<\/p>\n
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, \u201criding their bikes down the street.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI never could have imagined that someday I would be portraying a musical version of that,\u201d the actor said in a telephone interview, just days before Broadway in Scranton brings the touring version of \u201cBook of Mormon\u201d to the Scranton Cultural Center at Masonic Temple from Dec. 19-21.<\/p>\n
Spoto portrays Elder Smith as part of the ensemble, and he\u2019ll be one of the singing, tap dancing Mormons in what he describes as a highlight of the show, the \u201cTurn it Off\u201d number, in which the elders sing about \u201cturning off\u201d negative emotions as if a light switch could do it.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat alone is worth the price of admission,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The actor also is an understudy for Elder Cunningham, one of the major roles.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are wildly different from each other,\u201d 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. \u201cThat\u2019s part of what makes the show so brilliant,\u201d Spoto said. \u201cThat story arc is one of the best parts of the show.\u201d<\/p>\n
Spoto is thrilled to be part of the critically acclaimed show, which The New York Times has called \u201cthe best musical of the century\u201d and Entertainment Weekly has called \u201cthe funniest musical of all time,\u201d 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was very blessed,\u201d he said. \u201cI give a lot of credit to Penn State for my getting this job.\u201d<\/p>\n
Highly competitive, the university\u2019s musical theatre program selects only a dozen students each year, Spoto said. \u201cI really loved the rigorous program. I spent a wonderful four years in Pennsylvania.\u201d<\/p>\n
In addition to having roles in such productions as \u201cSweeney Todd\u201d and \u201cHow to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying,\u201d 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 \u201ctook the occasional trip to the Creamery.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m very excited to come back to Pennsylvania,\u201d he said, explaining some Penn State friends might be able to attend the show.<\/p>\n
\u201cBook of Mormon\u201d 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.<\/p>\n
It comes from the creators of \u201cSouth Park,\u201d Matt Stone and Trey Parker, as well as co-creator of \u201cAvenue Q,\u201d \u201cFrozen\u201d and \u201cCoco\u201d Bobby Lopez.<\/p>\n
It is safe to say that you can expect explicit language and an irreverent style of storytelling in \u201cBook of Mormon,\u201d similar to the style of \u201cSouth Park.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think this show is written so brilliantly,\u201d Spoto said. \u201cRarely do a few seconds go by without a laugh.\u201d<\/p>\n