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[0:00] Robert Bannon: Are you ready? It's The Roundtable with me, Robert Bannon.

[0:14] Robert Bannon: Well, welcome to The Roundtable, everybody. My name is Robert Bannon. You're listening to us on Broadway World or over here on the Broadway Podcast Network. And you know, seven months ago, when I moved from New York City to Detroit, I thought I would never see a Broadway show again. I thought it was over. Then I found my friends and my family over here at the Fisher Theater in Broadway in Detroit. And many years ago, probably before our next guest was even living, I remember going over and seeing Book of Mormon and being gagged and odd. And I don't even know how to describe the show other than it's going to be something like you've never seen. My husband has never seen it. So next, why don't you this week, come on down to the Fisher, get a ticket, if there are any, because I heard they're almost all sold out.

And come on down and see the Book of Mormon. Our next guest, I don't know, he's like fresh out in the world, booking gigs, booking more national tours than I've ever booked. Damn it. Diego Enrico, hello, he's here. Hi.

[1:12] Diego Enrico: Hello, I'm Diego Enrico.

[1:16] Robert Bannon: And you're here and you're coming to Detroit.

[1:22] Diego Enrico: I am. I'm coming to Detroit next week. Oh my God.

[1:25] Robert Bannon: Where are you now?

[1:26] Diego Enrico: Right now we're in Dayton, Dayton, Ohio.

[1:29] Robert Bannon: Is there anything fun to do in Dayton, Ohio?

[1:32] Diego Enrico: Not near the hotel they put us up in.

[1:37] Robert Bannon: What is it like every night for this show that has been around for a minute? So some people are familiar and have seen it and they come in and they start singing and wanting to whoop it up with you all. But some people have never seen it before.

[1:50] Diego Enrico: Yeah. Yeah. It's, I mean, this show is one of those shows that like, they tell us specifically not to give away many plot points because it is so crazy where the twists and turns go that like the first time seeing it, it's like nothing you've ever, you could even come up with. I mean, you have to wonder like what Matt Stone and Trey Parker were thinking of during this show. And it is truly a masterpiece in form, which is like a weird thing to say about like the Book of Mormon, this comedy South Park musical, but like it's such a musical musical that you can't help but fall in love with it.

[2:36] Robert Bannon: That's a great way to put it because it is a musical musical. I mean, you are singing, dancing, tapping, telling jokes. It is ridiculous and it is funny and it is raunchy. It's not for the actual Mormons people.

[2:49] Diego Enrico: Well, you'd be surprised. We did Salt Lake earlier in this week or not this week. We did Salt Lake earlier this year. And the amount of current practicing Mormons, I had Mormons come up to stage door and they were like, I just finished my mission last year. I'm back from Chicago or wherever. And they're like, we love the show. Like sometimes I feel like I was the Cunningham and other times I was, it's like, they really, really love it. I mean, or at least some of them do.

[3:27] Robert Bannon: Yes, I love that. That makes me so happy and excited.

[3:32] Diego Enrico: I know, it's so sweet. It's such a sweet moment to see. It's like they really do.

[3:36] Robert Bannon: That is a super fun moment. Did you see the show before you booked the show?

[3:36] Diego Enrico: I did. I saw it back in 20, I want to say 2018 on Broadway. I was like in the city for a Broadway, like a theater, musical theater camp type thing. And I got to see the Book of Mormon for the first time live. I had seen the bootlegs that don't exist. But this show, I've been in love with this show since I first started doing, like looking into the world of musical theater in high school. So this has been a huge, huge part of my life for a long time. So it's like weird, cool, full circle moment for me.

[4:19] Robert Bannon: So then that leads me to my question. Where are you from? Where did you grow up?

[4:24] Diego Enrico: Well, I was born in Houston, Texas. My parents are Peruvian and we lived in Peru for about four years when I was growing up. Then we moved back to Houston, much to my chagrin. And then I did college in New York. I was at CAP 21, Molloy University. I did that for four years. I graduated last year. Five seconds ago.

