Friends told Sam Nackman he was a shoo-in to play Elder Cunningham in “The Book of Mormon.”
More than familiar with the music (“I listened to the cast recording hundreds of times”), he auditioned several times before casting directors finally believed he could do it.
Now in the show’s national touring production, Nackman says the role was worth the wait, even though it’s exhausting. “There’s no point where I’m dreading a moment because it’s either a moment that I get to be on or it’s a moment when I just to get chill. It’s fun to watch everyone else make different choices and do different things every night.”
Cunningham, one of two Mormon missionaries sent to evangelize in Uganda, goes through a big change while interacting with residents. He falls for a Ugandan girl, too, and isn’t afraid to say what he feels.
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Like his character, “I’m a fun-loving carefree person who sometimes could use a bit more of a filter,” Nackman says. “Everything that I say comes from the heart…and I never mean anything maliciously.”
While Josh Gad (Olaf in “Frozen”) created the role, Nackman says producers don’t want him to approach the role the same way. “I get to make it my own. This is my version of Elder Cunningham, just as Cody (Strand, who’s currently on Broadway) has his version and Josh Gad has his version. That makes it really special for me.”
When he made his debut more than a year ago in Hershey, Pennsylvania, Nackman invited family to come. Since then, “my parents have seen the show like 16 times. Every time there’s a large grouping of people – family or friends – they’ll come out to see it with them.”
While Nackman has appeared in other shows (and had a role in “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”), “Mormon” was an ideal fit, particularly since it came right after he graduated from Marymount Manhattan College. “It was a lot of trial by fire when we first started rehearsals. When we got on the road, there definitely was a learning curve.”
Touring, he says, isn’t easy. “I’ve never been away from home for more than like two months at a time. I’ve now been away from home for half a year at a time. Over the past year and a half, I’ve spent like three months total in my apartment.”
To make random hotels feel like home, “I surround myself with all my knickknacks and tchotchkes that I love. I’ve got a stuffed polar bear that travels with me and I’ve got lots of video games, my Nintendo Switch and my PS5.”
Touring, Nackman says, isn’t glamorous. “You’re living out of a suitcase but you want to soak up every second of it – explore the places you’re going and meet new people. Do your best to enjoy it and you will.”
A video game console has been an albatross, however, but it’s in his suitcase, “cushioned by all my sweaters. I could make decent money selling it.”
“The Book of Mormon” will be at the Orpheum Theatre March 27 and 28.