Ryan Molloy

Ryan Molloy (born 21 November 1972) is a British actor, singer and songwriter. He has been successful in stage and musical theatre at West End and Broadway, appearing in a number of hit musicals, like Taboo, Jerry Springer: The Opera, Tonight's the Night, Godspell and six years in Jersey Boys playing as Frankie Valli made him the longest-running star in a West End musical. In 2004, he replaced Holly Johnson as the lead singer in Frankie Goes to Hollywood for a charity concert at Wembley Arena being a band member until 2007, and since 2012 is often active with the Trevor Horn Band with whom he recorded the album Made in Basing Street. He is known for his countertenor voice and falsetto. He attended Marden Bridge Middle School and Monkseaton High School. Molloy then moved to London to train as an actor. He attended The Poor School, He had hard time in the US, where also lived his sister Michelle, as was mostly making money by winning in karaoke competitions. In 1997, there was planned release of a five track self-titled debut album by RCA Records, but the release was cancelled. In 1998, Molloy sang the song "Black and White Army (Bringing The Pride Back Home)" written by Sting for the Newcastle's 1998 FA Cup final. performing live "Welcome to the Pleasuredome", "Two Tribes", and "Relax". Horn considered he "was a hell of a good frontman". He performed with them also in subsequent 2005 tour, and wrote some new songs for the band, but they weren't released as they disbanded in 2007.

He spent some time in 2005 also working with Dave Stewart of Eurythmics on the spoof documentary Platinum Weird, which involved Christina Aguilera, Gwen Stefani and Carmen Electra. They would collaborate again in 2019, when Molloy performed live "Thorn in My Side" and "Love is a Stranger" at Eurythmics Songbook concert at Royal Festival Hall. He also appeared at Jools Hollands' Jam House Club for the Edinburgh Festival in August 2006, together with his band Suntan. in 2019 at Cornbury Music Festival, 2021 at Rewind Festival, and 2022 at Cropredy Music Festival performing live FGTH's "Two Tribes", "Relax", "Power of Love" and Yes's "Owner of a Lonely Heart" among others.

On 1 and 3 June 2013, he performed "Make Our Garden Grow" with Barbra Streisand at two The O2 Arena concerts of her Barbra Live tour. The duet partners Il Volo cancelled on the day of the concert itself, and so Molloy was immediately called up with little time for rehearsal.

In 2009, Molloy released two albums, Sing's Frankie and Human, and on 23 September 2013 single "Turn on the Night", and in 2016, the pop rock album Turn on the Night "mainly made up of old songs I wrote". In January 2017, he held a concert at The Stage Door in Southampton. In April 2017, Molloy held a concert "Big in Japan" (pun on his size 2016, 2020, and 2021.

Acting career Molloy began his acting career in theatre appearing in a number of dramatic roles, including Los Angeles production of The Picked Cerebrum, and London productions of Betrayal and Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice and Macbeth. In June he played Joilet Jake Blues in The Blues Brothers tribute musical Blues Brothers Unlimited at Centrepoint Theatre, Dubai. In August, Molloy played in Eurobeat at Edinburgh Festival Fringe. In September–October, he played as John the Baptist and Judas in Godspell, with theatre critics Mark Shenton and Sam Marlower praising his projection of charisma, being one of "few bright spots".

quote="The important thing is to keep developing the character, to keep it fresh, and, my goodness, a long run takes a lot of self-discipline." — —Molloy on his long lasting acting as Frankie Valli in Jersey Boys, West End, London. His performance was received with critical acclaim, with Lyn Gardner writing in her critical review that "if it works at all, it is because Ryan Molloy carries all before him as the pint-sized Italian-American with the extraordinary falsetto", while Shenton praised it and that "the energetic evening's anchor, Ryan Molloy displays amazing emotional and vocal range". For his performance he received an Olivier Award nomination at 2009 Laurence Olivier Awards, He remained with Jersey Boys for six years, with 2,500 shows as the lead by February 2014, leaving with the last show on 9 March 2014, making him the "longest-running star in a West End musical" and "longest-serving Frankie Valli". Molloy also provided vocals in the 2014 soundtrack (particularly "Beggin'") of the film version of the musical directed by Clint Eastwood, for which also auditioned but was chosen John Lloyd Young instead. He reprised the role in the Broadway production for a limited engagement lasting from July to October 2014 at the August Wilson Theatre, New York City. In March 2017 were held two sold-out shows Frankie's Farewell Weekend of Jersey Boys London at Hippodrome, London.

In 2014, he played in musical Fings Ain't Wot They Used T'Be at Theatre Royal Stratford East. In the first part of 2016 toured Ireland with a musical Che Guevara's Night Off he wrote and starred in. In September–October 2016 at Cockpit Theatre, Marylebone, played Hades/Devil in a rock musical 27 choreographed and co-directed by Arlene Phillips, partly based on Greek mythology, telling "the story of a musician following a path of self-destruction at the age of 27". while Sam Marlowe that "Ryan Molloy is charismatic as Hades, a sinister music exec like a diabolical cross between Iggy Pop and Simon Cowell".

In the last several years, Molloy founded Frankie and the Dreamers, a Frankie Valli-The Four Seasons tribute band, being a headliner for Royal Caribbean International and elsewhere. Molloy continued small-scale theatre performances acting in dramas The Tempest (2018), I Love My Wife (2018), Time Biter (2021–2023), and Julius Caesar (2023).

Personal life Molloy identifies as Irish. He lives in east London.

Molloy supports Children in Need, Graham Wylie Foundation, Donkey Sanctuary and Cedarwood Trust charities.