Categories
Interviews

“You can take the kid out of the theater, but you can’t take the theater out of the kid”: Jonathan Bennett on making his Broadway debut in Spamalot

By Ben Togut

Jonathan Bennett has always had his sights set on Broadway. A self-professed “musical theatre freak” who spent much of his adolescent life performing, Bennett moved to New York at the beginning of his career with the hopes of getting on Broadway. However, fate had other plans. He soon booked a role on All My Children, and later landed the part of heartthrob Aaron Samuels in Mean Girls, leading to a successful career in TV shows and movies. After putting his theatrical aspirations on pause, Bennett finally fulfilled his dream of being on Broadway when he joined the cast of Spamalot as Sir Robin on January 23rd. 

Jonathan Bennett as Sir Robin in Spamalot. Photo courtesy of the production.

“You can take the kid out of the theater, but you can’t take the theater out of the kid,” Bennett told Broadway’s Best Shows. “And my whole life has been longing for that itch that has never been scratched. And that is Broadway.”

Bennett has been wholeheartedly welcomed into the cast of Spamalot, especially by Michael Urie, who played Sir Robin in the revival before Bennett. Ever since Bennett closed the deal to take over as Sir Robin, Urie has gone above and beyond to make sure Bennett feels confident for his Broadway debut, including taking him out to dinner and personally introducing Bennett to everyone backstage.

“[Michael] has been in constant communication with me from the day that this happened to make sure that I feel comfortable because he cares so much about the show,” Bennett said “And he cares so much about the character. I don’t know of that ever happening with someone coming into a cast. And that’s because Michael Urie is a superhuman with the biggest heart.”

For Bennett, one of the challenges of being Sir Robin is playing a character who isn’t the sharpest tool in the shed yet is completely unaware of their shortcomings. Taking over the role from Urie, Bennett plans to exaggerate Sir Robin’s naïveté and to channel his feelings about being on Broadway for the first time to capture Robin’s excitability. 

“I think my Robin is a little more eager for acceptance,” Bennett said. “He gets excited a little bit more than Michael’s Robin. And I think I’m going to just pull from my excitement of making my Broadway debut and my dream coming true.”

More than his time as an actor, Bennet believes his experience hosting shows like Cake Wars and Times Square Ball has prepared him most for the Broadway stage, allowing him to stay present, and think quickly and creatively on his feet. As someone who is often in front of the camera, Bennett is eager to go all out with Spamalot’s irreverent humor and make a fool of himself in front of a live audience.

“I am a gay, only-child actor,” Bennett exclaimed. “There is nothing I love more than attention, and people clapping and laughing at my stupid jokes. I can’t wait to get on stage and play and test out material and jokes and different ways to deliver lines and different improvs.”

Jonathan Bennett joins the cast of Spamalot for his first Broadway curtain call. Photo by Andy Henderson.

Speaking with Bennett ahead of his Broadway debut, his enthusiasm for Spamalot’s spirit of play and the revival’s dynamic cast is palpable.

“I’ve never seen a cast that has such an unexplainable spark,” Bennett said. “It’s different every single night because you never know what the heck is going to come out of Alex Brightman’s mouth. You never know what the heck Leslie Kritzer is going to sing. And so every night the whole cast is electrified as they stand there and wait to hear who’s going to try to crack the other one up. And when you have that happening on stage, the audience just goes nuts for it. I’ve never seen lightning in a bottle on Broadway the way that you see it when you see Spamalot.”

Bennett is making his Broadway debut soon after the movie musical version of Mean Girls comes to theaters, which he finds mysterious but in no way a coincidence. As the film that launched his career reaches new audiences, Bennett will take the next step in his career, finally realizing his Broadway dreams. He hopes Spamalot is just the beginning.“My goal, with doing Spamalot, and making my Broadway debut, is to continue to aggressively work in the Broadway and theatre space, “ Bennett said. “Because, as Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz once said, ‘There’s no place like home.’”

