Olivia Valli is an American musical theatre actress known for playing Elphaba in the national tour of Wicked, originating the role of Vivian Ward in Pretty Woman: The Musical, and portraying her own grandmother, Mary Delgado, in the off Broadway production of Jersey Boys. She is also the granddaughter of Frankie Valli, the Four Seasons singer whose life inspired Jersey Boys.
Her most recent stage credit came in May 2026, when she played Mary Magdalene in Studio Tenn’s production of Jesus Christ Superstar at Turner Theater in Franklin, Tennessee, opposite Adam Pascal and Mykal Kilgore. Local reviewers from Nashville Parent and Music City Review praised her rendition of “I Don’t Know How to Love Him,” describing her take on the character as tender and more headstrong than the role is usually played.
Family Name, Separate Career
Valli grew up in Caldwell, New Jersey, and studied musical theatre at Montclair State University, where she earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. Her grandmother, Mary Mandel, was Frankie Valli’s first wife and is known to Jersey Boys audiences as Mary Delgado.
That family connection has followed her through most of her press coverage. In an interview with Broadway.com, she said she had been auditioning for Jersey Boys for six years before landing the part, and that she always walked into the room owning her name while asking casting teams to judge her on her own work.
Playing Her Own Grandmother
In 2019, Valli joined the off Broadway cast of Jersey Boys at New World Stages as Mary Delgado, the grandmother she grew up calling nana. Coverage at the time, including reporting from Playbill and BroadwayWorld, described it as the first known case of an actor being cast as their own relative in a Broadway or off Broadway musical.
She recalled telling her grandfather over the phone that she would be playing his former wife. She has also said that working on the part taught her new sides of her grandmother, whom she described as small in stature but sharp tongued and tough. Speaking to CBS New York, she said playing Mary made her proud because her grandmother was “little but mighty and strong.”
Building Toward Elphaba
Before Jersey Boys, Valli spent several years on the road. She joined the second national tour of Wicked in June 2016 as an ensemble member and understudy for the role of Elphaba.
According to the Internet Broadway Database, she stepped into Elphaba full time on the same tour from May 2023 through May 2024, then returned for a shorter run in June 2025. She had first understudied the role on that same tour beginning in 2016.
Other Major Touring Roles
Wicked and Jersey Boys are not her only major credits.
- Pretty Woman: The Musical. Valli originated the role of Vivian Ward on the show’s first national tour, performing opposite Tony nominee Adam Pascal starting in October 2021.
- Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. She performed as the Narrator in a production ahead of her Jesus Christ Superstar casting.
- Jesus Christ Superstar. She played Mary Magdalene at Studio Tenn from May 7 through May 24, 2026, reuniting her with Pascal and adding Grammy nominee Mykal Kilgore to the cast as Judas.
Studio Tenn artistic director Patrick Cassidy said bringing her into the cast “completes a trio of extraordinary vocal and acting talents.”
Career at a Glance
- Hometown: Caldwell, New Jersey
- Education: Montclair State University, BFA in Musical Theatre
- Family: Granddaughter of Frankie Valli and Mary Delgado
- First major tour: Second national tour of Wicked, joined June 2016
- Notable casting: Played her own grandmother in Jersey Boys off Broadway, 2019
- Lead roles: Elphaba (Wicked), Vivian Ward (Pretty Woman), Mary Magdalene (Jesus Christ Superstar)
- Most recent run: Turner Theater, The Factory at Franklin, Tennessee, May 2026
Where Things Stand Now
As of this writing, no new stage bookings beyond the Studio Tenn run have been publicly announced. Valli continues to perform cabaret sets at Feinstein’s/54 Below in New York and posts updates on her stage work through Instagram and TikTok under the handle @oliviafvalli.
Sources: Internet Broadway Database | Playbill | BroadwayWorld | CBS New York
