Alex Boniello
Alex Boniello (born October 5, 1990) is an American actor and Tony Award-winning producer best known for his portrayal of the voice of Moritz in the 2015 Broadway revival of Spring Awakening. In 2018, he replaced Mike Faist in the role of Connor Murphy in Dear Evan Hansen on Broadway.
Alex Boniello | |
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Born | Wood-Ridge, New Jersey, U.S. | October 5, 1990
Education | Wagner College |
Occupation | Actor, singer |
Years active | 2012–present |
Partner(s) | April Lavalle (2010–present) |
Career
Boniello grew up in Wood-Ridge, New Jersey and attended Wood-Ridge High School, where he began acting with roles like Lumiere in Beauty and the Beast and Mark Cohen in Rent. He enrolled at Wagner College, majoring in drama.[1]
His start in professional theatre came with the touring company of American Idiot. He was in ensemble and understudied the roles of Johnny and St. Jimmy, played by stars John Gallagher, Jr. and Billie Joe Armstrong, respectively, during the Broadway run.[2] In 2013 and 2014, Boniello has appeared in many TV and film roles, including: Alien Dawn, Contest, Floored, Unrelated, and Happyish. He appeared in an episode of Jessica Jones in late 2015 as "punk kid."[3]
Boniello returned to theatre in 2015, when he performed in the Off-Broadway production of Brooklynite.[4] He was also a member of the cast of Lin-Manuel Miranda's musical 21 Chump Street and can be heard on the show's original cast album.[5] Later in the year, he was cast as the "Voice of Moritz" in the Deaf West Production of Spring Awakening,[6] and stayed with the company with its transfer to Broadway. He completed his run at the Brooks Atkinson theatre on January 24, 2016.[7] On April 13, 2018 it was announced that Boniello would be replacing Mike Faist as Connor Murphy in Dear Evan Hansen on Broadway.[8] He made his debut in the role on May 15, 2018.
Personal life
Boniello is in a long-term relationship with girlfriend April Lavalle. They have been together since college, and live together in New York City with their cat.
He has also suffered from an anxiety disorder since he was seventeen years old, and is very candid and open about that fact online and in person, as he knows many of the people who follow his career suffer from similar issues. Boniello has claimed that he has used his own experiences with anxiety to help with his portrayal as the panicky character Moritz Stiefel in Spring Awakening.[9]
Credits
Theatre Credits
Year | Production | Role | Category |
---|---|---|---|
2012 | American Idiot | R&R Boyfriend, Ensemble, Johnny/Saint Jimmy u/s | National Tour |
2014 | 21 Chump Street | Tevin, Boy, and Cousin 1 | Concert |
2015 | Brooklynite | Ensemble | Off-Broadway |
2015 | Spring Awakening | Voice of Moritz | Los Angeles |
2015-16 | Broadway | ||
2017 | Cruel Intentions: The Musical | Blaine Tuttle | Off-Broadway |
2018-2020 | Dear Evan Hansen | Connor Murphy | Broadway |
2019 | Hadestown | Co-Producer | Broadway |
Filmography
Year | Title | Role | Type | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
2013 | Alien Dawn | Elijah | Television | 1 Episode: "The Montauk Project" |
2013 | Contest | Joe | Film | |
2014 | Unrelated | MT Guy | Television | 2 Episodes |
2014 | Happyish | Participant 6 | Television | 1 Episode: "Starring Sigmund Freud, Charles Bukowski and Seven Billion A**Holes" |
2015 | Jessica Jones | Punk Kid | Television | 1 Episode: " AKA Take a Bloody Number" |
2017 | Alt Space | Julian Barton | Film | pre-production |
2019 | Indoor Boys | Luther | Web Series | 1 Episode: "Roomies" |
Awards and nominations
Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
2015 | Ovation Awards | Best Acting Ensemble for a Musical | Spring Awakening | Won |
2016 | Broadway.com Audience Choice Awards | Favorite Onstage Pair (with Daniel Durant) | Nominated | |
Fred and Adele Astaire Awards | Outstanding Ensemble in a Broadway Show | Nominated | ||
2019 | Broadway.com Audience Choice Awards | Favorite replacement (Male) | Dear Evan Hansen | Nominated |
Tony Awards | Best Musical (co-producer) | Hadestown | Won |
References
- Feldberg, Robert. "Bergen County native shares role with deaf partner in Broadway's 'Spring Awakening'", The Record (Bergen County), September 20, 2015. Accessed October 18, 2015. "Theater is a collaborative art, but rarely do actors form a partnership as unusual as the one created by Alex Boniello, who was raised in Wood-Ridge, and Daniel N. Durant.... Boniello, who got the acting bug at Wood-Ridge High School before going on to study drama at Wagner College, joined the cast after the production had gotten under way in its Los Angeles debut, so, he said, he had to quickly play catch-up."
- "Alex Boniello Theatre Credits". www.broadwayworld.com. Retrieved 2015-09-30.
- "Alex Boniello". IMDb. Retrieved 2015-09-30.
- "Exciting News! Wagner Theatre Alum Alex... - Wagner College Theatre | Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2015-09-30.
- This American Life, recorded June 7, 2014, aired on June 20, 2014.
- "Deaf West revisits 'Spring Awakening' with fresh vigor at the Wallis". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved 2015-09-30.
- "Spring Awakening". Retrieved 2015-09-30.
- "Alex Boniello Will Succeed Tony Nominee Mike Faist in Broadway's Dear Evan Hansen | Playbill". Playbill. Retrieved 2018-04-16.
- "Alex Boniello". aboniello.tumblr.com. Archived from the original on February 5, 2016. Retrieved February 3, 2016.