Alex Boniello (born October 5, 1990) is an American actor, musician, author, and producer best known for his portrayal of the voice of Moritz in the 2015 Broadway revival of Spring Awakening and his performance as Connor Murphy in the Broadway production of Dear Evan Hansen. In 2019, he won the Tony Award for Best Musical as a producer for Hadestown.
Career Boniello grew up in Wood-Ridge, New Jersey and attended Wood-Ridge High School, where he began acting with roles like Lumiere in Beauty and the Beast and Mark Cohen in Rent. He enrolled at Wagner College, majoring in drama.Feldberg, Robert. "Bergen County native shares role with deaf partner in Broadway's 'Spring Awakening'", The Record (Bergen County), September 20, 2015. Accessed October 18, 2015. "Theater is a collaborative art, but rarely do actors form a partnership as unusual as the one created by Alex Boniello, who was raised in Wood-Ridge, and Daniel N. Durant.... Boniello, who got the acting bug at Wood-Ridge High School before going on to study drama at Wagner College, joined the cast after the production had gotten under way in its Los Angeles debut, so, he said, he had to quickly play catch-up."
His first professional theatre role was with the touring company of American Idiot in 2013 as part of the ensemble and understudy for the roles of Johnny and St. Jimmy. Boniello was also a cast member in 21 Chump Street during its 2014 premiere and is featured on the show's original cast album.This American Life, recorded June 7, 2014, aired on June 20, 2014.
In 2015, Boniello performed in the Off-Broadway production, Brooklynite. Later in the year, he was cast as the "Voice of Moritz" in the Deaf West Production of Spring Awakening, and stayed with the company with its transfer to Broadway. He completed his run at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre on January 24, 2016.
On April 13, 2018, it was announced that Boniello would be replacing Mike Faist as Connor Murphy in Dear Evan Hansen on Broadway. He debuted in the role on May 15, 2018 and played his final performance on January 26, 2020 alongside co-star Andrew Barth Feldman.
As a producer, Boniello is known for his work on the Broadway musical Hadestown, for which he won the Tony Award for Best Musical in 2019.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Boniello and Andrew Barth Feldman hosted Broadway Jackbox on Twitch, where they played games with other actors to raise money for Broadway for Racial Justice and the Actor's Fund of America. As the pandemic continued, he began streaming video games on his personal Twitch channel.
Boniello released his debut EP, Hi, on January 8, 2021.
His debut children's book, A Case of the Zaps, co-written with April Lavalle and illustrated by James Kwan, was published by Abrams Books in August 2022.
In March 2023, it was announced that he would be playing the recurring role of Crash, the headless ghost, on Ghosts, a television series on CBS. Also in March 2023, it was announced that he would be playing Jack of Diamonds in the Disney Channel's Descendants: The Rise of Red, the fourth installment in Disney's Descendants franchise. Also in 2023, he starred as Roger Davis in the World Symphonic Premiere of Rent at the Kennedy Center.
In October 2024, he appeared on Eisa Davis and Lin-Manuel Miranda's musical concept album Warriors as Cropsy.Joshua Henry, Busta Rhymes, Timothy Hughes, More Join Warriors Concept Album CastLin-Manuel Miranda and Eisa Davis Say Warriors Had to Be an Album FirstCritics Sound Off on Lin-Manuel Miranda, Eisa Davis Musical Concept Album Warriors
Personal life
Boniello proposed to his long-term girlfriend, April Lavalle, on May 9, 2021. The couple married on October 31, 2022. In posts published between 2024 to 2025, Lavalle revealed that she and Boniello were divorcing and alleged he had an affair with a costar during a production of Rent in Japan.
Credits Theatre credits YearProductionRoleLocationCategory2013–14American IdiotR&R Boyfriend, Ensemble, Johnny/Saint Jimmy u/sNational Tour201421 Chump StreetTevin, Boy, and Cousin 1Brooklyn Academy of MusicConcert2015BrooklyniteEnsemble Vineyard TheatreOff-Broadway2015Spring AwakeningVoice of MoritzWallis Annenberg CenterLos Angeles2015–16Brooks Atkinson TheatreBroadway2017Million Dollar QuartetElvis PresleyPaper Mill PlayhouseRegional2017Cruel Intentions: The MusicalBlaine TuttleLe Poisson RougeOff-Broadway2018–2020Dear Evan HansenConnor MurphyMusic Box TheatreBroadway2019HadestownCo-ProducerWalter Kerr TheatreBroadway2021–22Whisper HouseThe Gentleman Ghost59 East 59 TheatersOff-Broadway2023RentRoger DavisThe Kennedy CenterWorld Symphonic Premiere2023Almost FamousRussel HammondEugene O'Neill Theater CenterWorkshop readings 2025 The Rink Tony Classic Stage Company ConcertCulwell-Block, Logan Santino Fontana, Alexander Gemignani, Alex Boniello, More Lace Up for Sold-Out The Rink Benefit Concerts Playbill, August 28, 2025
Filmography YearTitleRoleTypeNotes2013Alien DawnElijahTelevision1 Episode: "The Montauk Project"ContestJoeFilm2014UnrelatedMT GuyTelevision2 EpisodesHappyishParticipant 6Television1 Episode: "Starring Sigmund Freud, Charles Bukowski and Seven Billion A**Holes"2015Jessica JonesPunk KidTelevision1 Episode: " AKA Take a Bloody Number"2018Alt SpaceJulian BartonFilm2019Indoor BoysLutherWeb Series1 Episode: "Roomies"2021The Other TwoIndie Rock Band SingerTelevision1 Episode: 2.5The BiteDJ Perfect DanTV Mini Series1 Episode: 1.52022Love & GelatoFleetwood ZachFilmNetflix2023GhostsCrashTelevisionRecurring Role, CBS2024Descendants: The Rise of RedJack of DiamondsFilmDisney+ original film2026People of NoteArcVideo Game
Discography
Extended plays Title Album details Hi Release: January 8, 2021 Formats: Digital download
Singles Title Year Album"Pigeons"2020 "Red" (with Kylie Cantrall)2024Descendants: The Rise of Red
Awards and nominations YearAwardCategoryWorkResult2015Ovation AwardsBest Acting Ensemble for a MusicalSpring Awakening2016Broadway.com Audience Choice AwardsFavorite Onstage Pair (with Daniel Durant)Fred and Adele Astaire AwardsOutstanding Ensemble in a Broadway Show2019Broadway.com Audience Choice AwardsFavorite replacement (Male)Dear Evan Hansen Tony AwardsBest Musical (co-producer)Hadestown
References