Jonathan Bennett celebrates his Broadway debut. Photo by Andy Henderson
Categories
Broadway's Best

Broadway’s Best “Broadway Week” Shows – Winter 2024

Mark your calendars because New York City Tourism + Conventions is back with a show-stopping extravaganza – Broadway Week! And it’s not just a week; it’s a theater lover’s dream that stretches from January 16 to February 4! Yes, you read that right – more than a week of Broadway bliss awaits you.

Here’s the scoop: NYC Broadway Week is your golden ticket to the finest theatrical productions, all available at a fabulous 2-for-1 deal. The stage is set, the actors are ready, and the only missing piece? You! Grab your tickets to the Broadway’s best without breaking the bank!

Here is our list of some of the best shows available for this season’s offer:

Hamilton

First up on our list is the phenomenon that took Broadway by storm – Hamilton. Join Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr, and the rest of the Founding Fathers in this Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning musical that seamlessly blends hip-hop, R&B, and traditional show tunes. One of the hottest tickets in town, don’t throw away your shot to witness the magic of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s masterpiece!

Photo by Matthew Murphy

Gutenberg! The Musical

If you’re in the mood for laughter, look no further than Gutenberg! The Musical. Andrew Rannells and Josh Gad reunite for the first time since their Book of Mormon days in this comedy where two aspiring writers attempt to sell their “masterpiece” – a musical about printing press inventor Johann Gutenberg. Only in performances through January 28, so don’t miss out!

& Juliet

For a fresh take on a classic, look no further than & Juliet. This innovative pop musical, powered by the music of Max Martin, reimagines Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, giving Juliet a chance to rewrite her own destiny. This modern twist on the timeless tale of love is a must-see for romantics and rebels alike!

Photo by Marc J. Franklin

Purlie Victorious

Ossie Davis’s landmark 1961 play Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch is back on Broadway for the first time in over 60 years! Leslie Odom, Jr. and Kara Young star in the roles that Davis and his wife Ruby Dee originated in the original production. Set in the American South, this gem of a revival promises powerful performances and an unforgettable journey that will tug at your heartstrings.

Photo by Matthew Murphy & Evan Zimmerman

Spamalot

If you’re a fan of irreverent humor and absurdity, Spamalot is the show for you. This Tony Award-winning musical returns to Broadway to lovingly mock the legend of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table in true Monty Python style. Some of Broadway’s brightest stars, including Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer, Michael Urie, James Monroe Iglehart, and Alex Brightman are giving laugh-out-loud performances nightly at the St. James Theatre!

Prayer for the French Republic

Last but certainly not least is Josh Harmon’s latest, Prayer for the French Republic. This thought-provoking epic play explores the continuation of antisemitism around the world by contrasting the experience of a Jewish family in Paris across two periods of recent French history. The new play opened on Broadway on January 9, 2024 after a successful Off-Broadway run last season.

So, what are you waiting for? Click here to snag your 2-for-1 tickets to these Broadway gems. Whether you’re a seasoned theatergoer or a Broadway newbie, NYC Broadway Week is your chance to savor the magic of live performances at a price that can’t be beaten!

Categories
Broadway's Best

Broadway’s Best Performances of 2023

What is a Broadway show without the actors at its core? Here, we single out the singular talents that burned bright on Broadway stages this year. Prepare to be enthralled as we navigate some of the exceptional performances that have defined the essence of Broadway in the year 2023.

Photo by Joan Marcus

Sean Hayes in Good Night, Oscar

In a surprise to no one, the top mention in this year’s list goes to Sean Hayes for his Tony-winning turn as Oscar Levant in Doug Wright’s play. Whether it was his tickling of audiences’ ribs or the ivories in his rendition of ‘Rhapsody in Blue,’ a performance this special does not go unnoticed. In his return to the Broadway stage after performing An Act of God in 2015, Hayes asserted himself as a theatrical powerhouse, and he will surely be welcomed back to the stage in seasons to come.

Photo by Matthew Murphy & Evan Zimmerman

Annaleigh Ashford in Sweeney Todd

After icons including Angela Lansbury, Patti LuPone, Imelda Staunton, and Christine Baranski have all filled the role of Mrs. Lovett, you wouldn’t think there were any crumbs left in the material with which to do something new, make a unique choice. It is our utmost pleasure to report that Ms. Ashford finds them all, and then some. With her wit and vocals in hand, Ashford manages to almost recreate this tried and true character, begging her castmates to catch up as she runs off with their show.

