Jonathan Groff Is 'Pumped' to Star in HOW TO SUCCEED Gala Performance

By: May. 05, 2015
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In a new interview with the UK's Express, GLEE star Jonathan Groff reveals that he is 'pumped' to perform in a special gala performance of How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying at London's Royal Festival Hall. The HAMILTON star also admits that he secretly dreams of portraying everyone's favorite nanny, Mary Poppins on stage.

"I'm so excited to be coming back, I'm pumped!," says Groff of his return to Royal Festival Hall. "I was there in 2010 for six months, when I did a revival of Deathtrap with Simon Russell Beale." He says of the beloved musical "How to Succeed", "It's a classic piece of American musical theatre. It won the Pulitzer prize and the music is amazing, but we only have a short rehearsal period and it's a one-night-only show. So, basically, anything can happen. The audience always knows it and the atmosphere is electric. It's exciting."

In addition to his lifelong dream of performing on the London stage, the actor reveals that he always hoped to play another role on stage. "...to play Mary Poppins one day. I did it for Halloween when I was little and I had the carpet bag and lipstick and fake British accent!"

On portraying George III in the smash off-Broadway original musical Hamilton, Groff shares that the audience has been made up of an ecclectic group of A-listers. "We had Bill Clinton, Busta Rhymes and Bernadette Peters in the same week. It's absolutely surreal and thrilling and terrifying knowing they are out there watching you."

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Groff recently led the cast of HBO's drama LOOKING, and is coming off of Disney's always-popular FROZEN, which also featured Idina Menzel and Kristen Bell. Besides SPRING AWAKENING and GLEE, Groff also appeared in the Shakespeare in the Park productions of HAIR and THE BACCHAE, the off-Broadway plays THE SINGING FOREST and A PRAYER FOR MY ENEMY, Ang Lee's TAKING WOODSTOCK, in the Starz series BOSS, alongside Kelsey Grammer.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride / WM Photos



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