By Mary Malloy
After four call backs, Danny got the phone call he had been waiting for - the voice on the other end of the phone announcing, "We'd like you to be a part of our production."
"I was flipping out!" said Danny about that call that came last week. "I didn't know what to do at first...I couldn't speak, I was so excited!"
Danny was chosen to be the understudy for the part of "Hugo" in the Broadway revival of the musical "Bye, Bye Birdie" and as an ensemble member of the cast. There will be eight performances a week, including two matinees. "It hasn't even really sunk in yet, and it's been a week since I got the call."
Danny first auditioned last month at an open casting call with about 2,000 other hopefuls. "I kept getting call backs, which is a good thing...but now this is really happening."
Rehearsals for the show begin in July for a planned September premiere and October opening at the new Henry Miller Theatre. After a 48 year absence, Roundabout Theatre Company will present the first new Broadway production of Bye Bye Birdie.
"I may still be able to go to school," Danny said. "I'm not of the youngest ones in the cast." Danny spoke with his guidance counselor and found out that he may be able to have a condensed schedule for this senior year. If not, he said, he will have a tutor at the theater. "[The production company] still want you to get a certain average to be able to continue in the play," Danny said. "This is one of my goals, so we'll figure it out."
Linda Quadrino, Danny's mother, said that it's a "whirlwind" in the house right now. "It's so exciting..we're so proud of him. There are so many things to think about." She said that Danny has always been interested in singing, dancing and acting. "he got the 'bug'," she said, "and he realized that this is what he wants to do with his life."
Rehearsals start rehearsal on July 20. "It still seems unreal..but great!" Danny said.
Comments about this story? MMalloy@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 202.
