In a life-changing 48 hours recently, Peter Saide got both his Green Card to become an American resident and the call for a lead role in the Las Vegas production of Jersey Boys.

"The 2 life-changing events in 2 days had me feeling 10-foot tall and bullet proof!" said the graduate of CQUniversity's Central Queensland Conservatorium of Music in Mackay.

Peter Saide ... a new role in Jersey Boys

Earlier this year, Peter married his American girlfriend Harriette and settled in New York, where he was booked to play Lancelot in a regional production of Camelot.

"But my new agents in NYC are pretty tenacious and weren't ready for me to stop auditioning," Peter said.

"I did 4 total auditions for Jersey Boys. The second callback was a 7-hour marathon. I was there for 2 hours on the final day and I had a feeling that I had done well but I wasn't brave enough to entertain any thoughts of success.

"I am playing the role of Bob Gaudio in the show. Bob was one of the original Four Seasons and wrote almost all of their big hits. He remains an enormously influential figure in the American music scene having written and produced for Neil Diamond, Sinatra and others.

"I opened here in Vegas on November 16. I will play the role of Bob Gaudio for at least another 12 months. I hope to remain a member of the Jersey Boys family for a lot longer than that though."

Peter said he was finding the Bob Gaudio role extraordinarily challenging, even after spending a lot of rehearsal time in New York with that city's leading dialect coach.

"I have had to develop a Jersey accent for the role which has been fun and scary and wonderful!" he said.

"I am singing material that is brand new to me. My experience has mostly been with traditional music theatre stuff. This show is, as the name suggests, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons.

"All of a sudden I find myself singing 60's and 70's pop. December '63 [Oh What a Night] is my second solo in the show! This is something I would never have expected. I am sharing the stage with performers of an incredible calibre and it only makes me lift my game." 

Peter said the past 9 months had been the best of his life so far, although his magical ride started last year when starred as 'The Prince' in the South East Asian Tour of Cinderella.

"I am a permanent resident of the USA and I am married! My wife Harriette is living here with me in Vegas. I maintain a wonderful strong friendship with (Tony Award-winner) Lea Salonga who was the star of Cinderella. We became very close friends and remain so. I can't believe where I am and what I am doing. It truly is a thrill and a blessing to be performing at the top of my industry."