Patrick Gover Brings the Heat to the Toby's Dance Floor in Saturday Night Fever

By Frankie Kujawa
The glittering energy of disco is alive and well at Toby’s Dinner Theatre in Columbia, MD, where Saturday Night Fever lights up the stage through November 2. At the heart of the story is Tony Manero, a restless Brooklyn paint-store clerk who transforms into the undisputed king of the dance floor every weekend. When Tony teams up with the dazzling Stephanie for a high-stakes dance competition, their electrifying partnership forces both to confront ambition, identity, and what truly matters in a world clouded by disillusionment and change. With all the glitz of disco balls, the swagger of platform boots, and the iconic flash of white suits, Saturday Night Fever is a time capsule of 1970s nightlife. We caught up with the magnetic Patrick Gover, who steps into Tony’s shoes with charm, grit, and unstoppable rhythm.

A Howard County native and Salisbury University alumnus, Gover brings charisma and stamina to the role. A Toby’s favorite, Gover has previously starred in Jersey Boys (Tommy DeVito – Helen Hayes Nomination), Beauty and the Beast (Gaston), Escape to Margaritaville (Tully – Helen Hayes Nomination), Grease (Danny), Something Rotten (Robin), Ghost (Sam), and Rocky (Rocky).
 
When asked what theatergoers can look forward to, Gover exuberantly replied, “I think they can expect definitely the 70’s Disco-era. Bee Gee’s music. KC & the Sunshine Band. Disco Inferno. They can expect some disco-heavy dancing. You know, Brooklyn, 1977.”
 
Bringing Tony to life required a lot more than attitude and a sharp white suit. Gover immersed himself in the physical demands of the role, finding ways to balance strength, flexibility, and stamina. “I started back up with my regular lifting routine that I did for Rocky and Gaston in Beauty and the Beast. You know, kind of just my regular lifting routine that I enjoy. I started incorporating some dance and doing some yoga. My sister teaches yoga and Pilates at The Pearl in Columbia, MD. So, I took a couple of her classes and did some deep stretches. Just so I could make sure I am flexible, and not too stiff or solid, for the role of Tony.”

Having previously tackled physically demanding characters, Gover drew on that experience to ground his performance. “My first show was Rocky, and I remember for that Toby [Orenstein, Owner of Toby’s Dinner Theatre] had us take a lot of rigorous boxing classes to train for that. I remember specifically in that show that I learned different boxing combinations and choreography. In this show it’s similar, but now it’s learning different dance combinations. You know, with 70’s disco moves. As well as doing a lot of cardio, too.  That’s because this show really throws the actor right into the action. My character hardly leaves the stage. So, it’s like…you’re dancing in this scene, but in the next scene I’m crossing the Verrazzano Bridge. Then, I’m getting into a fight with my dad. Then, I’m going to the dance studio and talking to Annette. So, there’s a lot of action going on. So, I think if you combine Rocky and Grease. It’s definitely a lot of Grease with all similar high-intensity cardio and singing with those high-dance numbers. But it’s also mixed with that hard city-life and time in Brooklyn, New York in 1977.”
 
But Saturday Night Fever isn’t just about show-stopping choreography and glittering nostalgia—it’s about something deeper. Gover hopes his Tony connects with audiences beyond the beats of disco. “I want them to take away the high and the love of dancing. I feel that this new generation has, in some way, forgotten how to have fun dancing and being free of themselves. Tony’s friend group were kind of a bunch of bad kids. They always did some drugs or drinking. And Tony was always like, ‘Can’t you just get high off of dancing?’ I thought that [mindset] was so cool because I think that’s the reason for my love of theater – because it’s just a high and I love doing it. I think if anything, it’s to bring back the idea that dancing is a way of life and anyone can do it. It’s a good way for people to connect, and in the 70’s the disco era, it became part of the culture and gave people an outlet and something to talk about.”
 
With passion, precision, and pure disco heat, Patrick Gover’s Tony Manero makes Saturday Night Fever at Toby’s Dinner Theatre a pulse-pounding ride into the heart of the disco era—one that promises to leave audiences buzzing long after the final note fades.

For more information, check out: tobysdinnertheatre.com/