Photo by Marc J. Franklin

Kara Young in Purlie Victorious

Fresh off her second Tony Award nomination for Martyna Majok’s Cost of Living (which was in turn fresh off her first Tony Award nomination for her Broadway debut in Lynn Nottage’s Clyde’s), Young displays a different facet of her enormous talent and versatility as Lutiebelle Gussie Mae Jenkins in Purlie Victorious. In this role, Young delivers a masterclass in comedy in all its forms: physical, verbal, satirical, and the like. Her prowess, a must-not-miss performance, is on display nightly at the Music Box Theatre through February 4, 2024.

Jodie Comer in Prima Facie

This year, Comer brought her Olivier-winning performance in Suzie Miller’s one-woman legal drama stateside, where she added yet another trophy to the mantle. Known to New York audiences primarily for her television career, Comer’s stage acting wowed as she spun this heavy tale with authenticity, nuance, and sheer power.

Photo by Andy Henderson

Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer in Spamalot

As the Lady-of-the-Lake, Kritzer is the Standout-of-the-show! In a series of sparkly Jen Caprio gowns, she evokes Broadway divas like Liza Minelli, and adds the touch of Broadway glamor that holds the looney world of Spamalot together, making it not just a salute to Monty Python, but an exceptional stage musical on its own. Director Josh Rhodes wisely gives Rodriguez Kritzer ample opportunity to improvise, making the show fresh every night (see: the floored social media reactions from the audience that found out the SAG-AFTRA strike had ended because Leslie announced it live onstage and in character.) It’s a delight to watch her lead the company in her 8th Broadway show, and a treat to hear her belt to the rafters. 

Michael Urie in Spamalot

Urie has a sterling reputation as a comedic heavy hitter, from prior credits like Torch Song Trilogy, Buyer and Seller, and TV’s Ugly Betty. In a production full of actors with PhDs in clowning, Urie still manages to steal the show with his surgically precise timing, detailed facial expressions, and total commitment to chaos in his performance as the nervy Sir Robin and a host of other medieval wackos. Who else could land a huge laugh just by darting his eyes back and forth? Watching him bring down the house with his Act 2 number ‘You Won’t Succeed on Broadway’ is a bit like watching Julia Child cook or Serena Williams play tennis – the sheer joy of watching a master at work. 

Photo by Matthew Murphy

Alex Brightman in The Shark is Broken

Jaws fans got a behind-the-scenes look at the storied set of the iconic blockbuster in this year’s The Shark is Broken. With Alex Brightman (AKA Beetlejuice, to those in the know) playing the real-life Richard Dreyfuss, the play was infused with a burst of energy, zaniness, and neurosis that transports the audience effectively through the boredom of waiting on the boat. Brightman excels in exhibiting Dreyfuss’s ambitious and chaotic spirit, even if the real-life actor did not so much appreciate the interpretation… 

Photo by Marc J. Franklin

Billy Eugene Jones & Jay O. Sanders in Purlie Victorious

Both given a near-impossible task of making grounded and genuine human characters out of archetypes, Billy Eugene Jones (last seen on Broadway in Fat Ham) and Jay O. Sanders (last in Girl From the North Country) make comedy magic as Gitlow Judson and Ol’ Cap’n Cotchipee, respectively. As the “Uncle Tom” and racist plantation owner types, this duo of New York theater perennials use the vessels created by Ossie Davis to subvert stereotypes and deliver the play’s thesis, under the watchful direction of Kenny Leon.

Daniel Radcliffe, Jonathan Groff, and Lindsay Mendez in Merrily We Roll Along

How could we sever the unbreakable bond between this trio of Broadway stars?! For their convincingly deep friendship and for their help in reifying the glory of one of Stephen Sondheim’s lost treasures, the Frank-Charlie-Mary of 2023 round out our list of the best performances to hit Broadway this past calendar year.

