'Modern Day Rat Pack' Comes To Ocean City In September

OCEAN CITY, NJ — Tickets are on sale now for two shows featuring “Under the Streetlamp,” Ocean City officials announced. “Under the Streetlamp” is a quartet with the rapport of a modern-day Rat Pack. The group will perform with the Ocean City Pops at 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 8 and 9 at the Ocean City Music Pier.

Eric Gutman, David Larsen, Brandon Wardell and Shonn Wiley will perform doo-wop, Motown, old time rock ’n’ roll and all of your favorite songs from the Drifters, the Beach Boys, the Beatles and a “show-stopping” salute to Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. The group is composed of recent leading cast members of the Tony Award-winning sensation “Jersey Boys.”

A video of the group performing can be found below. The following is the biography for each of the performers in the group.

Gutman cultivated his love of performing through his grandparents when, at the age of nine, bought him his first guitar. Within weeks, he started cultivating his musician “chops” that would help lead him down an amazing career path for years to come.

He lives in Huntington Woods, Michigan with his wife and two daughters. Before his move back home, his claim to fame was performing for three years in the Tony and Grammy Award-winning sensation, "Jersey Boys." In his run with this extraordinary show, Gutman performed close to 1,200 shows in six different roles (including three of the Four Seasons) as well as one of the few actors to play live instruments on stage.

Gutman has also been a member for over 15 years with the Off-Broadway and touring companies of Forbidden Broadway and Forbidden Hollywood, where he has played in over 100 different theatres across the country as well as a featured performer with the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra and the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra.

When not with Streetlamp, Gutman has been touring his one-man show, "From Broadway to Obscurity" to cities across the United States and Canada gaining major recognition at festivals like the Winnipeg and Orlando Fringe festivals, to name a few.

Gutman holds a BFA in Music Theatre Performance from Western Michigan University. He is a proud member of Actor’s Equity Association since 1999 and The American Federation of Musicians.

Wardell, a native of the Carolinas, grew up as his “Daddy’s roadie” and helped set up hundreds of club shows before he was old enough to get into the venues. His professional career began as a teenager and has included theater, film, concerts and television. Across those mediums, he has found success as a performer, producer, technician and engineer.

Wardell made his Broadway debut in James Joyce's "The Dead" beside Christopher Walken and Marni Nixon (the singing voice behind the biggest stars of film’s Golden era including: Audrey Hepburn, Natalie Woods and Deborah Kerr) who later became his go-to voice teacher. He appeared in the Tony Award winning musical "Thoroughly Modern Millie" opposite Sutton Foster (Younger).

He continued his Broadway performing career in the Tony Award Winning production of "Assassins" with Denis O’Hare and Neil Patrick Harris; "Good Vibrartions: the Beach Boys Musical;" and "Catch Me If You Can." He played Scott in the hit Off-Broadway show "Evil Dead: The Musical," where he set a new record for onstage deaths by a performer in a week (48 deaths).

Wardell was featured in "Rent" at the Hollywood Bowl which also starred Wayne Brady, Nichole Scherzinger, Vanessa Hudgens, Aaron Tveit and Rachel Harris. Wardell performed live for an audience of more than a million people, with a television audience of millions more at the Times Square New Year’s Eve Celebration.

Outside of the amazing places he plays with Streetlamp, some of his favorite performances have been on the stages of Radio City Music Hall (Tony Awards), Avery Fisher Hall (on PBS’ Great Performances) and MerleFest, where he shared the bill with Allison Krauss, Emmylou Harris and Bela Fleck and the Flecktones.

He specializes in creating shows specific for any event or venue. Brandon is a proud member of the Broadway Inspirational Voices Choir and The Recording Academy.

His work for the stage has been honored with five Tony Award nominations, with one win for "Porgy And Bess." In the recording studio, his work has garnered four Grammy Award nominations including "Gypsy" starring Patti Lupone, "Ain't Misbehavin’" starring Ruben Studdard and Frenchie Davis, and "Fela!" which features the world famous afro-funk phenomenon Antibalas.

Wardell’s musical compositions and voice can be heard on the upcoming film release "Gala And Godfrey," appearing and winning awards in festivals worldwide. The film is now released and available online.

