Right now, they’re in Charlotte, N.C., taking salsa lessons between performances of Mamma Mia! But in a little more than a week, Michael Roberts McKee and Adam Michael Kaokept and the rest of the cast will hit the stage of Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater for eight shows.
Who knows what local festivities they’ll take part in between stage time?
“We do get to see the cities we’re in,” Roberts McKee said, when asked if it’s anything like rock stars who often claim to lose track of where they are because of the pace of the tour. “We find the local spots to hang out and see the local bands, eat at the good local restaurants.”
Roberts McKee is six months into his first national tour as the character, ‘Eddie,’ who he describes as half of a team of “cougar hunters.” He and Kaokept’s ‘Pepper’ pursue the character, Tanya.
“As a gay guy it’s a little foreign,” Roberts McKee said of chasing after a woman. “But as an actor, it’s a chance to stretch. You really get to play with it and it’s a blast.”
Kaokept, the other half of the duo, describes Pepper as a gigolo and admits Pepe La Pew was the inspiration for how he approached the character, he feels the same way about playing a straight man.
“It really isn’t a challenge because it basically comes down to pretending to be attracted to another person,” Kaokept said. “Plus, the actress who plays our leading lady is stunning.”
While this is Roberts McKee’s first national tour, Kaokept is a veteran—including with this show. Kaokept joined the national tour directly from the Las Vegas Company of Mamma Mia! His other credits include Off-Broadway in Zanna, Don’t!, and Radiant Baby. His Regional credits include Pacific Overtures, Sweeney Todd and the title role in Peter Pan. He has been performing the role of Pepper on and off for about six years, and with this tour for about 18 continuous months.
“If you look at a map of the United States, there aren’t many places we haven’t been,” he said. “There have been about 50 cities. We’ve been to Honolulu, which was really nice, Dallas, Austin—you name it. And it’s great, because the audience in Seattle is going to be totally different than in Charlotte.”
Clearwater and West Palm Beach are the only two Florida stops for this production. Strangely, for Roberts McKee, who grew up in Atlanta, this will be his first visit to the Sunshine State.
“I can’t explain it,” Roberts McKee admits with a laugh.
Kaokept has had a much more nomadic life. He has backpacked throughout Europe and Asia. In many ways acting is almost a side job. The world is his stage, in a larger sense.
“I do a lot of volunteer work,” he said, “I was recently in Cambodia teaching English and helping to create an education program. I am hoping to do the same in South America when the tour is over.”
Roberts McKee has two film parts under his belt in Our Very Own and My Bloody Valentine 3D. Not bad for someone who just recently graduated from Carnegie Mellon with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in theatre.
He got his theatre start early. His first experience was when he was a child and auditioned for a role as one of the children of Big Daddy in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. It came down to him and the nephew of the director for the role. It was his first lesson in Hollywood politics.
“My Mom said to me, ‘Are you okay?’ And I said I was disappointed, but I couldn’t wait to do it again,” Roberts McKee said.
Mamma Mia! is a musical based on the songs of Swedish pop band ABBA, composed by Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaues. It is considered a jukebox musical because it uses songs that were the band’s radio hits in the early 1970s through early 1980s.
The show includes hits such as “Dancing Queen,” “Knowing Me, Knowing You,” Take a Chance On Me,” and “SOS.” The musical has been seen by 20 million people and has grossed $2 billion.
In 2008, Meryl Streep, Colin Firth and Pierce Brosnan starred in a movie adaptation—but don’t let your opinion of the movie scare you away from the stage version.
“We hear all the time,” Roberts McKee said, “’You are so much better than the movie!’”
