About Jeffry

Jeffry Denman was born and raised in Buffalo NY attending the University of Buffalo (graduating with a BFA, cum laude, in Musical Theatre). In addition to his performing activities, he's now added choreographer, author and playwright to his resume.

He made his Broadway debut in the revival of How To Succeed in Business... starring Matthew Broderick. He appeared as "Bud Frump" opposite Broderick, Sarah Jessica Parker and John Stamos. His other Broadway credits include the Johnny Mercer musical review Dream, the final cast of Cats (Munkustrap) and the original cast of Mel Brooks' The Producers.

As understudy to Matthew Broderick he made his debut as "Leo Bloom" opposite Nathan Lane in Sept. 2001, and performed the role in several performances thereafter.

Jeffry left the Producers in June of 2002 to do I Love A Piano at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, after which he performed in an Off-Broadway workshop of the Canadian musical When We Were Singing.

His first musical Dancing in the Dark was produced by MusicalFare Theatre, Studio Arena (starring Crista Moore and Joel Blum) and had a workshop at The Lamb's Theatre. Off-Broadway, Mr. Denman choreographed the long-running hit, Naked Boys Singing! and acted as Harry Groener's understudy in If Love Were All starring Mr. Groener and Twiggy.

He also had the pleasure to be one of a handful of Americans invited to star in a production at the prestigious Shaw Festival in Ontario, Canada. The production was a new Gershwin musical entitled A Foggy Day.

He performed his own Astaire-inspired choreography to "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" on My Favorite Broadway: The Love Songs for PBS.

Jeffry reading at a book signing In the spring of 2002 his first book was published entitled A Year with The Producers: One Actors Exhausting (But Worth it) Journey from Cats to Mel Brooks' Mega Hit, published by Routledge.

In June of 2004 he started his concert career by performing with Marvin Hamlisch in an Irving Berlin Tribute at the Kennedy Center with The National Symphony. He continues to tour the country in a Fred Astaire / Ginger Rogers Tribute with Ron Raines, Tony Award winner Debbie Gravitte, and Christiane Noll.

In the rest of 2004 he was featured alongside Diahann Carroll in Bubblin Brown Sugar at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, GA, wrote and starred in his second musical, Change Partners at MusicalFare Theatre, and co-starred with Brian D'Arcy James in the World Premiere of White Christmas in San Francisco.

In 2005 he played Tom in Dinner With Friends at Portland Stage in Maine, was interviewed and danced for the Special Features section on two (Swing Time and Barkleys of Broadway) of the five DVDs in the Astaire & Rogers Collection box set, starred as Don Lockwood in Singin' In The Rain at the MUNY in St. Louis, played Artie in YANK for the 2005 NYMF, and reprised the role of Phil Davis in White Christmas at the Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles.

Jeffry started 2006 learning sign language to play "James Leeds" in the first NYC revival of Children of a Lesser God for the Keen Company and took part in the 1968 Broadway By The Year concert with Scott Siegel, singing and dancing to Give My Regards to Broadway. In May, he played "Jenkins" in the Encores! production of Of Thee I Sing starring Victor Garber and directed by John Rando. Over the summer, he costarred with Rebecca Luker in a concert called Hollywood to Broadway with the Reno Symphony on the North Shore of Lake Tahoe and performed with Marvin Hamlisch in a Tribute to George Gershwin with the Philadelphia Symphony.

In September he was asked to play Preston in the reading of Ken Ludwig's An American in Paris, a brand new "backstage" farce about the making of the Gene Kelly film. Harry Groener, Lauren Kennedy and Bruce Adler took part as well. In October, he had the pleasure of starring Erin Crouch (his girlfriend) in a concert with the New Haven Symphony entitled Dance the Night Away - A Tribute to fred Astaire and his Partners. He finished out the year in Scott Siegel's Broadway Unplugged III performing "Yankee Doodle Dandy" and then reprised his role in White Christmas at the Ordway Center in St Paul MN opposite Stephen Bogardus, Kerry O'Malley and Kristen Beth Wiiliams. The Original Cast Recording of White Christmas featuring Jeffry and the original stars was released in October by Ghostlight.

In 2007, a busy year, Jeffry started off in a dark comedy, Pvt. Wars with Incumbo Theatre Company at the Gene Frankel Theatre. He then did two concerts with the American Musicals Project, with Isabella Rosselini, Vicki Clark, and Laura Griffith among others. Broadway by the Year 1928 and My First Time -two concerts in the same night - followed, capped by Jeffry's solo concert debut of Jazz Turns at Birdland in February. In March, he starred with Judy Kaye, Walter Bobbie, Lee Wilkoff and Meredith Patterson in Face the Music at City Center Encores and was asked to perform with his fiancee, Erin Crouch with Michael Feinstein at Carnegie Hall in an evening dedicated to Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly. In April and May he played Bobby Child in Crazy For You at North Shore Music Theatre as well as did a second reading of An American in Paris at the Alley Theatre in Houston with Harry Groener and Erin Dilly in the lead roles. In June he headed back up to New England to do another stint as Bobby Child, this time at Ogunquit Playhouse opposite Beverly Ward with Rue McLanahan as Mother. The Face the Music Cast Recording was released as well. In July he was asked to play Junior in On Your Toes at LA Reprise which earned him an LA Ovation nomination for Best Actor in a Musical. In September, he proposed to Erin Crouch. Moments later, she said yes. In October, he choreographed and starred in Yank! at the Gallery Players in Brooklyn and did a second evening of Jazz Turns at Birdland. In November and December he reprised his White Christmas role of Phil Davis, this time Boston with Brian d'Arcy James, Kerry O'Malley and Meredith Patterson. On December 31st, he collapsed.