Career — JYE FRASCA

Award-winning writer Allan Knee’s ballroom-inspired play Syncopation made its UK Premier at London’s Bridewell Theatre.

Known for musical Little Women and play The Man Who Was Peter Pan, Knee’s comedic drama follows two lost souls in New York in 1912 who come together to dance in a stirring and tender tale about finding yourself and moving to your own beat.

Inspired by Irene and Vernon Castle – ballroom superstars of their day, who laid the foundation for ballroom dancing as we know it and were the subjects of a Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers film – meatpacker Henry Ribolow and seamstress Anna Bianchi decide to embark on a journey to become renowned ballroom dancers in pre-war New York. Responding to Henry’s advertisement in the paper, Anna finds herself drawn into the freeing and passionate world of dance, set against the backdrop of exciting, revolutionary ideas at the turn of the century, the urban rhythm of New York City, and Ragtime.

Broadway & West End triple threats Jye Frasca (Wicked, Broadway & West End) and Devon-Elise Johnson (Half a Sixpence the Musical, West End) star as Henry and Anna respectively.

Syncopation is directed by Karen Jemison and choreographed by Strictly Come Dancing resident choreographer Jenny Thomson.

BEST PERFORMANCE IN A PLAY
Jye Frasca as “Hery Ribolow”
Off West End Theatre Awards Nominee
“The two-hander is played with consummate skill by Devon-Elise Johnson and Jye Frasca. Both trained as actor, dancer, singer, and come with long lists of credits, but their performances here are something special. Indeed, they would be worthy Olivier winners”
- Nicola Claire
“The final accolade must go to the two performers, Johnson and Frasca, they are outstanding. There is no other word for it. And while it is great to see them in such an intimate close-up setting, Syncopation deserves to be picked-up and transferred to the West End. Seldom have two performers, or a musical play, deserved it more”
- Nicola Claire
“Frasca and Johnson both work tirelessly to draw us into the story, the development of their dance partnership is gorgeous to behold, the joy that dance can bring never grows old. Both triple threats who shimmer in the evocatively designed space”
- Ian Foster
“Jye Frasca and Devon-Elise Johnson are both charming leads and brilliant performers. They carry a demanding production that requires all the skills of the performing arts. They sing, dance, act and relate the complex story of a turbulent era. This is done in monologue and as a two hander over two and a half hours. To be word, note and step perfect is a rare feat under these circumstances”
- Brian Penn
“Huge credit must go to the two leads: Jye Frasca as Henry Ribolow and Devon-Elise Johnson as Anna Bianchi. Excellent actors both, they sing – Johnson, in particular has a remarkable voice – and dance, with Frasca totally convincing as a would-be ballroom dancer. Their chemistry makes an already interesting story totally involving”
- Teresa Guerreiro
“the indomitable Jye Frasca”
- Kay Johal
“Johnson and Frasca occupy the stage for two and a half hours with grace and charisma that can’t be faulted”
- Chelsea Kania
“Performed so delightfully by Jye Frasca and Devon-Elise Johnson it has a light touch and such beautiful acting”
- Richard Lambert

LEVERAGE: REDEMPTION

Captain

Amazon Freevee

Directed by Marc Roskin

KAUFMAN’S GAME

Stanley
Ellipsis Films
Directed by Helier Bissell-Thomas

Winner of the the Gold Award at the LA Neo Noir Film Festival.

“Jye Frasca gives a powerhouse performance in his film debut as Stanley in Helier Bissell-Thomas’ first feature KAUFMAN’S GAME ” - IndieWire

WICKED

BROADWAY

Boq
The Gershwin Theatre, Broadway & Apollo Victoria Theatre, London
Directed by Joe Mantello

Wicked: The Untold Story of the Witches of Oz is a Broadway musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and book by Winnie Holzman.

“And coming all the way to Oz from down under, Jye Frasca makes his Broadway debut as Boq, the unusually tall Munchkin. He performed alongside Idina Menzel in the London production of Wicked, and now returns to round out the cast with an adorable, awkward sweetness” - Playbill

REALITY MINE

Charlie Meyhew
Keen City Productions
Directed by Nick Goulden

Cannes Flim Festival

“Man of the piece is Frasca, whose small but imposing pen-pusher Charlie is naturally played, lending authenticity to the dialogue. Browne’s performance as Max with his expressive face and natural camera presence, makes him a relatable “man-of-the-people” to Frasca’s statesman.”

- Chris Moyse Vulture Hound

JERSEY BOYS

Joe Pesci / Frankie Valli
Prince Edward Theatre, London / Las Vegas
Directed by Des McAnuff

Having originated the role of Joe Pesci in the London company of JERSEY BOYS, where he also played the iconic role of Frankie Valli, Jye was thrilled to return to the show once more. Jye joined the Las Vegas company of JERSEY BOYS for a limited engagement, which also marked his American stage debut.

"

...they could really act the stuffing out of their characters, with wit and conviction. This was especially true of Jye Frasca, in the role of Frankie Valli, he of the platinum falsetto. He grabbed the spotlight with such gusto that no one was going to deny him his right to it. For me, at least, this added a touch of unexpected drama to show I felt I knew inside-out even before I saw it the first time." - New York Times, Ben Brantley.…

“All of the performances are interestingly nuanced… The sexual web in which her ladyship entangles Jye Frasca (a hard-drinking writer named Robert) is, however, involvingly spun… Frasca – so good in Thrill Me and Jersey Boys – effortlessly switches, meanwhile, between the comedy and tragedy that his character brings to the proceedings... This is an intense, raw and compelling piece of theatre, which, with the youthful audiences that it is attracting, suggests to me that the Trafalgar Studios are going to be at the cutting edge this year. Certainly, with James McAvoy’s Macbeth opening this week, it is a venue that’s going to be very hard to ignore.”

- The Sunday Telegraph, Tim Walker.

Robert Cohn
Trafalgar Studios, London
Directed by Alex Helfrecht

FIESTA is based on one of the greatest novels of the twentieth century, Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises. American writer Jake, is one of 'the lost generation' post WWI living a bohemian lifestyle in Paris in the 1920s, with fellow expat, novelist Robert, until the arrival of the irresistible Lady Brett Ashley throws their lives into turmoil

FIESTA: Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises

Nathan Leopold
Tristan Bates Theatre, London / Charing Cross Theatre, London
Directed by Guy Retallack

Thrill Me: The Leopold & Loeb Story is a musical with a book, music, and lyrics by Stephen Dolginoff. It is based on the true story of Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb, the so-called "thrill killers".

“There is no production currently running in the capital that is more intelligent, atmospheric and haunting than this' –"Jye Frasca's Leopold is a study in helpless infatuation. Upon the stage of this theatre - a place that offers no refuge to the talentless- these two gents prove beyond all doubt the they are proper, grown-up Actors with a capital A." - Sunday Telegraph, Tim Walker.

Jye was nominated as Best Actor for his portrayal of Nathan Leopold in The 2012 Off West End Theatre Awards!

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