He is one of the producers behind the hit show "Delusion," which is a live, interactive horror show currently being developed in a virtual reality setting by Skybound Entertainment (The Walking Dead).

Larsen found a love for the stage when he was 10 years old growing up in Oregon and watching his younger brother’s dance recitals. He leaned over to his grandma and said, “I want to do that someday.” The next fall he was enrolled in his first dance class.

In the years to come, he would be dancing with ballet companies all over the Pacific Northwest. David found a love for singing when he joined his school’s choir. In junior high school, David combined the two when he performed in his first musical, "Oklahoma." That show set him on a wild ride that he has been on ever since.

After attending Carnegie Mellon University, where he graduated with a BFA in Theatre, he moved to Los Angeles where he guest starred on "Boston Public." Shortly after, Larsen moved to New York where he was quickly cast as the lead role in what would become his Broadway debut, "Good Vibrations."

Next, Larsen would be in the original company of the Broadway hit, "Billy Elliot." That was followed by leading roles in Green Day’s "American Idiot" and Broadway’s "Hands On A Hard Body." Those string of shows had Larsen working with rock-n-roll legends: Brian Wilson and Mike Love, Elton John, Billie Joe Armstrong, and Trey Anastaso. Just before joining Under the Streetlamp, David starred in the National Tour of "The Book of Morman" as Elder Price.

Larsen lives in New Jersey overlooking beautiful Upper Greenwood Lake. When he is not swimming in the lake or singing songs by the campfire, David is a member of the theatre company The Upstart Creatures; as well as working on countless new works in New York City.

Wiley, originally from Adrian, MI, started performing at the age of 6, when his father put him in dance classes. Immediately, he was hooked. It was at the Historic Croswell Opera House that his passion for performing was born. Upon graduation from high school, Wiley was already a seasoned entertainer, having been in over 50 musicals.

He made his Broadway debut in the Tony Award-winning revival of "42nd Street," where he performed at the famed Radio City Music Hall. He later returned to the Broadway stage in "Dracula: The Musical." Other NYC credits include: Junior Dolan in "On Your Toes;" John Trainor in "No, No, Nanette;" Jack Donahue in "My Vaudeville Man;" Richard Loeb in "Thrill Me;" understudying and performing title character in "Candide" at New York City Opera; "Stairway To Paradise" co-starring Kristin Chenoweth at City Center Encores!; "The View From Here;" and movies "Tiny Dancer" and "Confessions of a Shopaholic."

Wiley was featured in the Chicago cast of “Jersey Boys” as Bob Gaudio where and performed on the final season of the Oprah Show. As a choreographer, he received a Lucille Lortel Award nomination, as well as a Drama Desk Award nomination for Outstanding Choreography for "My Vaudeville Man."

Other choreography projects: "Come Dance With Me," "Sweeney Todd" and "Pool Boy" at Barrington Stage; "The View From Here," "Music Man" and "Forever Plaid." Wiley serves as the choreographer for Streetlamp. He holds a BFA in Drama from Carnegie Mellon University.

Tickets are $30 to $45 and are available at the Ocean City Music Pier Box Office, by visiting oceancityvacation.com/boxoffice or by calling 609-399-6111.

The following is a list of other upcoming events this summer, courtesy Ocean City Public Information Officer Doug Bergen:

CLINT HOLMES — LEGENDARY LAS VEGAS HEADLINER (Sept. 2): The Ocean City Pops features the two-time 2018 Grammy nominee in a special show. Holmes is a consummate entertainer, performer, recording artist, and one of the country’s finest vocalists. Whether he is singing selections from the Great American Songbook, contemporary classics, or stirring original pieces, every performance is a one-of-a-kind mesmerizing and unforgettable experience. The show is 7:30 p.m. at the Ocean City Music Pier. Stop by the Ocean City Music Pier Box Office, visit oceancityvacation.com/boxoffice or call 609-399-6111.

OCNJ LABOR DAY RACE (Sept. 3): Ocean City’s traditional end-of-summer event features a 5-mile beach run and 1-mile fun run/walk. Race-day registration starts at 7:30 a.m. on the beach at 23rd Street. The race starts at 9 a.m. To pre-register, visit www.ocnj.us/Race-Events.

The attached image was provided by Ocean City Public Information Officer Doug Bergen