It’s been five years since the uproarious The Book of Mormon National Tour first played Nashville’s TPAC, but with every subsequent tour of the 9-time Tony-winning show, the laughter gets louder and the enthusiasm of the audiences continues.
As the current stars of the tour prepared for their week in Music City, I recent had the opportunity to pose a few questions to Liam Tobin and Ron Bohmer, who play young missionary, Elder Price and Church of Latter Day Saints founder Joseph Smith, respectively, for the latest round of Rapid Fire Q&A.
RAPID FIRE WITH BOOK OF MORMON’S RON BOHMER
JHP: You play Joseph Smith, the founder of the Church of Latter Day Saints. How familiar were you with his history prior to taking on the role?
RON BOHMER: Saw the South Park version (hysterical), read some pro-Mormon stuff about him , read a more critical book about him. Since ours is a musical world, I took it all and gave him a little bit of Harold Hill, a little bit of Lancelot and a dash of Jean Valjean.
JHP: Do you feel any added responsibility considering you’re playing a character based on a real person?
RON BOHMER: If he were a living person maybe, but since he died in 1844 I’ve yet to have anyone come up and say, “I knew Joseph Smith – and you, sir, are no Joseph Smith!” We try to give him a heroic leading-man quality that honors a Prophet of the Mormon church.
JHP: Bringing such a hilariously irreverent show to audiences across the US who’d otherwise not get the chance to see it must be quite interesting. What do you like most about being on tour?
RON BOHMER: Being in a long-running show can be like Groundhog Day. Touring shakes that up. New environments, new faces, new local crew almost every week. It keeps it fresh. Plus local cuisine and culture constantly changing, it’s great. It’s also a little like being on the moon. I value my vacation time, aka home time.
JHP: On the subject of touring, in researching to chat with you, I discovered you played Joe Gillis in the first National Tour of Sunset Boulevard. Just two weeks ago, I read that Glenn Close starring in the film adaptation of the musical is finally absolutely a go, with Tony-winning choreographer Rob Ashford set to direct. Have you started making calls to audition yet?
RON BOHMER: Ha! Thanks for that. It’s been 22 years since I played Joe Gillis, I’m afraid I’ve aged out of it. But he remains one of my very favorite roles and I’m excited they are doing the film so that more people can see it – of all the Andrew Lloyd Weber shows, it has the best book. Compelling like a car wreck, you can’t look away.
JHP: Book of Mormon is the brainchild of Trey Parker, Robert Lopez and Matt Stone. Parker and Stone, best known as the duo behind South Park, while Lopez co-created the equally bawdy and hilarious Avenue Q. How much fun are you having bringing their brilliance to the stage night after night?
RON BOHMER: The most fun! I get to read a lot of scripts and often I’m thinking about what I can contribute, how I can add something to the show. But Book of Mormon was uproariously funny on the page. I was laughing out loud throughout my read and thinking, “this is perfect. I just want to stay out of the way of how great it is. Just deliver it.”
JHP: Because of it’s no-holds-barred humor, BOM maintains a bit of controversy wherever it plays. What’s your favorite “I can’t believe we get away with this” moment?
RON BOHMER: All of it. I had friends who did the early workshops of the show in NYC and they said, “oh it’s brilliant, but too bad it’ll never get produced. People will never sit still for THAT.” But they do. All of it. I think it’s because our audience gets to caring so much about the characters and because it is always truthful. the most outrages things in the show are based in fact.
JHP: In 2008, you toured with Disney’s High School Musical, playing Coach Bolton. Will this be your first time back to Nashville since that tour?
RON BOHMER: I was back in 2017 with BOM (It’s been 5 years on this show for me, my longest. Les Miz on Broadway was my longest before that, 2 1/2 years). I hope to catch more of the music scene on this visit.
JHP: Of course 2008 wasn’t your first time in Nashville. Back in the 80s, you worked at Opryland, our beloved and much-missed musical theme park. What was your gig at the park? Please tell me you were part of I Hear American Singing?
RON BOHMER: Oh my God, you’re good. Can’t believe you dug that up. Some of the best memories of my life. I was a tap dancer in For Me and My Gal my first summer there, and I was in I Hear America Singing the second. I had a really fun track, doing a lot of the comedy bits and singing Proud Mary a la Credence Clearwater Revival and I was also The Village People lead. It was probably my first pop music training. It really was the greatest, hanging with so many of those incredible singers and dancers who went on to Broadway and Country careers.
JHP: A quick stalk of your social media accounts and I see we have a few mutual friends. Any plans to reconnect with Nashville folks while in town?
