals ''

Wicked Wicked may refer to: Books * Wicked, a minor character in the ''X-Men'' universe * '' Wicked'', a 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire that inspired the musical of the same name * ''Wicked'', the fifth novel in Sara Shepard's ''Pretty Little Liars'' s ...

'' – for which he has played

Fiyero ''Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West'' is an American novel published in 1995, written by Gregory Maguire with illustrations by Douglas Smith. It is the first in ''The Wicked Years'' series, and was followed by ''Son of a ...

on-and-off from 2007 to 2019 – ''

Next to Normal ''Next to Normal'' (stylized in all lowercase) is a 2008 American rock musical with book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey and music by Tom Kitt. The story centers on a mother who struggles with worsening bipolar disorder and the effects that managing ...

,'' and ''

Pippin Pippin or Pepin may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Pippin (comics), ''Pippin'' (comics), a children's comic produced from 1966 to 1986 * Pippin (musical), ''Pippin'' (musical), a Broadway musical by Stephen Schwartz loosely based on the life ...

''. He played the recurring role of openly gay country music songwriter Kevin Bicks on the

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

/ CMT

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...

series ''

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...

'' (2015–2018).

Career

Massey first joined the North American touring production of ''

'' in 2007, as part of the ensemble and

understudy In theater, an understudy, referred to in opera as cover or covering, is a performer who learns the lines and blocking or choreography of a regular actor, actress, or other performer in a play. Should the regular actor or actress be unable to ap ...

for the lead role of

, before joining the

production. He subsequently played

Thalia Thalia, Thalía, Thaleia or Thalian may refer to: People * Thalia (given name), including a list of people with the name * Thalía (born 1971), Mexican singer and actress Mythological and fictional characters * Thalia (Grace), one of the three ...

in Broadway's '' Xanadu'' from April 2008 until its closing that September, and Matthew in ''

Altar Boyz ''Altar Boyz'' is a musical comedy with music and lyrics by Gary Adler and Michael Patrick Walker and book by Kevin Del Aguila (based on an idea by Marc J. Kessler and Ken Davenport). Centering on a fictitious Christian boy band from Ohio, the ...

Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

from October 2006 to June 2007. From June to September 2009, he temporarily played the role of Gabe in the Broadway musical ''

'', after which he remained as a cover for the role, before assuming the role permanently in January 2010. Massey stayed with the show until it closed in January 2011, when he then returned to Broadway's ''

'', this time in the lead role of

. He left in March of that year to star in '' Lucky Guy'', which opened Off-Broadway in April 2011. Following the closure of ''Lucky Guy'', he returned to ''

'' as

, covering for

Richard H. Blake Richard H. Blake (born May 17, 1975 as ''Richard Harrison Thomas'Show People with Paul Wontorek'' (2016-11-30)"A Bronx Tale Star Richard H. Blake on Migrating from Jersey to the Bronx, Being Italian by Marriage & 'Ruining' Sutton Foster's Caree ...

, who took a three-week absence to be with his newborn child. He later returned to the touring production of ''

'', playing

from November 2011 through February 2012. On July 31, 2012, he once again joined Broadway's ''Wicked'' as Fiyero until May 26, 2013. He played the role again in the Broadway production from December 2013 to February 2014. He appeared in 2012 Broadway Bares with

Miriam Shor Miriam Shor (born July 25, 1971) is an American actress. She is known for her performance in the rock musical ''Hedwig and the Angry Inch (musical), Hedwig and the Angry Inch'' and in the Hedwig and the Angry Inch (film), 2001 film adaptation of ...

. In August 2013, he played Tony in

The Muny The St. Louis Municipal Opera Theatre (commonly known as The Muny) is an amphitheater located in St. Louis, Missouri. The theatre seats 11,000 people with about 1,500 free seats in the last nine rows that are available on a first come, first s ...

production of ''

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 ...

''. On April 1, Massey assumed the title role in the Broadway revival of ''

.'' He finished his run on October 29. On January 23, 2015, it was reported that Massey was cast in a recurring role as openly gay country music songwriter Kevin Bicks in the ABC television musical drama series ''

''.

Personal life

Massey grew up in

Jonesboro, Arkansas Jonesboro is a city located on Crowley's Ridge in the northeastern corner of the U.S. State of Arkansas. Jonesboro is one of two county seats of Craighead County. According to the 2020 Census, the city had a population of 78,576 and is the f ...

where his father is a

Certified Public Accountant Certified Public Accountant (CPA) is the title of qualified accountants in numerous countries in the English-speaking world. It is generally equivalent to the title of chartered accountant in other English-speaking countries. In the United Sta ...

and his mother is a teacher. He attended Blessed Sacrament Catholic School for elementary school. Massey received a BFA in Musical Theatre from

Southwest Missouri State University Missouri State University (MSU or MO State), formerly Southwest Missouri State University, is a public university in Springfield, Missouri. Founded in 1905 as the Fourth District Normal School, it is the state's second largest university by enr ...

(now Missouri State University) in 2004. He is gay. He married fellow actor

Taylor Frey Taylor Frey (born April 28, 1989) is an American actor. He is best known for playing Don Hagerty in ''It Chapter Two'' (2019). Education Taylor attended Viewmont High School graduating in 2004 and got his bachelor's from Brigham Young Univers ...

on October 1, 2016. He supports the

It Gets Better Project It Gets Better is an Internet-based 501(c)3 nonprofit with a mission to uplift, empower, and connect lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) youth around the globe. It was founded in the United States by gay activist, author, m ...

. On April 22, 2021, he and Frey announced that they were expecting their first child via

surrogacy Surrogacy is an arrangement, often supported by a legal agreement, whereby a woman agrees to delivery/labour for another person or people, who will become the child's parent(s) after birth. People may seek a surrogacy arrangement when pregnan ...

. The couple welcomed their daughter, Rafa Massey-Frey, via surrogate on October 31, 2021.

Filmography

Film

Television

Web

Stage credits

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Massey, Kyle Dean 1981 births American male film actors American male musical theatre actors American male television actors American gay actors Place of birth missing (living people) American gay musicians LGBT people from Arkansas Living people Missouri State University alumni 20th-century American LGBT people 21st-century American LGBT people