Donnell Concert brings Tony Winner to Findlay

By Victoria Hansen, HansenV@Findlay.edu

The University of Findlay welcomed Tony Award winner John Lloyd Young to the TLB Auditorium on Sunday night for the 33rd biannual Donnell Broadway Concert. 

The Donnell Broadway Concert is a biannual tradition at UF that brings Broadway actors and actresses to Findlay to perform a repertoire of their choice on campus. 

“It’s very important that we have it on campus so that students have the opportunity to attend,” said UF President Dr. Katherine Fell. 

This semester’s guest was John Lloyd Young, star of the original cast of Jersey Boys. Jersey Boys tells the story of 1960’s singer Frankie Valli and his band, the Four Seasons. In his role as Valli, Young performed in Jersey Boys for two years on Broadway and in the 2014 film of the same name. 

He began his performance with a rendition of, “So You Wanted to Meet the Wizard” from the musical The Wiz, a major inspiration for him growing up. Between songs, he told stories about theater life, acting, and growing up in Nebraska with a love of theater. 

“I listened to musicals back when nobody did that,” Young said. “I would be walking through my school listening to the 1975 Mexican cast of Jesucristo Super Estrella. Everybody else was listening to Pearl Jam.” 

Young sang other songs from his youth including “Something’s Coming” from West Side Story, “Where do I Go” from Hair, and “All I Care About” from Chicago. Young also sang songs from Jersey Boys including “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “My Eyes Adored You,” and “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You.” 

Accompanying Lloyd was two-time Tony nominee Phil Reno, who has played accompaniment for the Donnell Broad Concert since 2006. 

“All the great Broadway stars had a band. It’s been a blast,” Reno said. “I just get to call my friends and say, ‘Hey, do you want to come to Findlay?’ I’ve been a fan of his [Lloyd’s] for ages, and we had only met once upon a time. I just emailed and said, “Would you like to come to Findlay?’ He said sure.” 

There is one Donnell concert each semester, usually on the last Sunday of the first month of the semester.  

“We want to do it twice a year so that students have the opportunity to attend more than just once,” Dr. Fell said. 

The audience was filled with an even mix of UF students and community members, with some audience members coming out of state to see the performance.  

“I don’t know anything about classic Broadway, but I am a fan of Les Mis and Phantom of the Opera,” said UF sophomore Mac Johnson. “I just like the music; It was good.”