The King Lives
A Chat With Michael Siberry
Most theatre goers probably wouldn't recognize his name. Michael Siberry is a native Australian, who attended the National Institute of Dramatic Arts in his home country, before moving to England to perform in the West End and with the Royal Shakespearean Company.
In 1985, he came to the U.S. to work for the first time in Nicolas Nickleby, and has had a successful career ever since. Other notable roles include Captain Von Trapp in the revival production of The Sound Of Music that played on Broadway a few seasons ago, and a role in The Merchant Of Venice starring Dustin Hoffman. A classical actor by training, he has jumped head first into the role of King Arthur, joining the likes of Tim Curry and Simon Russell Beales as current and former Kings in Monty Python's musical send-up of the Quest For The Holy Grail.
I had the chance to speak to Michael on the phone during his current stop in Washington D.C. At 11 o'clock in the morning, which most actors would shudder at, Michael was wide awake and alert as we chatted about his experiences on the road, touring one of the biggest Broadway hits of the last few years.
I asked him about life on the road, living out of a suitcase for months at a time, and he stated that he's "having a great time - so far". The show has been touring for four months now, with no end in sight. His rehearsal period began well before that, in New York City.
"The rehearsal process was fantastic and a lot of fun - Mike Nichols oversaw the production, and Eric Idle [book, lyrics and music writer and original Python member] came in to see the progress we were making. Mike surprises us every once and a while and comes to check in with us, to see how things are going," Siberry comments, raising the question about how living and working with the same group of actors for a long period of time can become monotonous, and how they keep the show fresh every night.
"We have a lot of fun, and it's such a happy group of people. It's a light, fun, and entertaining night of theatre, and we have a fantastic time every night with the material that Eric and John Du Prez (composer) have given us to work with."
The Tony Award Winning Best Musical Spamalot plays at the Canon Theatre in Toronto for a limited engagement from July 12 until September 10, and you can find more information about tickets and show times on the Mirvish Production Website.
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