Broadway veteran Liam Tobin will lead the cast of Book of Mormon as Elder Price when the show returns to Philly this month. The story follows Elder Price and his fellow missionary as they try and convert citizens of Uganda to the Mormon religion. The hilarious musical is the brainchild of Trey Parker and Matt Stone- best known for the animated TV series South Park. The nine- time Tony-winning musical will play at the Academy of Music May 28-June 9, 2019.
Debra Danese: You are originally from Newfoundland, Canada. What brought you to the U.S.?
Liam Tobin: I came to the US in 2015 to open the first national tour of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. After two years with Beautiful, I joined the Broadway company of the Book of Mormon for a year, and as of this December, I’ve been on the national tour!
DD: Tell us about your character, Elder Price.
LT: Elder Price is a super ambitious young Mormon Missionary who has excelled in everything in his life so far. He is assigned to Uganda to carry out his mission, and is intent on changing the world. Of course, upon arriving in Uganda, things do not end up going his way – chaos and hilarity ensue- and it seems that the world ends up changing Elder Price instead.
DD: You also starred in the Book of Mormon on Broadway. In what ways is the touring production different?
LT: Aside from the cast members themselves, the show is identical to the Broadway production!
DD: What is your pre-show warm- up like?
LT: I do a light vocal warm up early in the day, but for me, it’s mostly about getting enough rest the night before and having time to get mentally prepared before curtain.
DD: The Book of Mormon is filled with hilarious moments. Is there a particular scene that you find hard not to break character?
LT: Oh, there are too many to count! I don’t want to give any good moments away, but one of my favorite moments in the show is at the end of Act One. There is a big production number where the whole cast is on stage and it’s very exciting!
DD: What is your musical theater dream role?
LT: It’s cliché, I know, but Elder Price has always been the dream for me. Aside from that, I would love to play the Wolf/ Cinderella’s prince in Into the Woods.
[Academy of Music, 240 S. Broad Street] May 28-June 9, 2019; kimmelcenter.org