Mark Janicello (born November 3, 1962) is an American singer, actor, writer, producer and author. He is known for playing Elvis Presley in two musicals that toured Europe, after gaining attention by winning a musical competition sponsored by Kentucky Fried Chicken. He also created, wrote, and acted in The Finellis Movie which he then adapted into a musical.
Early life Mark Janicello was born on November 3, 1962, in Brooklyn, New York. He attended the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, earning a Bachelor's degree in 1984.
Career Janicello began his career by singing in the subways of New York City in the mid-1980s as part of the MTA's Music Under New York program. In 1988, Janicello made his west coast debut playing Raoul de Gardefeu in the Opera at the Academy's co-production (with Long Beach Opera) of La Vie parisienne directed by Christopher Alden. In the late 1980s, Janicello began performing with the charitable foundation Music for All Seasons, singing in children's hospitals, prisons and old age homes.
In 1990, conductor Eve Queler heard Janicello and subsequently engaged him to perform in Donizetti's Roberto Devereux, with which he made his Carnegie Hall debut. Janicello also performed for two seasons with the comedic opera troupe La Gran Scena Opera. In 1996 Janicello sang the world-premiere of the opera Nuit des Hommes by Per Nørgård.
Janicello's first performance in an operetta was as Camille, Count de Rossillon in the Paper Mill Playhouse production of Lehár's Die lustige Witwe. He returned to Die lustige Witwe two more times in 2010 in Vienna, this time playing Count Danilo Danilovitsch with the Wiener Operettensommer. Other operetta roles have included among others, Orpheus in Orpheus in der Unterwelt and Alfred in Die Fledermaus. In October 2012, he co-starred in the musical Loving the Silent Tears, directed by Vincent Paterson. He also appears on the musical's cast album. The Musical is based on the poetry of Supreme Master Ching Hai. In 2021, Janicello provided the German narration for the documentary film Eating Our Way to Extinction, replacing Kate Winslet's English narration for German-speaking Europe.
The Elvis Presley decade In 1992, Janicello was approached by the Music Under New York program to enter the KFC Musical Feast competition representing New York City. The competition was a nationwide search sponsored by Kentucky Fried Chicken. Janicello created a performance where he first sang "Recondita armonia" from Tosca, dressed as a rock singer, and then aided by a quick costume change would switch back and forth between the songs "It's Now or Never" and "O Sole Mio" (which share the same melody) while switching vocal and performance styles between "Elvis and Luciano Pavarotti". He won the competition and was awarded the $15,000.00 first prize by head judge Bo Diddley. Janicello appeared with Bo Diddley on NBC's Today show. Janicello was invited to join the International Opera Studio (IOS) of the Zurich Opera in 1994. Peter Reichenbach, Artistic Director of Cinemusic Festival in Gstaad, Switzerland asked him to perform as Elvis Presley with composer Ben Weisman at the first annual Cinemusic Festival in 1995. After performing with him in Gstaad, Weisman gave Janicello the unreleased Elvis song "Will You Still Be There." Janicello, together with Weisman recorded, released, and promoted the song in 1996 and 1997.
On the back of the release of "Will You Still Be There", Stadttheater Klagenfurt hired Janicello to play Elvis Presley in their 1997 production, Elvis: A Musical Biography. The musical moved from Klagenfurt to . In 2002, Janicello wrote a new musical about Presley's life, Elvis: Die Show, sein Leben which combined newly-composed songs with songs from Elvis' catalogue of hits which celebrated its world premiere at Theater Akzent in Vienna and an extended run of performances at the Deutsches Theater in Munich. The musical featured both "Will You Still Be There" and "Great Big Mama."
