Gerard Canonico is an American actor and singer, best known for his roles in Broadway and off-Broadway musicals, including Gavroche in Les Misérables and Rich Goranski in Be More Chill. He appeared in the films Not Fade Away and Stuck.
Biography
A native of New Jersey, Canonico has been performing since he was six years old. While first interested in modeling, he decided that modeling was boring and his mother suggested acting instead. He has been a musician since he was 10 years old, starting with voice and moving on to drums and guitar. Both his parents are musicians and his father is a music teacher. A resident of Matawan, Canonico attended Mater Dei High School. He also played a tree in his middle school play and sang in the ensemble.
Career
His first Broadway performance was in 1999, playing Gavroche in the musical Les Misérables. He played the role for a year and a half before leaving to do A Christmas Carol at Madison Square Garden in 2000 & 2001, playing the role of Jonathan. In 2001, Canonico joined the national tour of Casper the Musical, performing alongside Chita Rivera, in Pittsburgh, Kansas City, Atlanta, and Dallas. In 2002, Canonico portrayed Louis in The King and I at the Paper Mill Playhouse. While he was still performing in Les Misérables he participated in readings for the off-Broadway musical The Prince and the Pauper at the Lamb's Theatre. He played the Pauper Tom Canty at the show's opening and for several months until he was thought to have grown out of the role. In 2004, Canonico played Brett in the off-Broadway musical Children's Letters to God, also at the Lamb's Theatre. Canonico performed as an ensemble member and as an understudy for all male roles in the Broadway musical Spring Awakening, which opened on November 10, 2006, at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre. He took over the role of Moritz from August 4, 2008, until the show closed on January 18, 2009. In the summer of 2009 Gerard was involved in American Idiot, a musical based on the hit Green Day album, along with fellow Spring Awakening cast members Brian Charles Johnson and John Gallagher, Jr.. American Idiot premiered in Berkeley, California on September 4, 2009. Gerard stayed with the show until its April 24, 2011 closing as a member of the ensemble while also understudying two other featured ensemble tracks. Canonico appeared as Goliath in the Off-Broadway production of "Stand Tall", a musical based on the story of David and Goliath. This was presented as part of the NYMF Festival during the summer of 2012. He appeared as the principal role of Matt in the rock musical at the New World Stages in NY. The play concerns a group of teens wrestling with their identities, sexuality, and religion at a co-ed Catholic boarding school and navigating the complex road from adolescence to adulthood. His character has the problem of always being second best compared to the school's golden-boy, Jason. His girlfriend, Ivy, breaks up with him for Jason. Previews began on November 19, 2012 and the show officially opened on December 9, 2012. It ran through February 3, 2013. Canonico also appeared in a 15-minute musical called 21 Chump Street, written by Lin-Manuel Miranda on June 7, 2014. Canonico appeared in the world premiere of the Off-Broadway show Brooklynite at the Vineyard Theatre. The show ran from January 30 to March 22, 2015. Canonico performed the role of Rich Goranski in the original cast of the world premiere of the musical Be More Chill. The show performed at the Two River Theater from May 30 to June 28, 2015 at the Two River Theater in Red Bank, New Jersey. Canonico portrayed Schindewulf in David Chase's film debut Not Fade Away which was released on December 21, 2012. He also appeared in Stuck as Caleb. Canonico also was an understudy for the role of Evan Hansen in the musical Dear Evan Hansen, which ran at the Off-Broadway Second Stage Theater from May 1 until May 29, 2016. Canonico returned to Broadway in the Tim Minchin musical adaptation Groundhog Day, based on the Bill Murray film. Previews began March 16, 2017, at the August Wilson Theatre, with the official opening on April 17, 2017. Canonico reprised the role of Rich Goranski in Be More Chill, which premiered Off-Broadway at Signature Theatre Company in July 2018. The show ended its Off-Broadway run in September 2018 before transferring to the Lyceum Theatre for its Broadway premiere in February 2019. The show has since then closed on August 11, 2019.
Taking Chances/The Dude Ranch
Canonico was a member of the band Taking Chances, as lead singer and playing guitar, in which he wrote the music and lyrics, since Christmas 2006, along with the Salerno brothers, Nick, Chris, and Joe. They are an alternative rock band from Hazlet, New Jersey. The music ranges from upbeat pop to rock, and with ska, reggae, and light acoustic songs. Their influences include Green Day, Jimmy Eat World, the All American Rejects, Foo Fighters, and David Bowie They released a CD in April 2008, self-titled "Taking Chances". He has played drums with Declan Bennett at various clubs around NYC and can also be heard on the CD "Record:Breakup". He is currently the lead guitar/vocals and occasionally the drummer for a Blink 182 Tribute Band called The Dude Ranch.
