Sal Viviano
A Detroit native, he began his career opening for Comedy Greats of the last generation, in Chicago, and throughout the Midwest. After completing degrees (Eastern Illinois University), he taught High School, while earning his Union cards as an actor in Chicago. Moving East, Sal made his Broadway debut in THE THREE MUSKETEERS (1984); followed-by co-starring roles in the Broadway hits ROMANCE / ROMANCE, CITY OF ANGELS, FALSETTOS, THE LIFE, and THE FULL MONTY. Off-Broadway, Mr. Viviano co-starred in THE BIG TIME, as well as GOLF, THE MUSICAL* (BACKSTAGE AWARD - Best Actor), BEAU JEST, CATHER COUNTY, WEIRD ROMANCE*, CATCH ME IF I FALL*, BROADWAY JUKEBOX, and HAMLET, THE OPERA for Joseph Papp . . . On-tour, he’s starred in EVITA , ANYTHING GOES !, THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE, HAIR; and received a HELEN HAYES AWARD (Best Actor) nomination for his title-role portrayal in SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE (Washington, D.C.); having also appeared regionally at more than two-dozen theatres, Nationwide. In New York, he also starred as Billy Flynn in the smash hit CHICAGO; and more recently in the 20th Anniversary Production of Maltby and Shire’s CLOSER THAN EVER (2011 BROADWAY WORLD AWARD - Best Actor in a Musical).
Viviano’s Film credits include LEGALLY BLONDE 2*, BLACK ROSES* (newly released on DVD), THE JITTERS, SPIKE OF BENSONHURST*, and LIFE WITH MIKEY’S* title song (for Disney). His Television guest appearances have included LAW AND ORDER, THE COSBY MYSTERIES, SEARCH FOR TOMORROW, RYAN'S HOPE, ONE LIFE TO LIVE, ALL MY CHILDREN; narration for THE WORLD OF FILM (PBS); his critically acclaimed portrayal of VanGogh on Disney’s OUT OF THE BOX; serving as 'Opener' for COMEDY CENTRAL'S FRIAR'S CLUB ROAST OF CHEVY CHASE; and guesting on PETER JACOBSON'S UNPLUGGED (The Golf Channel).
As a Concert Artist, over the last 12 years, Mr. Viviano has sung Pops Concerts with over 120 Orchestras around the World (many for several return engagements) including: The National Symphony, The San Diego Symphony, The Philly Pops, The Hartford Symphony, The Delaware Symphony, The Youngstown Symphony, The Albany Symphony, The Anchorage Symphony, The Colorado Symphony, The Dallas Symphony, The Pittsburgh Symphony, The Pan American Symphony, The Long Island Philharmonic, The Virginia Symphony, The New Haven Symphony, The Conroe Symphony, The Spokane Symphony, The Cape Symphony, The Bozeman Symphony, The Chattanooga Symphony, The Indianapolis Symphony, The Bucks County Symphony, The Stamford Symphony, The Winnipeg Symphony, The New Jersey Symphony, The Southwest Florida Symphony, The Arkansas Symphony, The Sioux City Symphony, The Harkness Festival Symphony, The Reading Symphony, The Tallahassee Symphony, The Princeton Symphony, The Timberlane Big Band, The Alabama Symphony, The Syracuse Symphony, The Kansas City Symphony, The Phoenicia Festival Orchestra, The Milwaukee Symphony, The Midland - Odessa Symphony, The Annapolis Symphony, The Farmington Valley Symphony, The Gulf Coast Symphony, The Rockford Symphony, The Tucson Symphony, The Long Bay Symphony, The Wonderland Swing Band, The Eastern Connecticut Symphony, The Pueblo Symphony, The Greensboro Symphony, The North Carolina Symphony, The Minnesota Orchestra, The New York Pops, The Cleveland Pops, The Rhode Island Philharmonic, The San Diego Chamber Orchestra, The Florida Sunshine Pops, The Ocean City Pops, The Reno Philharmonic, The Virginia Arts Festival Big Band, The Louisiana Philharmonic, The Buffalo Philharmonic, The Westfalen Philharmonie (Germany), Orchestra del Teatro Massimo (Palermo, Sicily), Orchestra di Teatro Verdi (Trieste, Italy), and The Royal Philharmonic (London, UK) . . . He’s also appeared in-Concert with ‘Big Bands’ at more intimate venues such as The Iridium Jazz Club, The Russian Tea Room, The 92nd Street Y (LYRICS AND LYRICISTS - 15 seasons), The White House (for the Reagans), The Inaugural Concert (Clinton / Gore), Carnegie Hall, Town Hall (BROADWAY BY THE YEAR - 1955*); and at such NYC outdoor venues as: Arthur Ashe Stadium - U.S. Tennis Open, Bryant Park, Snug Harbor, Prospect Park, World Trade Center Plaza, Union Square, Wolf's Pond Park, and NJ's Liberty State Park.
Sal's (over 60) recordings include: his newly released, Solo CD entitled THE STANDARDS OF LOVE, a LIVE album recorded with full Orchestra on The FRIARecords Label, all of the “*” titles above; several other Original Cast Recordings; over a dozen Compilations for the Varese-Sarabande Label: LOST IN BOSTON (series), UNSUNG MUSICALS (series), A BROADWAY CHRISTMAS, UNSUNG IRVING BERLIN, SHAKESPEARE ON BROADWAY, PRIMETIME MUSICALS, THE PAUL SIMON ALBUM; Richard Simmons’ BROADWAY SWEAT, TONE-UP ON BROADWAY, BROADWAY BLASTOFF, PLATINUM SWEAT; Harbinger Record’s 'TIS THE SEASON, FAMILY, WHEN I GROW UP, and LATE NITE COMIC, BROADWAY BY THE YEAR - 1955; and JAY Records’ BRAVO BROADWAY II . . . among many others.
As a proud member of the legendary FRIAR'S CLUB, Viviano annually participates in many notable fund-raising events for deserving charities. Recently, he served as ‘the opener’ for THE FRIAR’S CLUB CELEBRITY ROASTs of The Smothers Brothers, and Friar’s Club Abbot, Jerry Lewis; and joined the ‘infamous dais’ for Celebrity Roasts of Donald Trump, Pat Cooper, and Don King. He's sung our National Anthem (and God Bless America) at Sports Arenas across the continent; including 27 seasons for New York’s Mets (Shea Stadium and Citi Field). Sal Viviano resides in New York City with his wife, the extraordinary actress Liz Larsen, and their boys, Alessandro Gian (15) and Joseph Dante (11).