How Mean Girls Infiltrated Jonathan Bennett’s Broadway Debut in Spamalot

Jonathan Bennett has a promise for anyone interested in seeing Spamalot on Broadway: You won’t learn a single thing. “We're not here to teach you anything,” he said to Charlie Cooper on The Broadway Show. “You're not going to walk away with a lesson. You're just going to go there for two-and-a-half hours and laugh your butt off. And then you're going to finish with confetti and a kick line. What more do you want?”

Eight times a week, Mean Girls' original Aaron Samuels performs in Broadway’s silliest show. Bennett stepped into the role of fearless (to a point) Sir Robin on January 23, making his Broadway debut and replacing Michael Urie, who was hugely supportive. “He is such a class act,” Bennett said. “As soon as I got the call that I got this, the first person to text me was Michael Urie. He reached out and he said, ‘Hey, it's Michael. I'm so excited for you. Anything I can do to help, whatever you need, I'm here.’ And we went to dinner a couple nights later and he gave me all the ins and outs. ‘Hey, this quick change is really hard. Make sure you put your shoes on first.’ All these little tidbits that I really, really needed, and it just made me feel so safe walking onto that stage.”

Asked about his memories of his first performance, Bennett admitted he didn’t really have any. “I take my first bow and for the first time I'm aware of where I am,” he said. “I completely blacked out. I don't remember a single thing from the show until we got to the curtain call when I finally breathed for the first time. Oh my gosh, I did it.”

More memorable was the night his co-star Alex Brightman (“a genius,” said Bennett) used an improv segment in the show to quote the Kalteen Bars scene from Mean Girls. “I'm on stage with Alex Brightman quoting Mean Girls to me in front of a Broadway audience and then [Spamalot's King Arthur] James Monroe turns and goes, ‘I've never seen the movie. Sorry.’ Everyone went nuts.”

If the walk to work is invigorating (“It’s just the energy of New York City”), Bennett’s post-show high is pretty incredible too. “We do a giant singalong at the end and everyone gets to sing the song and there's confetti. So you will leave Spamalot singing ‘Always Look on the Bright Side of Life’ the rest of your week. That's what I love about Spamalot so much. It's just pure joy.”