Michael Urie.Photo:Rodin Eckenroth/WireImage; Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman
Rodin Eckenroth/WireImage; Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman
Michael Urieis experiencing a full-circle moment with his latest stage role.
Urie, 43, currently stars in Broadway’s revival ofSpamalot, the musical comedy adapted from the 1975 comedyMonty Python and the Holy Grail.
The actor remembers seeing the musical during itsinitial Broadway runin the 2000s, whenClay Aikenat one point took on the role Urie now plays as King Arthur’s cowardly knight Sir Robin.
“When I saw the show, I was like, that’s a part I could play, and I really, really want to play it,” Urie, known for his television role onUgly Bettyas Marc St. James, tells PEOPLE.
Years later, his opportunity to take part in the goofy retelling of the King Arthur legend came with theSpamalotrevival, which began alimited runat the Kennedy Center’s Eisenhower Theatre in Washington, D.C., back in May.
Urie says when he heard about the revival he knew he was interested. So wasSpamalot’s music supervisor and director John Bell, who the actor says “had the same idea” and helped facilitate his casting.
“So it was kind of this little perfect kismet moment where I wanted to do it,” Urie says. “They were interested in having me and then John sort of vouched for me.”
Michael Urie in Broadway’s ‘Spamalot’.Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman
Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman
Urie acts alongside a powerhouse cast of Camelot knights that includes James Monroe Igleheart, Christopher Fitzgerald,Ethan Slater, Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer, Jimmy Smagula and formerSaturday Night LivestarTaran Killam, who plays Sir Lancelot and a host of iconic characters from Monty Python’s original film through Jan. 7.
“They’re so in the room even though they’re not there,” Urie says of Monty Python, the influential British comedy troupe that made the 1975 film.Eric Idle, who played Sir Robin in the original movie, wroteSpamalot’s book and lyrics; he also collaborated on the musical’s score with the composer John Du Prez.
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Michael Urie (center) in Broadway’s ‘Spamalot’.Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman
Idle, now 80, recently attended a performance of the revival, writing onXSunday that he is “proud of this amazingSpamalotcast & production & filled with so many emotions I had tears rolling down my cheeks.”
Michael Urie (far left) and the cast of Broadway’s ‘Spamalot’.Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman
“Really big shoes to fill,” Urie adds of stepping into Idle’s iconic role. (David Hyde Pierceplayed the role in the original Broadway production.) “He played Sir Robin in the movie and there he is. And it was an honor, an honor to meet him.”
“It’s so delicate, it’s so perfectly written that I get a little bit nervous before every night because I want it to be perfect,” he tells PEOPLE. “I want to make sure that the tempo is right, the pace and every word is perfect because I think it’s such an incredible piece of writing.”
Spamalotisplaying at the St. James Theatrenow.
source: people.com
