The Doo Wop Project, featuring a quintet of some of Broadway’s best entertainers, returns to the McAninch Arts Center as part of its “A New Doo” tour Saturday, April 19 at 7:30 p.m. This supergroup features some of the world's most talented performers from some of Broadway’s most popular shows including “Jersey Boys,” “Motown: The Musical,” “Hairspray,” “Beautiful: The Carol King Musical” and more. The Doo Wop Project’s spectacular harmonies and dance moves were showcased in a one-hour 2022 PBS special that was carried on 88% of all PBS stations throughout the U.S.
For nearly a decade, The Doo Wop Project’s goal has been to bring the genre into the 21st century and expand its appreciation beyond the generation of its roots to a new contemporary audience. Their brand new 90-minute show, “Echoes of the Street,” keeps the classic sounds of doo wop alive for audiences of all ages. The audience will hear doo wop classics including Del Vikings’ “Whispering Bells,” The Tymes’ “So Much in Love,” The Marcels’ “Blue Moon,” The Four Seasons’ “Sherry” and Motown’s “My Girl” and also “doowopified” versions of contemporary songs by artists such as Taylor Swift, Pharell Williams, Daft Punk and Chris Stapleton.
DC Theater Arts says of The Doo Wop Project, “Oh, what a show! …be sure to catch this fabulous act when you can;” and New Jersey Stage says, “All of this group’s training and performance experience comes through in a grand way … there is not one note out of place…But one thing stands out above all else and that is the pure joy that comes from their performance to the audience.”
The members of The Doo Wop Project are as follows:
- Charl Brown (vocals) originated the role of Smokey Robinson in “Motown: The Musical,” for which he was nominated for the 2013 Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical. He is also featured on the Grammy-nominated Original Broadway Cast recording. Brown’s most recent Broadway endeavor was the role of Steve Peters in Elton John’s Olivier Award-winning musical “Tammy Faye.”
- Dwayne Cooper (vocals) has been hailed in the industry as a “triple threat” and performed in the Broadway casts of “Motown: The Musical,” “Hairspray,” and the recent Tony and Grammy Award-nominated Broadway revival of “Sweeney Todd” starring Josh Groban. He has also been featured in several national tours and on multiple television shows.
- John Michael Dias (vocals) recently appeared on Broadway as Neil Sedaka in the Tony and Grammy Award-winning hit “Beautiful: The Carol King Musical.” He originated the same role for the “Beautiful” First National Tour. Dias gained a nationwide following starring as Frankie Valli of the Four Seasons in the smash hit “Jersey Boys” on Broadway as well as with the first national tour, and the Vegas and Chicago companies.
- Russell Fischer (vocals) starred as Joe Pesci in “Jersey Boys” on Broadway for six years, while also serving as the understudy for Frankie Valli. He starred as Billy in the second national tour of “Big: The Musical.” Fischer also possesses numerous regional theater credits and has made several appearances on live television.
- Dominic Nolfi (vocals) is one of the original members of The Doo Wop Project. Nolfi’s Broadway credits include “Jersey Boys,” “Motown: The Musical” and “A Bronx Tale,” and he can be heard on all three cast albums. Sonny Paladino (producer, music director) is a founding member of The Doo Wop Project. He has worked on numerous Broadway projects including “Jesus Christ Superstar;” “Billy Elliot;” “Priscilla, Queen of the Desert”; “Guys and Dolls,” “Mama Mia” and “The Addams Family,” among many others.
Tickets
McAninch Arts Center, located at 425 Fawell Blvd. on the campus of College of DuPage, presents The Doo Wop Project, “Echoes of the Street” 2025 tour at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, April 19. Tickets are $46-$56.
For tickets or more information visit www.AtTheMAC.org or call 630.942.4000. The McAninch Box Office is open Tuesday – Saturday, noon – 6 p.m. and two hours prior to performance.
About the MAC
McAninch Arts Center at College of DuPage is located 25 miles west of Chicago near I-88 and I-355. It houses three indoor performance spaces (780-seat proscenium Belushi Performance Hall; 186-seat soft-thrust Playhouse Theatre; and a versatile black box Studio Theatre), outdoor Lakeside Pavilion, plus the Cleve Carney Museum of Art and classrooms for the college’s academic programming. The MAC has presented theater, music, dance and visual art to more than 1.5 million people since its opening in 1986 and typically welcomes more than 100,000 patrons from the greater Chicago area to more than 230 performances each season.
The mission of the MAC is to foster enlightened educational and performance opportunities, which encourage artistic expression, establish a lasting relationship between people and art, and enrich the cultural vitality of the community. For more information about the MAC, visit www.AtTheMAC.org or @AtTheMAC on Facebook and Instagram.
Support for the McAninch Arts Center is provided in part by Brookdale Senior Living Glen Ellyn, Anonymous, College of DuPage Foundation, Sullivan Taylor Family Trust, DuPage Foundation, Ball Horticultural, Frank Modruson & Lynne Shigley, Enjoy Illinois, Illinois Arts Council, a state agency. Media Sponsor is WDCB 90.9 FM. Hotel Sponsor is DoubleTree by Hilton Lisle/Naperville.
Established as a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit charitable organization in 1967, the College of DuPage Foundation raises monetary and in-kind gifts to increase access to education and to enhance cultural opportunities for the surrounding community. For more information about the College of DuPage Foundation, visit www.foundation.cod.edu or call 630.942.2462.