Nicolas Dromard
Nicolas Dromard is a Canadian singer and stage actor, best known for his performances as Fiyero in the First National Tour and San Francisco productions of the musical Wicked. He has also notably performed in the musical Mary Poppins as part of the original cast ensemble on Broadway and, later, as Bert on Broadway and in the National Tour. He recently performed in the national tour and Broadway productions of Jersey Boys as Tommy DeVito.
Early life
Born in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, Dromard attended the in Nepean, Ontario in his youth. He went on to study music at École secondaire publique De La Salle, a performing arts high school in Ottawa, where he learned to play the piano and the flute.He was inspired to start dancing when he saw a Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers movie. He would dance in the halls at school, and his teacher told his parents to sign him up for dance lessons.
He studied singing under the instruction of Yoriko Tanno-Kimmons, who runs a in Ottawa.
Dromard's first language was French; born to French parents, he didn't learn English until the age of seven.
Dromard's first paid acting role was "Little Boy" in a TV movie called The Tin Soldier at age 12.
Dromard was very active in his hometown, participating in amateur community theater shows such as Anne of Green Gables – The Musical and Crazy for You.
In 1998, he was in New York City at a dance contest when he was scouted to be part of the Radio City Productions Christmas Spectacular at a satellite production in Branson, Missouri.
In 1999, Dromard earned his Canadian Actors' Equity Association card by performing in West Side Story at the Stratford Festival of Canada in Stratford, Ontario. He earned his American Actors' Equity Association card when he performed in the 2002 Broadway revival Oklahoma! as Sam.
''Wicked''
National tour
Dromard was cast as a swing in the original national tour production of the musical Wicked in October 2004, after spending eight hours dancing and singing in auditions. The production started previews at the Canon Theatre in Toronto, Canada on March 9, 2005, and officially opened on March 21, 2005.San Francisco
After auditioning for Fiyero in October 2008, Nicolas Dromard was chosen to star in Wicked's San Francisco open-ended engagement, alongside Teal Wicks as Elphaba and Kendra Kassebaum as Glinda. The San Francisco production began previews on January 27, 2009 at the Orpheum Theatre, and officially opened on February 6, 2009.Both Dromard and the San Francisco production received critical acclaim, including:
The SF Examiner:
The Contra Costa Times:
Dromard performed during the production with both Academy Award winner Patty Duke and Emmy Award winner Carol Kane, both as Madame Morrible. Dromard left the cast on June 27, 2010, to play Bert in Mary Poppins on Broadway. He was replaced in San Francisco by Cliffton Hall.
The Wicked San Francisco production was seen by nearly one million people during its first year, according to The Best of Broadway, and averaged over $1.0 million in weekly grosses at the box office, according to Variety Magazine. Wicked was named "Musical of the Decade" in 2009 by Entertainment Weekly and termed "the defining musical of the decade" by The New York Times.
The San Francisco production of Wicked closed on September 5, 2010.
''Mary Poppins''
Original Broadway cast
Dromard performed as part of the ensemble in the original cast of Mary Poppins on Broadway, which premiered at the New Amsterdam Theatre. It started previews on October 14, 2006, and officially opened on November 16, 2006. It starred Ashley Brown in the title role of Mary Poppins and Gavin Lee as Bert. Dromard understudied many roles in the ensemble as a swing, including Von Hussler, William, and Bert.Broadway
In early 2010, Dromard auditioned again for Mary Poppins, and landed the role of Bert in the Broadway production. This meant he would not finish out Wicked's San Francisco run, and he left the role of Fiyero on June 27, 2010. He played the role of Bert on Broadway for four weeks in 2010 before heading out on the national tour.In December 2012, he announced via his that he will once again being playing the role of Bert on Broadway. He will be performing the role at the "New Amsterdam Theater" in New York from January 10, 2013, until August 8, 2013.
