“He’s really fun to play,” Mains said. “When I got the role, I’d never thought about how iconic Augustus Gloop is. People really know him. When I step out on stage, there’s always a big cheer that goes up. It’s, honestly, such a blast because he’s so excitable and fun. He really goes for what he wants, maybe too much.”
Mains has now played Gloop 75 times in front of audiences around the country, which is just what the Chicago native wanted to do when he moved to New York a few years ago.
“This is my first tour, which has been a dream of mine for a long time.” Mains said in a call from Boise, Idaho a couple hours before a show last week. “I moved to New York with the dream to do a show like this. So it truly is a dream come true.”
Mains will add four more performances to his total next week at the Lied Center for Performing Arts, including matinee and evening shows on Jan. 29.
“I used to think it would be really difficult,” Mains said of doing two shows in a day. .”Maybe getting up for the first show is a little herder, we’re used to working later in the day. But once we go through that first show, I feel pumped up and ready to go, So the second show is usually really good.”
Regardless of whether its a single show or a two-show day, Mains said it’s clear from the stage that everyone in the house is having a good time throughout the show.
