So how did Candide come to you?
The casting director had seen me play the part when I was 20 years old at the University of Michigan, and because of the success of Jersey Boys, he called and told them to check me out. I got cast after just a couple auditions. It's funny — the two least grueling auditions I've had in my life were for Jersey Boys and Candide.

What was the Jersey Boys audition like?
It's a cute story. I came in — and this is for the show Jersey Boys that no one had ever heard of, not "the pre-Broadway production" — so I said sure, but I didn't really feel that excited. I sang "Oh What a Night," and as I was leaving, I said, "Oh, I play the piano too." A couple weeks later, the show was mine. If you could believe it, I wanted to stay with my gang in New York City so much that I was trying to get another job so I didn't have to go to California for three months! But, well, I didn't get another job, so I had to do this louuuusy show called Jersey Boys [laughs].

Was it hard to switch gears when you were getting into another character for Candide?
The only thing that's hard about shaking Jersey Boys is that I still say "sawng" and "lawng" and "pa-rents." I think part of the reason I'm so happy to be doing this now is that I feel like I'm losing myself in something totally different and so funny. They're both very young and naïve and grow a lot through their journey. But Candide is whipped and flogged, his lover is killed three times over, he's kidnapped by the Bulgarian army. Bob Gaudio just ended up making a lot of money from records.

Well, they're similar characters in a way — they're both definitely virgins.
You're absolutely right. That's a good point. I seem to specialize in these very innocent-hearted characters, which is funny because I have an innocent side but I can be a bad boy too. I’m a Gemini, though; that's to be expected.

Is there a specific Bob fan base that you think will be following you to Candide?
Well, there were always the Frankie people, who liked the guy with the high voice; and the Tommy DeVito fans, who liked the bad boy; the Nicks, who like the kinda dangerous, mysterious type. And then the Bob people, who like the good boy, the wholesome, hardworking, driven…

Underappreciated?
Seriously! But at the stage door, these women would make me lean in and they'd whisper, "You were my favorite, but don't tell anyone." And I was like, "Don't tell anyone? I'm gonna tell everyone! Don't be ashamed that I'm your favorite!" —Rebecca Milzoff