The Book of Mormon's Rory O'Malley on Life in Broadway's Biggest Hit and the Starry Reading of 8
The Book of Mormon standout Rory O'Malley knows how to make an impact. As closeted mission leader Elder McKinley in the raucous Tony-winning musical, O'Malley is musical comedy gold (especially with his memorable number "Turn It Off"). Offstage, O'Malley is a tireless crusader for civil rights as a founding member of Broadway Impact, a nonprofit group dedicated to marriage equality. That cause just got a whole lot starrier with the bold-faced names participating in the Broadway staged reading of of Dustin Lance Black's 8, which chronicles the reversal of California's anti-gay marriage legislation. On September 19, O'Malley takes the stage with Morgan Freeman, Cheyenne Jackson, Anthony Edwards and a slew of stars for the Broadway Impact-sponsored world premiere event. Broadway.com chatted with O'Malley right before the show's one-night-only performance to find out why audiences across the country need to hear the message of 8 and why he thinks Mormon is the best job ever.
How is preparation for 8 coming along? Are you having a long rehearsal period for a one-night-only event?
It’s so exciting. It’s been a year and half in the making, so for the night to actually be here is totally surreal. We’ve done a few table reads with different actors who have volunteered over the years, but we’re really just going to be putting everything together now as a group. The cast just kept getting more and more amazing.
Seriously! How did you recruit all these A-listers?
I think people are inspired to do something for this great cause. It’s really just about asking and giving people a way to contribute, especially in the theater and Hollywood community.
Is there any cast member you're especially excited to perform alongside?
All of them! Morgan Freeman, John Lithgow, Bradley Whitford…I don’t know how it gets any better than that. I’m a huge West Wing fan and have seen every episode multiple times, so I’m excited to meet Bradley. I’m just excited to be in a room with all these actors who are taking time out of their incredibly busy schedules to do something for marriage equality.
You attended the closing arguments of the trial to overturn Proposition 8 in San Francisco last summer. What was that experience like?
I went in there having worked for Broadway Impact for several years, but after hearing this case laid out by [lead attorneys] Ted Olson and David Boies, I became even more sure that [marriage equality] is my right. I became more inspired to fight for this and realized it isn't a right we have to create, it’s one that exists within our Constitution and the tradition of who are as Americans. That’s what this play is: recreating what happened in this courtroom because it wasn’t allowed to be shown to the general public. That’s a terrible injustice. Like Ted Olson says, this trial is an education for people about why we will become more American on the day that marriage equality is the law of the land.
Have you had the chance to meet the man you will play, Ryan Kendall [a trial witness who was forced by his parents to undergo gay conversion therapy]?
I haven’t, but he’s obviously such a strong individual. He was able to take what he went through, which was so horrible, and talk about it and have it become an example of how we shouldn’t be treating people. I look up to him for being able to do that and put it in public record. It’s a horrible form of torture really. It’s devastating to think about somebody going through that just because they love someone.
Do you think 8 will have a future life on Broadway after this performance?
That was never our intention when we started talking about this play a year and a half ago. For me it’s more important that this is used as an educational tool that inspires people to take action in their own communities, not something that is just going to happen in a Broadway theater [After the show's premiere, 8 will become available to university and community theaters.] Dustin Lance Black is an incredibly gifted writer who can make anything happen, so you shouldn't shut a door on something with such a powerful message, but to me [a Broadway run] is not the first thing to happen for this. What’s going to be more exciting is having kids at schools doing this show and talking about equality in their communities.
This was a big summer for Broadway Impact. How did it feel the night the marriage equality bill was passed in New York state?
It was unreal. I was onstage doing “Spooky Mormon Hell Dream” and following Twitter. I’m so proud to be a New Yorker and be a part of this effort and to have gotten a front row seat to watch the Broadway community rise to the occasion and take a stand when it was needed. There are a lot of other work forces that don’t do things the way the Broadway community does. Broadway is comprised of such an inspiring and amazing group of people, so to get to celebrate that victory with them has just been fantastic.
How is life going over at Broadway’s hottest ticket in town, The Book of Mormon?
It’s the greatest job of my life. Every night when the lights go out at the end of the show and the audience cheers, I thank God. It’s the best thing that has ever happened to me.
The show has received so much critical acclaim and zealous word-of-mouth. Do audiences ever seem disappointed by all the hype?
I have not heard any complaints from anyone [laughs]. It gets wonderful responses every night. We know how lucky we are to have audiences like this. The show is about hope and that message is really resonating with a lot of people. Some of these people are waiting outside in line for six hours to stand and watch the show. Every member of our cast reminds ourselves that there are people who have stood out in the rain all day or saved up a lot of money to get tickets to the show, and that inspires us at every performance.
Do you stick around after the show to talk to audience members?
We have people at the stage door every night. I have a picture on my phone of me and Audra McDonald from when I went stage door-ing at Ragtime in high school. I always keep it there because I try to remember how important that was to me. I’ve showed her that picture recently. It just means so much to me that people wait for us after the show and are so giving and so wonderful.
Trey Parker and Matt Stone recently announced they plan to adapt the show for the big screen. Would you like to be involved with the movie?
I am just focusing on eight shows a week right now [laughs]. As an actor, you can’t plan like that. You have to just put one foot in front of the other and I’m just so grateful that I get to show up at that theater every night.
How was your night at the Tony Awards? It must have been a huge celebration with the show taking home nine trophies!
It was magical. It was hard to even believe it was happening the entire time. It really was a challenge to believe that it was the real Tonys and I was in a show that was being recognized in that way. It was such a triumph for me to be able to bring my mother, too. She has supported me my entire life and an acting career is not made up of Tony Awards and Broadway openings. It’s made up of waiting tables and struggles, so for her to have been there for all those harder moments, and then to have her there at the Tony Awards was a gift from the Broadway community that I will never forget.
From Mormon duties to your work with Broadway Impact, your life sounds pretty busy. Are you ever able to just kick back and relax?
Yeah, definitely. I have all my shows DVRed so I can catch up on them. I love Breaking Bad and [Emmy-winning British miniseries] Downton Abbey. I watched Downton Abbey twice and I’m thinking of watching it for a third time. It is so good! There’s no way I can take all the credit for Broadway Impact. I worked hard to get it to certain part, but [executive director] Jenny Kanelos works so hard. I don’t think she slept at all last night to make sure that [the performance of 8] goes off without a hitch. Believe me, I get enough sleep.
See Rory O’Malley in The Book of Mormon at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre.
