Miami Beach and Mr. Beach

Week 14: Miami, FL

There are very few stars in the theatre today. We have plenty of movie and television stars, but very few stars who have dedicated themselves to theatre and have become powerful and memorable forces on Broadway. We have Nathan Lane, Patti LuPone, Audra MacDonald, Brian Stokes Mitchell, and a small handful of others. Among these luminaries, Gary Beach is one of the brightest and most masterful stars we have in theatre. I have been a fan of his for many years, and have often referred to his career as one that I would wish my own to resemble. He is a brilliant comic, a great character actor, and a marvelous singer with a truly beautiful voice. His comic sensibility, timing and imagination are right up there with greats like the late Zero Mostel and other great character actors. He has worked with some of the biggest names in the business, including Mary Martin and Carol Channing, starred in the recent revivals of "La Cage Aux Folles" and "Les Miserables," played the candelabra Lumiere in "Beauty and the Beast", and won a Tony Award for his incredible performance as the flamboyant director Roger DeBris in the extraordinary hit "The Producers."
Those of you who have never seen his work can experience that great performance in the film version of "The Producers" musical now on video. And on top of his masterful acting and his wonderful career, the man himself is generous, kind, warm and supportive of everyone he works with. Gary opened this week in Miami as King Arthur to great acclaim. We took our company bow that opening night, with me holding his right hand and I was completely overwhelmed with the realization that I am working with one of my idols. I just took a bow with Gary Beach! Unreal. Such an emotional moment. This tour just keeps getting better.


After much scrambling, I found a condo in South Beach for our week here in Miami and am sharing with one of my castmates. Miami Beach is everything I expected it to be, oozing style and tackiness all at the same time. Against a backdrop of palm trees and fabulous Art Deco buildings that all look like they have been carved out of blocks of Neapolitan ice cream, college kids on spring break, muscle gods and sleek tanned beauties strut their stuff past the sidewalk cafes to a never ending soundtrack of salsa music. The amount of physical beauty displaying itself on all sides is overwhelming and not a little intimidating. The beach is wonderful (and right outside our door!) and the trendy shops, chic restaurants and hip clubs make for a heady atmosphere. It is hard to remind myself that I am here for work! This is also the first stop on our tour where I have ventured out to find housing on my own. It is a little nerve wracking to pay in advance for a space one has never seen and make do with the oddities that come along with it. Our little building is centrally located right on Ocean Drive, and is primarily occupied by college kids on spring break. Which means NOISE. And while the place is nice enough it shows the wear and tear of many a spring break party. Nevertheless, I can't complain. It is so empowering to create an experience beyond just doing the show and returning to a hotel room. I plan to make the most of the rest of this week in South Beach, soaking up the whole experience.



We are performing at the Arscht Center, formerly known as the Carnival Center, in downtown Miami. This beautiful massive architectural marvel was completed just a year or two ago and is state of the art. Plagued by financial problems the project was completed through the generosity of Adrienne Arscht, who put up over $30,000,000 to save this Miami institution.
The theatre we are in is enormous--the stage was made to accommodate huge opera sets and there is room on that stage for three of our sets! The hall gleams with contemporary sleekness and has that "new car" smell. It's quite an impressive place to play. My dresser, Lisa, is a big "Spamalot" fan, as is her whole family. She has seen the show twice and has the cast recording on her ipod! So needless to say she is enthusiastic about working with me and is doing a great job!

This weekend we have a party to celebrate the two year anniversary of the "Spamalot" tour. It promises to be a swanky affair and there is much about our successful show to celebrate. This week marks three months of performances for me in the show and I feel very happy and proud to be a part of this talented company and hit production. More from Miami to come, and if not, I will write you from West Palm Beach next week.