[4:51] Diego Enrico: Yeah, five seconds ago. And then I hopped on the tour four seconds after that. So it was like, it was a whirlwind.

[4:59] Robert Bannon: Goodbye. Get off list. Get off. While we're talking, before we get into hating or hate watching the rest of this interview about Diego's ability to book a lead, we wanted to let you know that you can follow Diego on Instagram. So you can stay up to date on his road antics and whatever's to come after that. Diego underscore is underscore Rico. And then you could also go to BookOfMormonBroadway.com. If you're not in Detroit or you're watching us in New York or on Broadway World or wherever, Broadway Podcast Network, you can go and check out all the dates because they're coming around this entire country at BookOfMormonBroadway.com. But if you're in Detroit and coming to the legendary, you know, the Fisher Theater is where Hello Dolly started.

You can go to Broadway, that was there before New York. It was Broadway in Detroit. It's about the size of a shoebox backstage. So BroadwayInDetroit.com is where you can get your tickets. And like I said, there's not a lot of tickets left because we're ready. We're ready for y'all to roll into town and ring our doorbells and knock on our doors and all the things that let's go. So what was your exposure to musical theater? And what did you find that you were like, I want to do this?

[5:59] Diego Enrico: Well, I guess like, as much as I don't want to, I have to give credit to my brother. He did theater in middle school just as like an elective. And I didn't know what I wanted to do. That was, I mean, I came to the US in the fourth grade. So like a lot of my like friends disappeared when I moved to the US. So it was tough to like make friends and meet new people and these totally different cultures. So I mean, I was just looking for anything. And my brother said, the teacher's really cool for, you know, for the theater elective in middle school. So I joined in eighth grade. And so we, my first play was Cinderella and I played the king. And then my first musical was the Lion King. I played Scar.

And that was like, ever since I just fell in love with it. It was just kind of one of those like no brainer things that like you do once and you're like, oh yeah, that was great. That was super fun. Like I got to, you know, be something else for a little bit. It really spoke to me then. And I didn't look back. I mean, I just kept doing the shows in high school. I never really expected to do it as a career in college. But the more shows I did, the more I realized just how much I loved it. And, you know, it took a minute to convince my parents, specifically my dad on like, you know, doing this as a career, doing it in college. But I think after the shows I did in high school, he really came around and was like, oh my God, the amount of work that it takes to do this and the passion that goes into it.

And that's really all I can speak for for myself is that I truly like, I love it. And like, I couldn't imagine doing something else. So yeah, it was like high school was my real introduction to theater with, once I started listening to like Hamilton and Dear Evan Hansen and the Book of Mormon, those three shows were like my rock during that time. So it was, yeah, that was my intro into the world. And then I did it in college. And yeah.

[8:30] Robert Bannon: That's so funny because I'm old and you're young. And when those shows, when you teach, I'm a teacher. And when Hamilton came out or when Hansen came out or when Book of Mormon came out first, but like these shows changed and ushered in a new generation of theater lovers and doers. And you're the proof of that right there. So for you, was it scary to come to New York and to study musical theater? Like I'm going to, you had to like pack up your bag and like, what's that experience like?

[9:02] Diego Enrico: Yeah. I mean, it was a spooky time. It was during COVID. I started college like, I guess like our, my first semester was online totally. So we got out a lot of like, I don't know, like, like extracurricular, like elective things like that you could do online. We got that out of the way the first semester and then second semester of my freshman year. That's when we moved into the campus, but it was all hybrid and weird and spooky. And so it was like on top of the, like the moving to New York world, there was also this pandemic that maybe our entire industry is gone forever, you know? So it was, it was definitely not fun, but I tried to just, generally I try to just push on and see, see where life takes you.

[9:59] Robert Bannon: And you graduated and did you learn skills, like the skills that you learned at the school, help you set up what you do now? Like, did you learn things and business and a technique and things that you had to put into practice?

