Twenty years since making her Broadway debut in “Hairspray,” Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer is finally a Tony nominee. “I just screamed,” admits the actress as she recalls seeing her name splashed across her TV screen during the nominations announcement. The nomination comes courtesy of her role as The Lady of the Lake in this season’s revival of “Monty Python’s Spamalot.” The comedic chops and vocal pyrotechnics required for the role made it a perfect fit for the actress to showcase every skill she has honed across decades of performing. Watch the exclusive video interview above.
One of the greatest delights of Kritzer’s performance was the effect it had on her co-stars: specifically, their twisted faces as they resisted every urge to laugh at her well-timed ad libs. In one entrance she might have pointed to her figure and declared “body by Ozempic!” After a big solo number, she shouted the (now, quite appropriate) plea: “Don’t forget me Antoinette Perry!” Her castmates never knew what she would say next. “They gave me the freedom to kind of do that and do my own thing,” explains Kritzer. She is appreciative of director Josh Rhodes’ encouragement to let loose during rehearsals. “But I always know when to get out. I don’t overstay my welcome.”
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One might think of “Spamalot” as an ensemble-based show, and it is, but the Lady of the Lake frequently finds herself commanding the stage alone. It’s moments like these, such as the barnstorming “The Diva’s Lament,” which call upon Kritzer to belt out impressive high notes while delivering a comedic tour de force. “I call it sort of crowd surfing, when you’re riding the audience and you’re riding their vibe too,” explains Kritzer, “but also having to sing these high notes and then…you’re either singing them or you’re not!” The actress describes settling into a place of confidence in order to pull off these huge moments. “‘Spamalot’ really gave me the confidence to go, ‘oh, I can hold a show. I can hold a show on my shoulders. No problem.’ And that was a real gift for me too,” she admits. “I think it was one of the first times on Broadway that I’ve been able to do that and show what I really do.”
The Lady of the Lake is a role that won Sara Ramirez a Tony Award and Hannah Waddingham an Olivier Award, so naturally Kritzer felt expectations of the performance when she started the project. But she says she helped combat any pressure to compare herself by adding what she calls “The Kritzer Sauce,” to make her performance unique. “You just kind of come in and you go, what do I think is funny in this,” she explains, “what’s the Kritzer sauce that I’m going to put on this to make it flavorful in the way I want it to be for me?” Luckily, she notes that the creative team allowed her to explore whatever “big bold themes” she found in her diva character. “I think that’s the best way to do it in any role that has been originated by someone else,” she describes, “trust yourself.”