What happens when you pair an Amazing Race winner turned B'way fave with a Tony-nominated beltress of the highest order? Pure LOL musical comedy magic. As Greg the best man and Annie the co-maid of honor, Nick Spangler and Montego Glover drive the audiences at It Shoulda Been You absolutely wild with their wedding day duet "Love You Till the Day." ISBY Fridays continue as we talk to this dynamic duo about first impressions, memorable mishaps and their signature hashtag.
My first impression of my co-star was:
Nick:
My memory of her balls-out performance in Memphis that I saw few years back. Then again, pretty much all of Montego’s performances are balls-out… But our first interaction was at a photoshoot the day before our first day of rehearsal where we were tweeting at each other BEFORE EVEN MEETING FACE TO FACE. She was getting makeup done in one room and I was being fitted for a costume in another. And thus, sight unseen, the hashtag #NickAndMontegoForever was born.
Montego:
Handsome. Very handsome.
I think our most memorable rehearsal had to have been:
Nick:
Well, certainly a very SPECIAL rehearsal was the day we began with a game of volleyball at 10 AM, refereed by David Hyde Pierce (don’t ask). Then at lunch Montego and I found ourselves with a 3-hour break, so we rushed across 42nd Street from our rehearsal and saw the incredible movie Whiplash together. Then back in the studio that afternoon we rehearsed our show’s final scene with our full company and got to see Tyne Daly, Harriet Harris, et al in full force. It was a heavy day, in the greatest sense.
Montego:
The day we finally put our duet together at a run-through. Hilarious.
If I had to describe our wedding duet in a hashtag:
Nick:
#StevenTylerMoment
Montego:
#deliciouslyinappropriate
A performance of It Shoulda Been You I’ll never forget was when:
Nick:
During a preview performance the electrics failed on a main door CENTER STAGE and could not be fixed for the remainder of the show. For 85 minutes we had to renegotiate almost every entrance and exit on the fly. After the show, audience members appeared clueless anything had gone wrong. Live theater at its most awkward.
Montego:
Water spilled on the stage where Nick and I do our duet and we basically re-staged it on the spot. Can't stop won't stop!
The secret to our performances gelling so well together is:
Nick:
Ebony and ivory live together in perfect harmony.
Montego:
We really let the other person play.
Off-stage, my co-star and I bond over:
Nick:
How many pushups I should do between entrances, the idiosyncrasies of our fellow cast members, our own made-up replacement lyrics for songs in our show, the delicious absurdities of our two characters, and my minimal chest hair.
Montego:
Nick's weekly pushup schedule.
I’m in awe of my co-star’s ability to:
Nick:
Pull off a bridesmaid’s dress in such mind-blowingly gorgeous fashion.
Montego:
Surprise our audiences up until the last seconds of our show. If you haven't seen his bows trick, you must come back and check it out! I just discovered it two days ago!
If I had to describe my co-star in a song, it would be:
Nick:
“Get Your Tongue Out of My Mouth ‘Cause I’m Kissing You Goodbye” by Ray Stevens. Sadly we once shared an epic kiss in the show, but it got left on the rehearsal studio floor…
Montego:
"I Love You Till The Day You Die"
Get yourself over to the Brooks Atkinson Theatre to see Montego and Nick give the ultimate maid of honor/best man toast in ‘It Shoulda Been You’.
