Tahi is a full-time musician and vocal coach who has taken on the role of musical director in several Gisborne productions in the last few years. He is part of Eagles tribute band Hell Freezes Over which will begin a South Island tour later this year.
He is totally self-taught and discovered his voice when he was at Gisborne Boys’ High School.
He plays multiple instruments including guitar and bass guitar and was in various bands throughout high school. His first foray into musical theatre was playing guitar in Centre Stage’s 2016 production of Hairspray.
He was musical director for Grease and Rock of Ages and vocal coach for Jesus Christ Superstar.
His first stage performance was as the beast in Beauty and the Beast in 2017 and he was hooked.
He believes the music of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons is timeless and will appeal to people of all ages.
“I’ve got nieces and nephews who love the music — even though it’s almost 70 years old.”
And as vocal coach he is very happy with how it is sounding.
“As a group our voices blend so seamlessly. If you close your eyes for just a second it sounds like you’re listening to the real guys.”
Tahi recorded each of their individual parts separately so they could learn them and practise at home.
“I employed that strategy for Rock of Ages last year and it seemed to work really well.
“Everyone in the group has their own song to sing inside of the full song, so I just wanted them to learn their parts and then we put it all together.”
He said the show was flowing well and sounding fantastic with some emotional moments that hit hard.
“For a first-time audience it’s really going to hit them because it still gets us even though we know what’s coming,” he says.
If he had to choose a favourite song it would be Walk Like a Man.
“When we sing it, we are all so tight around the microphone and the harmonies are so rich and thick it brings me to the verge of tears every time.”
Cry For Me is another favourite which still gives him chills at a certain moment when all of the harmonies come in.
Bruce Reid as Bob Gaudio
Canadian by birth Bruce Reid moved to Gisborne when he was three years old. He has always been in bands and remembers being in the first band from Gisborne Intermediate to go into Bandquest.
“I loved it — the lights, the crowd, the adrenalin of performing — I’ve been in bands ever since,” he says.
He was able to develop his singing voice when his band at the time performed around Wellington playing in pubs and at weddings during his university years.
It wasn’t until he got the lead role in Rock of Ages that he discovered his love for musical theatre. It has to be the right role though and he was drawn to the big 80s hits in Rock of Ages.
Not one to do things by halves, Bruce reached out to American actor and rock singer Constantine Maroulis who was in the original Broadway production to help him prepare for the role.
“I couldn’t believe it when he said he would give me some coaching. I recorded our zoom sessions. It was very cool.”
“Jersey Boys is less rock, but it’s got that edge to it. I always knew I wanted to play Bob Gaudio and knew I wanted to be part of it after seeing the movie.”
Bruce says he feels like part of a big musical theatre family in Gisborne.
“I like Centre Stage’s approach to doing shows — you’ve got a lot of freedom and they’re a cool bunch. It’s pretty social.”
His favourite song is the jazzy and subtle Cry for Me and he can’t wait to step out on stage on Friday and bring Jersey Boys to life for Gisborne audiences.
Alex Raines as Nick Massi
Doctor by day, The Four Seasons’ Nick Massi by night, Alex Raines has a full schedule right now as he prepares for his upcoming performance in Jersey Boys. In fact he hasn’t had a dull moment since arriving in Gisborne last year and being swept up into the world of amateur dramatics.
The talented singer and actor has been in high demand with back-to-back productions playing Billy Floyd in Chicago and also appearing in Evolution’s Clue and Love Letters.
“I’m actually looking forward to a break after Jersey Boys,” he says.
Alex is originally from Seattle and later lived in North Carolina before moving to New Zealand to take a position at Gisborne Hospital.
He started singing in choirs as a young boy and progressed into musicals in high school and later at university.
He has performed everything from opera to acapella and said the music of Jersey Boys was reminiscent of some of the earlier barbershop quartet singing he did in his younger years.
“It’s been so much fun and it’s completely different to Chicago. When we first started rehearsing the music we had a moment when it all came together and we realised we had found our sound, which is a line in the show.”
Alex has grown up singing Rock’n’Roll and classic rock so he had no trouble stepping into the shoes of The Four Seasons bass singer and songwriter Nick Massi.
“The harmonies are tight and we’ve all found our fit — it’s sounding great.”
Joshua Lobb as Tommy DeVito
Joshua Lobb was born in Whangaparaoa and moved to Gisborne at the end of 2017. He started performing when he was seven years old doing small roles on television shows like Shortland Street and Power Rangers.
No stranger to the stage, Jersey Boys will be Joshua’s ninth theatre performance. He played Danny in Centre Stage’s production of Grease.
“I was keen to be part of Jersey Boys because I’ve always been familiar with their songs and grew up hearing their music from the 50s, 60s and 70s,” Joshua says.
His role as Tommy DeVito has been both fun and challenging.
“This is the most dialogue, singing and choreography I’ve ever done in a role but I am feeling confident for opening night as we’ve done a lot of rehearsing.”
He imagines he will get a few last minute nerves though before walking out on stage but that is all part of the fun of it.
Audiences can expect a polished show with different emotions playing out as the story progresses, he says.
“Don’t miss out on the music we have put together. This is also special because it’s the first time Jersey Boys has been performed in Gisborne.
