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THE LEADING MEN: Pros and Cons
By Wayman Wong
01 Mar 2005
MAKING HIS MARK IN ‘ALTAR BOYZ’
Altar Boyz is a hilarious, heaven-sent musical about a Christian boy band, now at Dodger Stages, and it’s blessed with so much talent that it’s a sin. It’s got toe-tapping tunes like "Jesus Called Me on His Cell Phone" by Gary Adler and Michael Patrick Walker, a breezy book by Kevin Del Aguila, deft direction by Stafford Arima and kickass choreography by Christopher Gatelli. And bravo for the Boyz: Matthew, Mark, Luke, Juan and Abraham. They sing and dance perfectly ’N Sync, thanks to Scott Porter, Tyler Maynard, Andy Karl, Ryan Duncan and David Josefsberg.
But if one Altar Boy exemplifies the show’s always blissful, but never blasphemous, tone, it’s Mark. And Maynard is a riot, playing him with all the lightness and sweetness of a Hostess Twinkie. "Mark is so innocent and naïve," says the six-foot blond from New Carlisle, OH. "He’s just a young boy from Greenville, Ohio, and I grew up 15 minutes from there. When Mark was young, he got made fun of a lot. Maybe he does have a high voice. Maybe he does walk a little funny. Maybe he does wear things other kids wouldn’t wear, which reminds me of me. Matthew stepped in and really helped him out, so Mark finds himself attracted to him. Mark doesn’t think of himself as gay, and there are references to him perhaps being homosexual, but that’s the gag."
Though Maynard, 26, is not Catholic, he went to Bible school and shares Mark’s belief in a higher power — and a love of boy bands. "My first concert was New Kids on the Block. Jordan was my favorite. I thought he sang the best. And I love the Jackson Five. I also enjoying listening to Laura Branigan, MeShell NdegeOcello and old-school Liza Minnelli, like Flora, the Red Menace." As for the pop songs in Altar Boyz, he says, "You can take ‘Something About You’ and put it on the radio. It’s gorgeous, and Gary and Michael have done a brilliant job with this score." [The cast album will be coming out on Sh-K-Boom around April 1.] Besides singing up a storm, he says, "We’re all dancing our asses off. It’s a workout. I’ve never sweated so much. I’ve lost five to seven pounds. But Chris Gatelli is the next big thing in choreography. And his assistant, Tammy Colucci, is unbelievable."
By coincidence, Maynard plays Jiminy, a young gay singer in a Christian band, in Todd Solondz’s new movie, "Palindromes," which opens April 13. "Solondz is one of the most brilliant men I will ever get to work with. And it was amazing because I had scenes with Debra Monk, who played my adoptive mom. I urge everyone to see it."
Maynard moved to New York in 2001, and except for a four-month stint as a bellman at the Hudson Hotel, he’s been a busy actor. His credits include Mamma Mia!, the workshop of Good Vibrations at Vassar and the tour of Disney’s On the Record. But Altar Boyz is his favorite show, and camaraderie among the cast, which will be featured in an upcoming Playgirl magazine, is strong: "Our show has a sweet message, and it’s about brotherhood and staying true to yourself. I love these guys so much. We’re so tight. This is the real deal."
For more information, visit www.altarboyz.com.
WHERE THE GUYS ARE
When it comes to a gourmet wedding, Aaron Lazar’s takes the cake. The Broadway hunk (Oklahoma! and Phantom of the Opera) and his beautiful bride, LeAnn Garris, were chosen out of hundreds of entries as the winner of the "Food Network Caters Your Wedding" contest. So after they tied the knot last Nov. 7 in Wilmington, NC, the happy couple and hundreds of guests gorged on goodies created by celebrity chefs like Tyler Florence, Bobby Flay and Wolfgang Puck. Lazar, who opens March 5 as Gabey in the English National Opera’s On the Town in London, says, "The whole weekend was a dream!" But how did the chefs whip up a palate-pleasing menu that reflects the tastes of both a Northern Jew (Lazar) and a Southern Baptist (Garris)? For the real dish, catch the "Food Network Caters Your Wedding" special, which airs March 13 at 9 PM. . . .
Gavin Creel (La Cage aux Folles) promises "the best of times" at Prom King, his concert of pop originals and 1980s covers of Michael Jackson and Chaka Khan, on March 7 at 8 PM at Second Stage, 307 W. 43rd St. (212-246-4422). The one-time homecoming king says, "We’ll have a funky band, bodacious dancers and special guests like Shoshana Bean and Michael Benjamin Washington. It’ll be like the cool prom you wished you had." . . .
Finally, in the new Producers film, guess who’s springing into "Springtime for Hitler" as the Lead Tenor Stormtrooper? John Barrowman! The Broadway star says, "I’ll be the blond ‘Hitler Youth’ fronting the number. I am so excited. I was called out of the blue by Susan Stroman and Mel Brooks, and I’m honored and surprised. I didn’t even have to audition. How cool is that?" Asked to name his favorite Brooks moment on film, he says, "It’s got to be ‘Blazing Saddles’ when they are all around the campfire farting. It’s the funniest thing I’ve ever seen!"
Got comments or questions? E-mail me at waymanwong@hotmail.com.
Until next month, let’s hear it for the "boys"!
Wayman Wong edits entertainment for The New York Daily News. He has been a movie and theater critic for The San Francisco Examiner, a writer for The Sondheim Review and a Drama-Logue Award-winning playwright.
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Christopher Sieber with Spam and ‘’Spamalot’’ rabbit; Tyler Maynard
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| photo by Ben Strothmann |
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