When Ronnie Spoto was growing up in Florida, he used to occasionally see Mormon missionaries, traveling in pairs, dressed conservatively in white shirts and black pants, “riding their bikes down the street.”
“I never could have imagined that someday I would be portraying a musical version of that,” the actor said in a telephone interview, just days before Broadway in Scranton brings the touring version of “Book of Mormon” to the Scranton Cultural Center at Masonic Temple from Dec. 19-21.
Spoto portrays Elder Smith as part of the ensemble, and he’ll be one of the singing, tap dancing Mormons in what he describes as a highlight of the show, the “Turn it Off” number, in which the elders sing about “turning off” negative emotions as if a light switch could do it.
“That alone is worth the price of admission,” he said.
The actor also is an understudy for Elder Cunningham, one of the major roles.
“They are wildly different from each other,” Spoto said of Elder Cunningham and Elder Price, the two young men the story follows as they arrive in Uganda. Despite their differences, the young men develop a friendship. “That’s part of what makes the show so brilliant,” Spoto said. “That story arc is one of the best parts of the show.”
Spoto is thrilled to be part of the critically acclaimed show, which The New York Times has called “the best musical of the century” and Entertainment Weekly has called “the funniest musical of all time,” especially since it is his first job after graduating from Penn State University earlier this year with a bachelor of fine arts degree in musical theatre.
“I was very blessed,” he said. “I give a lot of credit to Penn State for my getting this job.”
Highly competitive, the university’s musical theatre program selects only a dozen students each year, Spoto said. “I really loved the rigorous program. I spent a wonderful four years in Pennsylvania.”
In addition to having roles in such productions as “Sweeney Todd” and “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying,” at Penn State, Spoto was the volunteer musical director for the Art of Nursing group, a choir of nursing majors who visited assisted living facilities to sing for the residents. He also enjoyed football games and “took the occasional trip to the Creamery.”
“I’m very excited to come back to Pennsylvania,” he said, explaining some Penn State friends might be able to attend the show.
“Book of Mormon” is the winner of nine Tony Awards, including Best Musical, and winner of five Drama Desk Awards. It is the 14th longest running show in Broadway history with more than 4,000 performances so far.
It comes from the creators of “South Park,” Matt Stone and Trey Parker, as well as co-creator of “Avenue Q,” “Frozen” and “Coco” Bobby Lopez.
It is safe to say that you can expect explicit language and an irreverent style of storytelling in “Book of Mormon,” similar to the style of “South Park.”
“I think this show is written so brilliantly,” Spoto said. “Rarely do a few seconds go by without a laugh.”
Show times are 7:30 p.m. Dec. 19; 2 p.m. Dec. 20; 7:30 p.m. Dec. 20; 1 p.m. Dec. 21 and 6:30 p.m. Dec. 21 at the Scranton Cultural Center, 420 North Washington Ave., Scranton. Tickets are available at broadwayinscranton.com or at the box office.