[10:13] Diego Enrico: Yeah. I mean, I was surprised, truly, not to say that my training wasn't good or that it wasn't, like I loved, I loved my teachers. I loved everything. But anybody who has gone to a musical theater program knows that like, when you're in it, you're like, I'm not learning anything. And I wish I was doing more. I want to be on Broadway tomorrow, you know? But I started the tour and for a minute I was like, oh my God, am I going to like lose my voice in the first week? Am I going to be able to keep up with this? I'm not going to be able to like, just like live in hotels for the, for like a year, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And the, the training that I got specifically, like vocally and, and, and physically in my training, like it truly did inform everything.

I don't do anything differently than how I did it in practice. So it really, it set me up for success in that sense of like, I, I, I didn't know I had eight shows a week in me. And now I do. Now I can confidently go into the show knowing what I need, how like my voice teacher really helped me find, like being able to diagnose yourself of like, what has happened here? What is the proper placement for this technique? What is like, what's my body feeling in the moment? And how's that like informing my overall performance? You know, so that's, I, I'm super grateful to the, to the training that I got at my, at my university that like, it, it, it really did set me up. I was, I'm, I haven't looked back since. And I say, thank you very much. Thank you. And I, yeah, yeah. I'm sure that when you booked this show, it must've, it is such a,

[12:30] Robert Bannon: Welcome back to The Roundtable! I am so excited to have Diego Enrico with us today. He is making his national tour debut in "The Book of Mormon" as Elder Cunningham. Diego, welcome to the show!

[12:45] Diego Enrico: Thank you so much for having me, Robert! I'm thrilled to be here.

[12:50] Robert Bannon: So, this is your professional debut, right? How does it feel to step into such a big role?

[12:57] Diego Enrico: It feels surreal, honestly. I mean, this is a dream role for me, and to be doing it on a national tour is just incredible. I graduated from Molloy University's CAP21 Theatre Arts Conservatory, and I never expected to book a national tour right out of school.

[13:15] Robert Bannon: That's amazing! And you booked this role without an agent or manager, right? Just through Actor's Access?

[13:22] Diego Enrico: Yes, that's correct! I submitted my audition through Actor's Access, and I didn't even have my college showcase yet. It all happened so fast.

[13:32] Robert Bannon: Wow! That's such an inspiring story. What was your reaction when you found out you got the part?

[13:39] Diego Enrico: I was in shock! I remember getting the call and just feeling like I was dreaming. It was a mix of excitement and disbelief.

[13:49] Robert Bannon: I can only imagine! And now you're on this incredible journey with the tour. How has the experience been so far?

[13:56] Diego Enrico: It's been a whirlwind! The cast and crew are amazing, and every city we visit brings new experiences. I love performing every night and connecting with the audience.

[14:10] Robert Bannon: That's fantastic. You're currently in Detroit, right? How's the city treating you?

[14:16] Diego Enrico: Detroit has been great! The audiences here are so enthusiastic, and it's been wonderful to explore the city a bit when we have time off.

[14:26] Robert Bannon: That's great to hear! For those who haven't seen the show yet, what can they expect from "The Book of Mormon"?

[14:34] Diego Enrico: They can expect a hilarious and heartfelt experience. The show is known for its humor, but it also has some really touching moments. It's a rollercoaster of emotions!

[14:45] Robert Bannon: I love that! And for anyone listening, you can catch Diego and the rest of the cast at the Fisher Theatre from April 1st to 6th. Don't miss it!

[14:56] Diego Enrico: Yes, please come out and see us! It's going to be a fantastic show.

[15:02] Robert Bannon: And for those who want to follow your journey, where can they find you on social media?

[15:08] Diego Enrico: You can find me on Instagram at @diego_is_rico. I'd love to connect with everyone!

[15:15] Robert Bannon: Awesome! Thanks again for joining me today, Diego. It's been a pleasure chatting with you.

[15:22] Diego Enrico: Thank you, Robert! It's been a blast.