THIS NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK ALUM RETURNS TO HIS ACTING ROOTS IN A TWO RIVER THEATER PRODUCTION OF TWELFTH NIGHT

BY CASSIE GALASETTI

Growing up in the Jamaica Plain section of Boston, it turns out, was exactly the right beginning for Joey McIntyre. His house was down the block from America’s oldest continuously operating community theater, The Footlight Club, where his mom, a theater actress, starred in various productions. She was joined on stage by some of McIntyre’s sisters (he is the youngest of nine children seven girls and two boys), and it was here that Joey, who would go on to gain national fame as a member of the boy band, New Kids on the Block, had his first role at age 8, playing 10 year old Winthrop Paroo in The Music Man. Following his success with New Kids, McIntyre returned to acting, taking roles in movies and on TV. Next came Broadway. Now, he’s on to another challenge, playing Duke Orsino in a limited engagement production (through February 2) of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night at the Two River Theater in Red Bank, one of the top regional theaters in the country.

It was the early 1980s when record producer, Maurice Starr, discovered the R&B group, New Edition. Though the band enjoyed great success, they eventually split with Starr, who found himself in search of another big thing. Looking to put together a teen musical act, he sent out a casting call in the Boston area, one answered by brothers Jordan and Jonathan Knight and friends Danny Wood and Donnie Wahlberg. The group still needed a fifth member, though, and McIntyre, who was already making a name for himself in the area, was encouraged to audition.

It was a fortuitous move. The five member band went on to sign with Columbia Records and release a self-titled debut album in 1986. Initially they played malls, bars, clubs, even school dances, and it wasn’t until the late 1980s that they started to gain real popularity on the national scene.

By the early 1990s, New Kids on the Block had become a phenomenon. They had five Top 10 hits on a single album the first teen act to accomplish that particular feat. With songs like “You Got It (The Right Stuff ),” “Step by Step,” and the fan favorite ballad, led by Joey, “Please Don’t Go, Girl,” the boys went on to sell 80 million records worldwide and fill concert venues around the globe.

Though the band split up in the mid-1990s, they reunited in 2007 to produce another album, and have since collaborated on tours and a popular annual concert cruise. When asked what he enjoys most about the continuing collaboration, McIntyre said, “What comes to mind is that we are still together after a big break and playing arenas. We get to relive all those fun, amazing moments and connections to the past while still rocking the house.” He then praised the group’s supporters for their loyalty: “Thanks to the greatest fans in pop history Blockheads!”

McIntyre used his time away from the group to great effect. He launched a solo musical career in 1998 and went on to sell more than a million records worldwide. He also released a Christmas album that featured a collaboration with fellow NKOTB member, Jordan Knight.

There were movie roles, too his debut in The Fantasticks, a musical romantic comedy. In 2003, he appeared in The Heat, an action comedy. He also costarred in various television shows, including Boston Public and The McCarthys, and most recently played himself in an episode of Fuller House, the spinoff series of the ABC hit, Full House.

After living in Los Angeles, McIntyre and his family moved back to the East Coast, where he returned to his theater roots. He had roles in a pair of Broadway hits: Wicked, in which he played Fiyero, and the musical, Waitress, last year, for which he replaced Tony Award winner, Gavin Creel, in the role of Dr. Pomatter.

In Two River Theater’s production of Shakespeare’s gender bending comedy, Twelfth Night, he plays the role of lovesick bachelor, Orsino. It’s McIntyre’s first stab at The Bard, and he told us that he’s “thrilled” to deliver some of the most famous lines in stage performance history.

“Though I am known most for NKOTB, I’ve always done theater,” he said. “I have been focusing more on the New York theater community, and Two River is closely tied to New York City.”

In April, New Kids on the Block will set sail with fans on “NKOTB Cruise 2020.” This has become a yearly happening for the group and its most ardent supporters, often selling out the day tickets go on sale. It departs from Miami and sails to Half Moon Cay, a small private Bahamian island and a favorite of the band’s.

Once McIntyre’s back, he’ll return to the Garden State to play the role of Johnny in The Wanderer. The musical, based on the life and music of Dion, will have its world premiere at the Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn
With a career that’s taken him to the music and film industries and, most recently, the theater, what’s next for the entertainer?

“I’m creating a couple of projects for the stage,” he said, adding, “I’m due for a solo album, too. We’ll see what the universe has in store after that.”