Jonathan Bennett is making his Broadway debut this week, taking up the mantle for Michael Urie as Sir Robin in the hit musical “Spamalot.”
“The fact that I get to say the words I am making my Broadway debut is a dream come true personified. It is the coolest, most exciting thing — other than marrying my husband — that has ever happened to me,” said Bennett.
Bennett has always had his sights set on Broadway, with his initial move to New York as a young actor fueling that goal. However, after being cast in “All My Children” and the original “Mean Girls,” that dream was put on the back burner while Bennett built up a career on the screen.
But then, Bennett says that Broadway called (literally) and offered him the role after Urie’s departure, and as a fan of the play, Bennett jumped at the opportunity.
“That itch of always wanting to be on Broadway and perform, do live musical theater, had never been scratched, so the fact that at this stage of my life, I get to come back to New York and scratch that itch and get to fulfill my dream is beyond words,” said Bennett.
Bennett is taking on the role of Sir Robin, known from the Monty Python universe as being not quite the bravest member of the court of Camelot. In “Spamalot,” Sir Robin maintains this reputation, however, like Bennett, Sir Robin wants more than anything to make it on Broadway.
Bennett says that Urie immediately took him under his wing, guiding him along the way since accepting the role.
“Michael Urie is one of the most kind, thoughtful, generous human beings I’ve ever met. When I first booked the job, he was the first person to text me to say. ‘Hi, it’s Michael, I’m so excited for you, welcome, what can I do to help?'” said Bennett. “When you’re starting something new that you’ve never done before, there are so many unknowns and the unknowns can be scary. [Urie] took me out to dinner and let me sit there and pick his brain, and he sat there and he sat there and helped me answer everything and I track him backstage during the shows now and watch what he does to make sure I’m doing all my costume changes correctly. He’s just been a class act and so generous.”
When asked about how preparing for Broadway compares to his work in film and TV, Bennett says that doing Broadway is one of the hardest things that he’s ever done in his career.
“It’s like, let’s say there’s a train that’s speeding at 1000 miles an hour and you’re standing at the station and they say, okay, this train’s gonna come by and when it comes by, you’re gonna jump into the fifth car and hold on, so just get ready and you just jump on the train and you hold on for dear life,” said Bennett. “It has been the hardest, physically, emotionally and mentally demanding thing I’ve ever done in my life, but it’s also been the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done. I feel like I’m at home when I’m there because the creatives are so warm and welcoming and the best of the best. They’re so happy to be there every night and be these clowns in these crazy little skits.”
Bennett emphasized that there is no other show on Broadway quite like “Spamalot.” Don’t get it twisted, there are a lot of shows as good as “Spamalot,” but to Bennett, “Spamalot” has a “lighting in a bottle” quality that you need to see for yourself.
“If you haven’t seen the show, you need to go see it because I don’t know when you will experience something this special again on Broadway in a long time because the cast and the writing and the direction are just so fleeting, you don’t get these things to come together this often,” said Bennett. “It’s so special because you don’t know what’s gonna happen every night. The show changes every night, like what is Alex Brightman (who plays Sir Lancelot) gonna say tonight? Who knows!”
Bennett’s first performance in “Spamalot” takes place on Jan. 23. You can follow Bennett on Instagram @jonathandbennett. For more information about “Spamalot,” visit spamalotthemusical.com.
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