National tour
Nicolas Dromard performed the role of Bert on tour for a year and a half, starting in September 2010 in Indianapolis, Indiana and ending in March 2012. During his run, he played opposite actresses Caroline Sheen and Laura Michelle Kelly, both of whom portrayed the role of Mary Poppins.Dromard has earned much praise for his role as Bert, receiving rave reviews at every tour stop:
The Grand Rapids Press:
The Salt Lake Tribune:
Around the Town Chicago:
''Jersey Boys''
On May 1, 2013, Nicolas Dromard announced on his website that he was going to be joining the National Tour of Jersey Boys as Tommy Devito. His first performance was on June 4, 2013, in Salt Lake City, Utah.He's already received critical acclaim for his role:
Deseret News:
Broadway World Reviews:
Additional theatre
''Mamma Mia''
In 2000, Dromard was part of the ensemble for the North American premiere of Mamma Mia, which started in Toronto. It made its United States premiere at the Orpheum Theatre in San Francisco before heading to Broadway.''The Boy From Oz''
In 2003, Dromard was a part of the ensemble in The Boy from Oz, a musical from Martin Sherman and directed by Philip Wm. McKinley. The production started previews at the Imperial Theatre on September 16, 2003, and officially opened on October 16, 2003. It starred Hugh Jackman in the lead role of Peter Allen. The production closed on September 12, 2004.''Hairspray''
Dromard joined the ensemble of Hairspray for the 2004 production in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The production started previews on April 8, 2004, at the Princess of Wales Theatre and officially opened on May 5, 2004. The production closed after seven months on November 28, 2004.''Dancing in the Dark''
Nicolas Dromard was part of the ensemble for the world premiere of Dancing in the Dark, a musical directed by Gary Griffin with a book by Douglas Carter Beane. It premiered at The Old Globe Theatre in San Diego, California, and ran from March 4, 2008 to April 13, 2008. The show was based on the MGM film The Band Wagon and starred Scott Bakula in the lead role of "Tony Hunter."''White Christmas''
In September 2012, it was announced that Dromard would be travelling to the Denver Center for the Performing Arts in Denver, Colorado to play the role of Phil Davis in Irving Berlin's White Christmas, a musical based on the movie-musical of the same name.Workshops
''Cry-Baby''
In April 2007, Dromard participated in a workshop for Cry-Baby, which ran for 68 performances in New York City. Based on the movie of the same name by John Waters, the production went on to officially open on Broadway on April 24, 2008 at the Marquis Theatre. It earned four Tony Award nominations and choreographer Rob Ashford won a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Choreography.''Frog Kiss''
Dromard played the role of Klaus in Frog Kiss, a musical produced by Tamara Tunie. Based on the classic tale of a frog who needs a kiss, It featured a book by Charles Leipart and music by Eric Schorr. It was chosen to be part of the New York Musical Theatre Festival in 2010, and seven shows were performed at the Theater at St. Clements.''Make Mine Manhattan''
Nicolas Dromard starred in the workshopped revival of Make Mine Manhattan at the Connelly Theatre in New York City. It is based off the original 1940s revue of the same name. It was presented by the . Directed by Ben West, the show featured a book by Arnold B. Horwitt and music by Richard Lewine. It ran from March 1 to March 17, 2012.The revue was met with critical acclaim:
BroadwayWorld:
Used York City:
Other roles
''Crazy For You''
In 1996, Dromard starred as Bobby Child in his community theatre's production of Crazy For You. This Gershwin musical was produced by the Company of Musical Theatre in Ottawa.''West Side Story''
Nicolas Dromard portrayed a Jet in the Stratford Festival of Canada's 1999 production of West Side Story. He earned his Canadian Actors' Equity Association membership for this performance.''Dracula''
In 1999, Dromard was the standby for Renfield in a Stratford Festival of Canada production of Dracula, a musical version of Bram Stoker's Dracula. It featured a book by Richard Ouzounian and music by Marek Norman.''Gypsy''
In early 2003, Nicolas Dromard played the role of Tulsa in the Stephen Sondheim musical Gypsy at the Arkansas Repertory Theatre.Nominations and awards
2011: BroadwayWorld Boston Award: Best Actor in a Touring Production2012: IRNE Award Nomination: Best Visiting Performer
2012: BWW Critics Choice Awards : Best Featured Actor in a Musical