NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� Michael Urie has a very hard job this winter: Not cracking up when he's not supposed to on .
The former 鈥淯gly Betty鈥� and current 鈥淪hrinking鈥� star is in a revival of the madcap medieval musical and that means regular silliness from his co-stars.
鈥淎t some point, somebody will do something totally stupid and we鈥檒l all crack up laughing,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 have to bite the inside of my cheek or turn upstage or just really think about my intention.鈥�
You can sympathize with Urie since 鈥沦辫补尘补濒辞迟鈥� is built on shenanigans that includes a group of knights fond of shrubbery, a singing and dancing plague victim, flatulent Frenchmen and killer rabbits.
鈥淭he wordplay is so clever and then you鈥檒l get a fart joke or then a rabbit will bite someone鈥檚 head off,鈥� said Urie. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know any other material that is highbrow and lowbrow at the same time or within seconds of each other, but they seem to pull it off.鈥�
He's joined by a cast that includes theater stars Christopher Fitzgerald, James Monroe Iglehart, Ethan Slater and Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer and 鈥淪aturday Night Live鈥� comedian Taran Killam.
Killam and Fitzgerald in particular are liable to make Urie crack up: 鈥淭he things that I鈥檓 ready for, I鈥檓 a rock. I can I can keep it together. I鈥檓 really good at that. But if somebody throws a curveball, it鈥檚 a little tough.鈥�
The stage tale, concocted by 鈥淧ython鈥� legend Eric Idle and loosely based on the movie concerns King Arthur and his quest to corral some knights who鈥檒l go off with him to find the grail, the cup Jesus drank from at the Last Supper.
One of the show's highlights is the rousing final number 鈥� 鈥淔ind Your Grail,鈥� with the lyrics 鈥淜eep your eyes on the goal/Then the prize you won鈥檛 fail/That鈥檚 your grail鈥� 鈥� which Urie says is a simple idea but could be a metaphor for anything we seek.
鈥淥f course, the grail could be anything. It could be a literal cup. It could be singing and dancing. It could be falling in love. But the idea that finding your friend could also be a grail to me is really, really, really beautiful," he said. 鈥淚 think theater brings people together. It鈥檚 sharing space.鈥�
Urie, who can be seen now in plays Sir Robin, a cowardly knight who soils his pants whenever he鈥檚 afraid, which is often. Idle played him on film and David Hyde Pierce originated the stage role when the Tony Award-winning musical debuted in 2005.
鈥淭he role I play was crafted for David Hyde Pierce, one of my heroes and one of our greats," said Urie. "I think his way of speaking and singing and dancing really works for me. His training is similar to my training and the kinds of parts that he plays, I think are similar to the kinds of parts that I play.鈥�
He also plays a long-winded monk called Brother Maynard, who wields the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch, and a guard who is eager to debate whether swallows can successfully carry a coconut.
鈥淎s silly as the show comes off, a really good actor gives it such nuance and gives it so much for the audience to enjoy and so much control. He鈥檚 he鈥檚 just a very, very skilled actor,鈥� said director Josh Rhodes.
For Urie, the material is familiar turf. He remembers watching the original movie as a middle schooler and quoting parts of it with his friends, realizing that was changing the way he thought of comedy.
鈥淚 remember as a middle school kid 鈥� like a preteen or a teenager 鈥� around the same time figuring out that Monty Python was funny and figuring out that the Beatles were good,鈥� he said.
鈥淭here鈥檚 something about these like these sort of British staples in entertainment that kind of seeped into my consciousness at the same time. I think there鈥檚 something pure about the both.鈥�
The Juilliard-trained Urie broke out in 鈥淯gly Betty鈥� but theater fans knew him for his winning solo turn in Jonathan Tolins鈥� playing a clerk in Barbra Streisand鈥檚 underground mall. His other stage credits include a powerful revival of 鈥淎ngels in America鈥� to the big Broadway musical 鈥淗ow to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.鈥�
鈥淚 wasn鈥檛 able to really, like, make it big in theater until I was on TV, which is just sort of the nature of like selling tickets,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut I鈥檓 really grateful that I got that break and I was able to get a foot in the door in the theater.鈥�
Early next year, he'll also star alongside Sutton Foster in an off-Broadway revival of a musical comedy set in 15th century Europe. 鈥淭his is my medieval phase,鈥� jokes Urie. 鈥淚鈥檓 doing medieval musicals, which I think is working out for me.鈥�
But right now, he's got to be silly. Urie says one of the good things about doing 鈥沦辫补尘补濒辞迟鈥� is that audiences who arrive have come for a good time, knowing what to expect.
鈥淪o many times when you do a play, especially in New York, they鈥檙e like, 鈥榃hat鈥檚 this going to be? Go ahead, entertain me, move me.鈥� But with 'Spamalot,' it鈥檚 more like, 鈥極K, don鈥檛 mess it up.鈥� It鈥檚 more like, 鈥榃e鈥檙e with you, but you better bring it. You better bring out a rabbit or I鈥檓 not going to like it.鈥欌��
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Mark Kennedy is at
Mark Kennedy, The Associated Press
