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Memorial High grad eats up 'Spamalot' role

Jacob Stockinger  —  5/14/2008 9:51 am

Not many people get killed by a terrorist rabbit.

But as one of the Knights of the Round Table in the touring production of "Monty Python's Spamalot," former Madisonian Darryl Semira suffers that ignoble, if side-splitting, fate.

The Tony-winning Broadway musical, directed by the famed Mike Nichols, opened Tuesday night at the Overture Center, where it will run for eight performances through Sunday. (For information about performance times and tickets, call the center's box office at 258-4141 or visit www.overturecenter.com.)

This appearance will be a homecoming for Semira. It's his first professional appearance in Madison since he graduated in 1997 from Memorial High School.

"I'm sure it's going to be a little bit surreal when people I was never expecting to see start showing up at the stage door," Semira admits. "But it will also be great to catch up with family and old friends I haven't seen in a long time."

While he was growing up, he was especially interested in foreign languages and international affairs and even spent a semester in France.

But a turning point came during his sophomore year, when he acted in two school plays, "Into the Woods" and "Chess." And once he was in the more academic climate of a public French high school, he said, he really missed being in the theater.

That was when he realized he had found his life calling.

So when he returned from France, he enrolled in a local dance school, took singing lessons and started acting in community theater, especially with the Middleton Players, where he performed in "Crazy for You," "Narnia" and "West Side Story."

Realizing that he wanted to make acting his life goal, he attended the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, where he received a bachelor's degree in musical theater.

Since 2001, Semira has been based in New York City. There he has appeared in "Mamma Mia," "Bombay Dreams" and "You Never Know." And he also was an extra in the Paris paparazzi scene in Meryl Streep's hit film "The Devil Wears Prada."

But these days "Spamalot," which is based on the movie "Monty Python's Quest for the Holy Grail" -- one of the all-time great comedy creations of the famed British satirical troupe -- is especially close to his heart.

"It's the first show I've ever been in where I'm encouraged to goof off on stage and to have a good time," Semira said. "Most shows are well rehearsed and then pretty much set. With this show, you have a lot of leniency to fool around and bring in new things. It's a great opportunity to have fun and make people laugh both on stage and in the audience."

Semira is especially looking forward to his stint in Madison, part of a tour that is more than two years old and has taken him to some 40 cities. While in town, he will be staying with his parents in the same house he grew up in.

Semira also said he's glad to be here because Madison changes so much.

"This is my first time in the Overture Center," he said. "Every time I come back, there's something new, so it's fun for me to rediscover my own city."

He also intends to show off Madison to his fellow cast members.

"I'm excited for my company to come see the city," Semira said. "I loved Madison. It was a great place to grow up. For them to get to know Madison for a week is thrilling."

Then, after Madison, it is on the road again to Grand Rapids, Minneapolis and a month-long stay in Vancouver.

"I've always loved traveling, so the combination of traveling with acting is the ultimate job for me," Semira said.

He also likes being with his fellow actors.

"A touring company tends to be a much closer knit group," Semira said. "We call ourselves a 'spamily.' In New York everyone has their own lives, and after a show every one goes home. On the road, we're constantly discovering things within our group. We're the only people we know, so it's much more important we take care of each other. We have the usual family squabbles, but there's really very little drama off-stage. It's an exceptional group of people."

Normally a member of the chorus, Semira said he might get a chance to play one of the two major roles he is an understudy for. But that depends on someone getting ill or going on vacation, and on union rules.

Still, if you want to recognize him while he is doing his thing on stage, he said, he's not only in the chorus but also has some featured parts, including a French mime, a minstrel for Sir Robin and the knight who gets done in by a rabbit.

"I hope my friends will be able to seek me out," Semira said, "though with my moustache and my costumes it can be hard to find me."

And after "Spamalot"?

"I'd love to do more legit theater," he said, adding he'd also like to break into TV and the movies. "My body is already wearing out, so I can't do much more dancing. But I have a passion for acting. I'd love to do Shakespeare. Being a lover of language, I think Shakespeare is the pinnacle of what you can deliver on stage."

Not that he is anxious to end his gig with "Spamalot."

"The show is riotously funny, especially for Monty Python fans," he said, "and the show does better when the audience participates. We love to hear the hooting and the hollering. We love poking fun at other musicals. But you definitely don't have to know Monty Python to enjoy it. Even people who aren't theater people are pleasantly surprised.

"It's full of silliness," Semira adds. "There's not a single moment of seriousness in it. That's something everyone needs once in a while."

Jacob Stockinger  —  5/14/2008 9:51 am