Michael Yuri, who starred in "Ugly Betty" and now stars in "Psycho Atrophy", starred in a revival of the medieval drama "Spamalot", which means that his partners are often silly.
At some point, someone will do something completely stupid and we will all laugh out loud," he said. "I had to bite my cheek, or turn my back to the stage, or just think hard about my intentions. ”
You can sympathize with Yuri, because Spamalot is based on pranks, including a group of knights who love the bush, a plague victim who sings and dances, a flamboyant Frenchman, and a killer bunny.
"The wordplay is very clever, and then you'll hear a fart joke or a rabbit biting someone's head," Yuri said. "I don't know of any other materials that are both elegant and vulgar, or blend with each other in a matter of seconds, but they seem to do that. ”
The cast also includes theater stars Christopher Fitzgerald, James Monroe Eaglehardt, Ethan Slater and Leslie Rodriguez Clitzer, as well as Saturday Night Live comedian Taran Kiram.
Especially Kiram and Fitzgerald, who can easily break Yuri: "I'm a rock for what I'm ready for. I can, I can stay calm. I'm good at this. But if someone throws a curveball, it's a little harder. ”
Based on the film Monty Python and the Holy Grail, this stage story is based on the film Monty Python and the Holy Grail by "Monty Python and the Holy Grail", and tells the story of King Arthur and his gathering of knights to join him on a quest for the Holy Grail. The Holy Grail is the cup that Jesus drank at the Last Supper.
One of the highlights of the show was the uplifting final song – "Find Your Holy Grail" with the lyrics "Set your sights on the goal Then you won't lose the prize That's your Holy Grail" – a simple idea that Uri says can be a metaphor for anything we go after.
Of course, the Holy Grail can be anything. It can be a real cup. Probably singing and dancing. Or maybe falling in love. But the idea of finding your friends can also be a holy grail for me, and the idea is really, really, really beautiful. "I think theatre brings people together. It's a shared space. ”
Yuri is now playing opposite Bradley Cooper in The Master, playing Sir Robin, a timid knight who gets his pants dirty whenever he's scared, which is a regular occurrence. Idel played him in the film, and David Hyde Pierce pioneered the stage role when he premiered in the 2005 Tony Award-winning play.
"The character I played was elaborate for David Hyde Pearce, one of my heroes and one of our greatest figures," Yuri said. "I feel like the way he talks, sings and dances really suits me. His training is very similar to mine, and the role he plays, I think, is very similar to the role I play. ”
He also plays a chattering monk, Brother Maynard, who wields a holy grenade from Antioch, and a guard who is eager to debate whether the swallow can successfully carry a coconut.
Even though the show may seem silly, a really good actor can play it so nuanced and give the audience so much enjoyment and control. He's a very, very skilled actor," said director Josh Rhodes.
For Yuri, the material is a familiar territory. He remembers watching the original movie in middle school and quoting parts of it with his friends, realizing that it changed his perspective on comedy.
"I remember when I was a middle school student — like a pre-adolescent or teenage kid — around the same time, I found Monty Python interesting and found the beatles good," he says. ”
At the same time, the staples of these British entertainment seeped into my consciousness. I think there's something pure in between. ”
Juilliard graduate Yuri rose to fame with "Ugly Betty," but theater fans know him for his one-man show in Jonathan Tolins' charismatic play "Buyer & Cellar," where he plays a clerk in Barbara Streisand's underground mall. His other stage credits include the powerful revival of "Angels in America" and "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Try," a major Broadway drama.
"It wasn't until I was on TV that I really made a name for myself in the theater world, and it was like selling tickets," he said. "But I'm really grateful that I was given this opportunity to step through the doors of the theater. ”
Early next year, he will also star with Sutton Foster in an Off-Broadway revival of Once Upon a Mattress, a comedy set in 15th-century Europe. "This is my medieval stage," Yuri joked. "I'm doing a medieval drama and I think it's a good fit for me. ”
But now, he must be stupid. Yuri says that one of the benefits of filming "Spamalot" is that the audience comes here to have a good time, and they know what to expect.