Pop Culturalist Chats with The Prom’s Christopher Sieber

If you’ve seen the new Broadway musical The Prom then you’ve experienced just how great of a comedic actor Christopher Sieber is. He’s a two-time Tony Award nominee that excels in musical comedy roles–indeed, his Tony nominations were for his roles in Spamalot and Shrek: The Musical–and his current role as Julliard-obsessed Trent is no exception.

Since The Prom is one of our favorite musicals this season, we were excited to chat with Christopher about the show and bringing his character to life.

PC: What drew you to the project?
Christopher: Casey Nicholaw, my friend and [the show’s] director, saw me on the street about seven years ago and said, “I have something for you, we don’t know what it is but, we wrote it with you in mind!” (Which never happens, by the way!) Two weeks later, Brooks [Brooks Ashmanskas], Beth [Beth Leavel], Angie [Angie Schworer], and I were reading a script. Since they were written for us, we immediately connected with the material at the time.

PC: Obviously, there are a lot of comedic moments you have as Trent. What is the biggest challenge of playing a character like that (versus a character who is more straight/serious)?
Christopher: Playing Trent is probably the hardest part I’ve ever played…He is someone everyone in the theater knows: a pretentious, Bloviator who lives for his glory days and won’t shut up about how great he was back then. He still holds on.

The comedy comes from him being so oblivious to his pretensions. He puts on a very slight British quality of pomp because he went to London once and likes what he saw. He is smug with Shakespeare and uses New York Times crossword puzzle words–even though he doesn’t know what they actually mean, but, damn it, those words sound great coming out of his face!

PC: Do you bring any of yourself to Trent?
Christopher: Yes! There are parts of me in every part I do [so] this one is no exception. There is a lot of me in the part; plus, there are essences of people I have worked with. We were very fortunate to have Bob Martin, Chad Beguelin, Matthew Sklar, and Casey Nicholaw letting us explore and improv our way through the long process.

Christopher Sieber (Trent) in The Prom; Photo Credit: Deen van Meer

PC: What is your favorite part of the show?
Christopher: My favorite part of the show is the cast. We have all been friends for 20 years or more, and we are also fans of each other. You will find us in the wings watching each other’s performances almost every night.

PC: The Prom is so heartfelt and has such a wonderful message. How does it feel to be a part of a production that is so timely and relevant and inspiring, especially to young people?
Christopher: It’s an amazing experience. So many people after the show have tears in their eyes. It means so much to them and to us; we don’t take that lightly. Without trying to sound cheesy, it’s changing lives and minds. That’s important.

PC: Looking over your career, is there something you’ve learned that, if you could go back in time, you’d tell yourself?
Christopher: Buy stock in Starbucks, Google, and Amazon!

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

Last TV Show You Binge-Watched
Game of Thrones…all seven seasons…in two weeks…four episodes a day. If you have the time to do it that way I highly recommend it!

Favorite Film
Casino. I drop everything to watch it. It’s mesmerizing.

Favorite Book
I just read Less by Andrew Sean Greer. Love it!

Favorite Play and/or Musical
Well, The Prom! The new hit Broadway musical now playing at the Longacre Theatre! Get your tickets now!!!

Place You Most Want to Go
Australia and New Zealand.

Artist or Musician You Could Have on Repeat
Currently, the original Broadway cast recording of The Prom! Playing now at the Longacre Theatre! Get your tickets now!

Person You Most Want to Meet Someday
I still have not yet met the Obamas. I would love to!!

Stay up-to-date with Christopher Sieber by following him on Twitter. For more information on The Prom, click here.