Categories
Creative

Where’s That Cast Now? Spamalot Edition

With Spamalot having returned to Broadway 18 years after its debut, readers may be curious about what the original 2005 cast is up to now. Below, Broadway’s Best Shows is celebrating the original cast of the spoof-filled musical and the careers they’ve enjoyed since.

Hank Azaria

A voice acting legend for his 30+ years of work on The Simpsons, Azaria made his Broadway debut as Sir Lancelot in Spamalot. He later appeared in the 2007 Aaron Sorkin play The Farnsworth Invention on Broadway and has appeared in many TV shows and movies, most recently starring in Brockmire and The Idol, while continuing on The Simpsons.

SNL alum Taran Killam plays Lancelot in 2023, with Beetlejuice’s Alex Brightman set to take over the part in January 2024.

Photo by Joan Marcus

Christian Borle

Borle had maybe the craziest track in a show where everyone played 2-5 characters. In the program, he was listed as “Historian, Not Dead Fred, French Guard, Minstrel, Prince Herbert.” He went on to Legally Blonde, and Falsettos, two performances seen far and wide after they were recorded for television, and has two Tonys, for Peter and the Starcatcher and Something Rotten. He was nominated again for 2023’s Some Like It Hot. Oh yes, and he was on Smash. 

Spongebob’s erstwhile simple sponge Ethan Slater steps into the track in 2023. 

Photo by Joan Marcus

David Hyde Pierce

Pierce was possibly the most famous actor coming into Spamalot, after eleven years on Frasier. While he had acted on Broadway before, he learned to sing and dance for the production. After his turn at the Round Table, he won a Tony for his performance in Curtains, appeared in Vanya and Sonya and Masha and Spike, and worked opposite Bette Midler in Hello, Dolly! He can currently be seen at The Shed in the final Sondheim musical Here We Are, and on the MAX series Julia. 

Michael Urie plays his role in the 2023 production. 

Photo by Joan Marcus

Sara Ramirez

Ramirez has recently reentered the zeitgeist with their attention-grabbing role as Che Diaz on And Just Like That, but theater fans know them as the Tony-winning Lady of the Lake in Spamalot. In the intervening period, they worked on eleven seasons of Grey’s Anatomy as Callie Torres, breaking barriers for queer representation in television. 

Beetlejuice’s Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer steps into the part for 2023. 

Photo by Joan Marcus

Christopher Sieber

After his Tony-nominated stint as Sir Galahad in the original Spamalot, Sieber did a series of impressive physical comedy roles, including originating the role of Lord Farquaad in Shrek, garnering another Tony nom, replacing as Miss Trunchbull in Matilda, and rolling around the floor of the Jacobs doing martial arts with Jennifer Simard in 2022’s Company revival. The role of Trent Oliver in The Prom was written specifically for him.

Broadway stalwart Nik Walker takes over the role in 2023.

Tim Curry

Tim Curry made his fourth Broadway appearance, as King Arthur, in Spamalot. His post-Spamalot work is sadly limited, due to a stroke in 2012, although he did make a winning turn narrating the 2016 Rocky Horror Picture Show remake. He has also worked extensively as a voice actor, including in the critically acclaimed animated series Over the Garden Wall.

James Monroe Iglehart (Aladdin, Hamilton) plays the part in 2023.

Photo by Joan Marcus

Michael McGrath

McGrath, Spamalot’s loyal Patsy and a beloved New York character actor, appeared in an incredible nine Broadway shows afterward. Most recently he understudied Matthew Broderick in Plaza Suite, and starred as Ladislav Sipos in Roundabout’s 2016 revival of She Loves Me, among many other credits. Sadly, McGrath passed away in fall 2023.

Christopher Fitzgerald (Waitress) plays Patsy in 2023. 

And a special bonus…

Hannah Waddingham

Waddingham starred as the Lady of the Lake when the production moved to London, and also came to New York near the end of its run. In 2020, Waddingham vaulted to stardom as football club owner Rebecca Welton on Ted Lasso, winning an Emmy for her performance. She was also the “Shame Nun” on Game of Thrones and a helicopter parent on Sex Education. 

Waddingham is releasing a Christmas special on Apple TV, and an accompanying album, both out on November 22nd.