The Finellis Movie and musical In 2016, Janicello began work as author, executive producer, co-director, lyricist and leading actor on the award-winning comedy The Finellis. Originally planned to be a television series, a proof-of-concept episode of The Finellis was a featured presentation at the 2016 Berlin Serienale. In January 2019, The Finellis went into production in Berlin with some new cast members, rewritten scripts. The Finellis Movie, was released internationally on January 18, 2022. In late 2022, Janicello and composer Ulf Weidmann began turning The Finellis Movie into a stage musical which had its world-premiere production at Wonderville in London from June 3 through June 16, 2024.
Writings Janicello's first work as Musical Author was The Chamelon Concert which celebrated its world premiere in September 1998 in Vienna's Theater AKzent. In 1999, Janicello wrote the script for Be My Love: The Mario Lanza Musical which celebrated its world premiere in Theater AKzent on October 7, 1999 the 40th anniversary of Lanza's death. Be My Love was a jukebox musical whose score contained popular Italian Folk Songs, well-known operatic arias and a number of Lanza's hit songs. In 2001, Janicello authored the book and worked as co-lyricist with Rolf Rettburg on his first completely original musical, Charlie: A New Musical. Charlies music was composed by . Charlie had its world premiere in a German-language version in Vienna's Cabaret Stadnikow in March 2001. In 2004, an English-language version of Charlie was produced in Amsterdam, with additional songs by Kai Peterson.
In 2012, Janicello was engaged to write 6 articles about the marketing of art and artists for Hoop Doop Magazine. Since 2018, Janicello has worked as critic-at-large for BroadwayWorld.com reviewing stage productions in Berlin, northern Germany and London.
In Spring 2022, Janicello was commissioned to write a new play Take the Bins Out, a 75-minute monologue for a visually-impaired actor. The play tells the story of Finley Whitmore, whose diagnosis of Retinitis pigmentosa, a congenital eye disorder, is wreaking havoc on his professional and personal life. Take the Bins Out celebrated its world premiere on August 4, 2023 at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The Edinburgh production stars Milo Mooney, a visually-impaired actor/comedian as Finley and was directed by Janicello. The Finellis Musical with music by Ulf Weidmann and book and lyrics by Janicello premiered at Wonderville in London in June 2024.
In 2026, Janicello became a contributing columnist for Creative Business News.
Personal life Janicello has been vegan since 2004 and advocates publicly for a plant-based lifestyle. He joined Scientology in 1994 before leaving in 2003. He published a book about his experiences in Scientology, Naked in the Spotlight: My Life with Sex, Singing and Scientology which was published in German in 2011 and in English in 2016
Acting credits Film YearTitleRoleNotes198784 Charing Cross RoadBest ManDeadly IllusionPartygoer1988ShakedownDrug AddictMarried to the MobBartenderSpike of BensonhurstTony1989RooftopsDrug DealerMozzarellaMarioShort filmFear, Anxiety & DepressionCopyshop Employee1990Blue SteelPolice Cadett1991The Hard WayPartygoer2011The ConversationCowboyShort film2012All My LoveBobShort film2013Sternstunde ihres LebensGeneral MillerTV film2014Ein Tag wie jeder andereHerr WeissnerShort film2015Der PrimusLt. Ernst HauserTV film2016Die 69 Götter des HöllenfeuersVincent WoodrufShort film2021Eating Our Way to ExtinctionNarratorDocumentary2022The Finellis MovieTony Finelli2022Binny and BabaDrama School President2024TraumaGeoffrey MooreFeature20253 DaysGodfatherShort film2025SpeechLounge SingerShort film2025The Age of LoveDetective PicchioneFeature2026Morphé German OfficerShort Film2026SugoSalvatore AndreaShort film2026Christmas in WalesSamTV Film
