I had subscribed to backstage magazine where I had read that there was gonna be an audition for Broadway
Replacements, and the National tour company of Thoroughly Modern Millie
and what did you love so much about it?
Sutton
I just loved Sutton
and the- and the story of the show and like someone arriving in New York City, and
Dreaming and all of that. You actually wanted to play Millie. Okay. Go on it's obvious
You've even got your hair bobbed
So um so I- they had just done the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade that November and they performed the opening number and
the audition was in January, and I had taped the opening number on my vhs off of the TV and
So I thought you know I really want to go to this audition, but I'm not really a great dancer
So I'll go to the singer call, but if I get called back to dance
I'm gonna want to know the dance
So I literally memorized the choreography from the opening number from the Macy's Thanksgiving day parade
Okay, see I get confused with sides did you have to face your back to the TV did you get whiplash like
how did you do it, did you have the mirror in front?
A little bit, I mean, it was like I remember the TV was up on the on like the shelf here
And I would just sort of like rewind and play and rewind and play and like
Figure out every move.
How long did it take you?
a couple of days I think
wait so when you got to the audition, what happened?
I didn't realize that Rob Ashford was gonna
be there which he was. and I had just seen him win the Tony nine months before for Millie for his choreography
which I memorized so I go into the room and he's sitting behind the table with two other people and my mouth just drops to
the floor and he was like
Breathe
and I was like okay. I sang a song called
Leavin Town from a musical called Lavender Girl
Which is a part of- which I got off this album called Three and so I sang the song and he was like
Where did you get that song? and I said that's from this show Three and he said I know I directed it in Philadelphia
What an ass kisser I love it!
I just happened to bring it
I didn't really know I honestly didn't really I swear
I didn't realize on and I was like wow and he's like, okay. Well. Thank you very much, and then I said
Can I say something?
I kinda want the role
I said can I say something else and he says
Okay, and I said I just have to tell you that Thoroughly Modern Millie is my favorite show that I've ever seen and for this
audition I've prepared the dance. the piano player starts playing and I did the dance and he said do you want to come back at?
Three or four o'clock and learn the rest of it? and so I went to the callback that afternoon
I was so excited we did the opening again, and then we learned the speed test that
yes, you could tap that well?
Well, that's when I got cut I'd had my souvenir program
And I brought it over to Rob to sign to autograph
after you got cut?
after I got cut because I was like I'll wait
Til I get cut so it doesn't look like I'm trying to suck up to him
Or I'll wait till I get the job one of the two so I got cut and I was like will you please sign my souvenir
program he wrote good luck Rob Ashford
It's fast forward to like two years later. I had not seen him since that day and
It was May in 2007 the day of the Tony nominations when I was nominated for Spring Awakening
And he was nominated for Curtains
And I'm walking down 8th Avenue with my brother on the way to see a show and here comes Rob Ashford
And he was like- he sort of- I- I looked at him and my mouth dropped again like it did in the audition. Yeah
And he was like he was like Jonathan congratulations on your nomination
And I said I got to tell you a story
He did not remember it at all
Clearly it was more meaningful to me than it was to him in that moment
But it was one of those things were like he's so affected my life in that in those two days
That I spent with him
It was like
it rocked my world that working with him and learning that thing and it was so amazing to see him that day of the
nominations, and I told him the story and then at the Tony awards he was sitting like two rows behind me.
I was like this is so crazy.
Iliterally asked Jonathan to recreate the dance that he did in his Thoroughly Modern Millie
audition. you be the judge. Why was he not cast? I find it unfair
I'm mind boggled you remember this dance after-
this is okay? So okay- I'm not- yeah. Let's just do it
five six seven eight
Is that part of the motivation the tongue out and the facial pain?
that you know that's just me
The point is since that happened Jonathan has been nominated for a Tony, done TV, film, and is now starring on the West End
So for those people that didn't cast you. What would you like to tell them now?
suck it. suck it. suck it.