Vinny Andaloro and Jackson Grove
Newly engaged, these two actors are also colleagues in Funny Girl
RICH LOPEZ | Staff writer
rich@dallasvoice.com
Vinny Andaloro and Jackson Grove put a ring on it without any planning. On a day off from their tour of Funny Girl, the two took a hike in Malibu. Against the Californian sky backdrop, no one popped the question; instead, they just figured it out.
“It was unplanned. We were up there and had this aha moment,” Andaloro said. “We felt this nudge from the universe that it was the perfect time. It was more of a conversation, but at that moment, we tied some weed stems around our fingers, and we were engaged.”
Andaloro added that the next day, they went to Rodeo Drive for rings.
No date has been set or plans have been made because these two have work to do. Andaloro is a swing on Funny Girl while Grove performs in the ensemble. The show opens Tuesday at Music Hall by Broadway Dallas and is running through Aug. 18.
Andaloro and Grove have been together for more than five years after meeting in their BFA program in college. Both are living that actor’s life with a constant schedule of auditions and performances.
But there’s no competition here. That they speak the same language has made it easy for the two.
“Working in the same industry has been amazing because we understand all the ups and downs of a working artist, so that is really a gift,” Grove said. “We are each other’s number one cheerleader, and, when one of us gets a part, it’s a huge win. It could be difficult if my partner wasn’t in this business because the understanding wouldn’t be there. So this is all super wonderful.”
Grove added that working together has been a fun time each night.
“I’m onstage every night, and he swings in often for a part,” he said. “It makes me giggle to see him at work with me. It’s such a unique situation.”
The process of getting to work together was an arduous one: “We both went in for the auditions, and then we kept getting called back. But our appointments were always at different times,” Andaloro said. “I didn’t even know he was in the show until three weeks later.”
Now they are just enjoying this time while working on the road together — an ideal situation for two young actors in love.
And they are in no hurry to figure out the next step.
“We don’t have a date yet. I think we are going to enjoy our blissful engagement for a while,” Andaloro said. “What we do know is that we will move into one apartment when we get back to New York.”
Grove will conclude his Funny Girl contract later this month. Andaloro will wrap up the show in October. They have just a few weeks more to share the backstage love, but for them, Funny Girl couldn’t be a more perfect show for that experience.
“I love this show. She’s so career driven but wants a family. She wants everything for herself and to be successful at it, and it’s really special to see a character like that,” Grove said.
For Andaloro, he’s digging the fact that he quite literally gets to tap into his talents.
“We saw this on Broadway before we knew we had the job, and it’s such a quintessential musical comedy,” he said. “And it features some amazing tap, which is my first love. So being in this show for me is a full circle moment in this story line of empowerment.”
“We see this highly successful woman balance her career and family to have the best life possible,” Grove added. “That’s super exciting because we want that.”
For tickets, visit BroadwayDallas.org.