Television YearTitleRoleNotes1987Showtime at the ApolloGuest Star1 episode1998-1999Hello Vienna, Hello AustriaHost24 episodes2012Der MediatorFrank DelayPilot episodeFreddyRalphTV miniseries (1 episode)2013FrühstücksfernsehenAgent W. Smith1 episodeVerstehen sie Spaß?Johann1 episodeVolle KanneGuest Star1 episodeAuf StreifeGernot Peters1 episodeVerstehen sie Spaß?British Businessman1 episode2014Schneller als die Polizei erlaubtLudger Trinkhaus1 episodeAchtung, KontrolleGiovanni Bellini1 episodeStand by MeGuest StartPilot episodeVerstehen sie Spaß?Martin Dams1 episode2015Libido LoveMarc CaccamoPilot episodeDie CeliksChaniqua LeStrange1 episodeThe Immigrant ExperienceThe American1 episodeMein dunkles GeheimnisDetlef Brahms1 episodeHilf Mir!Dr. Guido Rehbein1 episodeIn GefahrFabrizio Montani1 episodeDie CeliksSinging Teacher1 episodeHirschausens Quiz des MenschensMarc Thalhäuser1 episodeBetrugsfälleSascha Pantic1 episodeHilf Mir!Gerry Walker1 episodeSchneller als die Polizei erlaubtManuel Weiler1 episodeDas Aschenputtel ExperimentGuest Star1 episode2016The Finellis SitcomTony FinelliPilot episodeHilf Mir!Bruce Heinberg1 episodeAkte 20.16Wilfried W.1 episode2018Berlin Tag & NachtRobert Hardy6 episodesGin & ItAdrian the MasterPilot episodeDie Wahrheit über...MichaelDocumentaryLate Night BerlinCalaf1 episode2022The DiplomatNational Security Chief1 episode
Theatre YearTitleCharacterDirectorCompany1982The Boy FriendTonyParamount Theatre1983GreaseTeen AngelWilliam WendtAycock AuditoriumHatfields and McCoysSpirit HatfieldJohn ArnoldTheater West VirginiaHoney in the RockRex CovingtonJohn ArnoldTheater West VirginiaCabaretAryan SoldatWilliam WendtThe Studio at UNC-GComic Books TonightSupermanJuan FernandezAlfredo's1984CamelotSir SagramoreTerrence MannRaleigh Memorial AuditoriumHatfields and McCoysSpirit HatfieldJohn ArnoldTheater West VirginiaWest Side StoryTonyWilliam WendtAycock Auditorium1985Star-Crossed LoversRomeoRichard HaaseDramatist's GuildSweet AdelineEnsemblePeter HowardThe Town HallFiddler on the RoofMotel KamzoilJohn ArnoldTheater West Virginia1986Angelina (reading)NarratorBarry KleinbortDramatist's Guild1987The Three SistersFedotikEnsemble Studio TheatreAs You Like ItAmiensScott NofletJudith Anderson Theatre1992KismetCaliphDon WestwoodOpera Northeast TourJesus Christ SuperstarAnnasRobert JohansenPapermill PlayhouseLend Me a TenorTito MirelliJohn GoingOlney Theater1996WinterzirkusCanioJoachim LangPlatzl's Theaterie1997Elvis: A Musical BiographyElvis PresleyAnna VaughnStadttheater Klagenfurt1998Elivs: A Musical BiographyElvis PresleyAnna VaughnMetropol Vienna1998The Chamaleon ConcertSelfSelfTheater Akzent1998City of AngelsJimmy PowersHeinz EhrenfreundMusicalsommer Amstetten1999Be My Love: Das Mario Lanza MusicalMario LanzaSelfTheater AKzent2001Victor/VictoriaKing MarchandPavel FieberLandestheater SalzburgCharlie: A New MusicalCharlieSelfKabarett Stadnikow2003Elvis: The MusicalElvis PresleySelfDeutsches Theater Munich2005Charlie: A New MusicalCharlieSelfHet Werkteater2012Loving the Silent TearsThe Italian TenorVincent PatersonShrine Auditiorium2023The Finellis Musical (Producer's Presentation)Tony FinelliSelfPhoenix Arts Club2023Take the Bins OutWriter/DirectorSelfEdinburgh Fringe Festival2024The Finellis MusicalTony FinelliSelfWonderville London
Opera and operetta