Interview with an elder from “The Book of Mormon”

Daxton Bloomquist may have started following his dream to work in musical theater later than most, but he still nabbed the role of Elder McKinley in “The Book of Mormon.”

In high school, Bloomquist participated in school productions and always enjoyed performing, but it wasn’t until his sophomore year of college that Bloomquist decided to pursue musical theater professionally. Still, competing against actors who have chased this shared dream since they were young didn’t stop Bloomquist from working on Broadway and earning a main role in an award-winning production.

You can catch Bloomquist in “The Book of Mormon” at the Broward Center of Performing Arts until Feb. 7.

I had the opportunity to speak to Daxton about his role in “The Book of Mormon.”

Can you tell me a little bit about “The Book of Mormon”?

“‘The Book of Mormon’ is about two Mormon missionaries who get paired together. One is your all-American boy, and the other is like a misfit, not really understood by very many people. They get sent to Uganda, of all places, and a very poor, poor, poor part of the country. So they get to Uganda, and that’s where it all goes wrong. Without giving anything away, that’s where the story starts, and you watch these two young men go on a journey, and it is quite a journey.”

What attracted you to trying out for this play?

“Well, that I looked very Mormon. Quote on quote ‘The Mormon look.’ Your all-American boy look. I was like, ‘Oh, I can fit in for this.’ Other than that, I didn’t know much about the show. Not very many people did. I joined it fairly early in the process, so I don’t think anybody knew the type they were looking for. You know, it’s a Broadway hit. Why not audition for it? I did, and you know what? It went really well for me apparently.”

You had roles in a variety of different plays from “Camelot” to “The Producers” to “Miss Saigon.” What was your favorite play to be a part of and why?

“So I started with musical theater in Wichita, which is a wonderful regional theater to grow up with. I got to do a lot of shows in college with them, and they bring in a lot of talent from like the big schools in the Midwest, so I got to work with them. I never had a favorite show. I really loved doing ‘Miss Saigon.’ It was one of my favorite shows to be a part of. I really loved being a part of ‘The Producers,’ as well. The two are completely different types of shows, but I would say those two were my favorites out of the numbers I got to do. ‘Chitty Chitty Bang Bang’ I believe I did in the Midwest in Lyric Theater in Oklahoma, and I got to work with a really great choreographer, Joanne Hunter, who really pushed me to dance even more than I could at that level, so I think each show that I did in those theaters I learned something new from. I learned a lot, and being someone who was very green in the theater world, which just means very new to the business, I learned a lot from them, and they taught me a lot. It was a struggle for a lot of years, but I think it’s paying off.”

What do you relate to the most with your character Elder McKinley?

“He wants to be the best he can absolutely be, and I think when I was McKinley’s age, I wanted so badly to be the perfect person and do everything right. There’s always a method to fixing things, like ‘We’ll just take deep breaths and everything’s OK,’ or for McKinley, it’s ‘We’ll turn it off,’ or for Daxton, it’s ‘OK, I’m going to keep a smile on my face.’ I think we related a lot there. But where I’ve been able to learn, and where McKinley learns in the show, is being yourself is what is perfect. The imperfections are what make you perfect. In the show, you get to see McKinley grow and learn it’s OK to be who he is, and that’s actually what is perfect.”

Is there a particular scene you love the most?

“I love ‘Turn It Off.’ That’s Elder McKinley’s big number. It’s the hardest number I do in the show, and it’s probably the most rewarding. I think the audience really comes out loving it, too. If I have to pick a number that I’m not in, I would say that I think ‘Baptize Me’ is a number that is written really, really well, and I really like it. It’s sung [by] our female lead and one of our other male leads.”

What do you think is the message that the show tries to portray to the audience?

“To me, the message is that if we all work together, no matter what faith you are, what religion you are, what color you are, whoever you are, we can really find and live a happy life. I think that is the whole point of the show. I don’t want to necessarily give too much away, but I think if you come to the show, and if you’re really invested in it, and if you listen to the words, it does give a really beautiful, lighthearted message. I think this is the success in the show.”

Why do you think people should go watch “The Book of Mormon”?

“I think you should watch it to get a good giggle in, get out of your comfort zone a little bit and watch it to watch one of the best-written shows in this century. It really is a really well-written show, and I think everybody should see that type of art on stage. It’s different from anything you’ll ever see. I promise.”

 

Photo printed with permission from Broadway Across America

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