RON BOHMER: I hope so, I haven’t seen the Opryland crew in ages. In my mind, we’re all still 20. My main memories of Nashville in the 80’s was everyone, everyone – treated you like you were their long lost friend who just showed back up. It was incredibly comforting. The world could use a little more of that feeling today.
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RAPID FIRE WITH THE BOOK OF MORMON’S LIAM TOBIN
JHP: You’re starring as Elder Price, a young Mormon missionary in the current National Tour of The Book of Mormon. What can you tell me about Elder Price?
LIAM TOBIN: Elder Price is an extremely ambitious young man. He has excelled in pretty much everything in his life so far and is super excited to get out into the world and excel in his mission as well. Of course, we see in the show that through all the chaos and hilarity, instead of changing the world like he planned, the world changes him.
JHP: What’s life been like for you having been on the road with the show this past year?
LIAM TOBIN: It is such a joy to bring this show around the country. Seeing patrons from all over leaving the show with smiles on their faces and laughing throughout the performance is really special. It’s also a treat to get to explore amazing cities like Nashville!
JHP: How familiar were you with Book of Mormon prior to being cast in the lead for the tour?
LIAM TOBIN: I’ve been a fan of Trey Parker and Matt Stone for years, and The Book of Mormon did not disappoint. I saw the show when it first opened in New York back in 2011, and I’ve been dreaming of playing Elder Price ever since!
JHP: The last time BOM tour came to Nashville’s TPAC, I remember seeing actual members of the Church of Latter Day Saints passing out the real Book of Mormon to theatre-goers as they exited the show. Does that still happen from city to city?
LIAM TOBIN: It sure does! It’s almost rarer when they’re not there!
JHP: Speaking of TPAC, your March 14-17 tour stop isn’t your first time to play Jackson Hall, as you were part of the 2017 National Tour of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. Did you get much of a chance to see Music City when here last?
LIAM TOBIN: Absolutely, Nashville is definitely one of the highlight cities for us on the tour. Last time I came through we managed to see a TON of live music and even got into the Bluebird Cafe! We can’t wait to come back for more!
JHP: Any particular things you plan to check out in Nashville this time around?
LIAM TOBIN: My favourite thing to do is to “get lost” in a city and see where it takes me. For Nashville, I’m hoping to get lost in all of the live music the city has to offer – it’s really spectacular!
JHP: Having been with the show for a while now, are there still lines, or scenes that make you genuinely laugh?
LIAM TOBIN: Oh absolutely, so many of my cast mates are incredibly talented and are a real joy to watch. When Conner Pierson and Kayla Pecchioni sing Baptize Me, it never fails to make me laugh.
JHP: What’s your favorite aspect of Elder Price’s personality that you wish you could adopt more in your own?
LIAM TOBIN: I think towards the end of the show, he is able to self reflect and make some changes to his behaviour and treatment of others, which is something I think we could all do better with.
JHP: What do you think is the message behind Book of Mormon?
LIAM TOBIN: I think the show has a lovely message of friendship, love, and that whatever you believe – if it’s helping people or making the world a better place – then that’s valid.
The Book of Mormon opens its Nashville tour dates at TPAC’s Jackson Hall on Tuesday, March 12 and continues through Sunday, March 17. Tuesday-Thursday curtain is 7:30p.m. with Friday and Saturday evening performances at 8 p.m., matinee performances on Saturday at 2p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. with a final evening performance Sunday at 6:30p.m. Tickets range in price from $45 to $115. Just last week, TPAC announced a special ticket lottery for all Nashville performances. For each performance, a limited number of tickets will be available for only $25. To enter the ticket lottery, patrons must arrive at the box office (just inside TPAC street level entrance under the marquee at Deaderick and 6th Ave) two and a half hours before showtime of the performance they hope to attend. Upon arrival at the box office, patrons will write their name and the number of tickets (one or two tickets per entrant). Two hours before curtain, a limited number of names will be drawn for tickets in the first two rows of the Orchestra, thus allowing the winning lottery participants to purchase those tickets at the special $25 price!
Following the Nashville dates, The Book of Mormon continues across the country with stops from Grand Rapids to Salt Lake City through August. For tickets or more information about the tour, CLICK HERE. You can also follow the tour on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Next up at TPAC, as their Broadway series continues is the national tour of Anastasia, on stage at Jackson Hall, March 19-24 CLICK HERE for tickets or more information. You can also discover all the latest from TPAC by checking them out online or on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
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