Michael Urie talks 'Torch Song,' an 'Ugly Betty' reunion, more

There’s perhaps no actor better able to juggle camp — and the classics — than Michael Urie.

The Texas native earned major laughs as Vanessa Williams’ scheming, preening personal assistant on TV’s “Ugly Betty,” and more laughs (and critical acclaim) in the Off-Broadway one-man show “Buyer & Cellar,” as a struggling gay actor working in the mall Barbra Streisand constructed in her basement. (His Babs imitation? Spot on.) Meanwhile Urie — a Juilliard grad — has also appeared in theatrical heavy-hitters (“Angels in America,” “The Cherry Orchard,” “Hamlet”).

Now he’s stepping into the heels and bunny slippers of Harvey Fierstein, starring as the proud gay drag queen Arnold Beckoff in the Broadway revival of “Torch Song,” a slightly shorter version of “Torch Song Trilogy,” the hit play Fierstein wrote and starred in back in 1982 (winning Tony Awards for best actor and play). This production, which had a successful Off-Broadway run last year, recently opened at the Helen Hayes Theater and plays until Feb. 24.

Urie, 38, spoke with Newsday contributor Joseph V. Amodio.

This is what every actor dreams of, right? Starring in an Off-Broadway play, which moves to Broadway? How’s that transition going for you?

Well . . . it’s definitely a dream come true. What’s hard is the pressure. I’m the star of a Broadway show. That comes with a whole different set of responsibilities. My fear was — can somebody who’s not a movie star be the star of a Broadway play? Somebody who’s not a household name? This is the first time I’m a marquee name. It’s thrilling but it’s also like, well — I hope it’s not the laaaast. (He laughs.)

Seems doubtful. Did Harvey give you guidance?

Yes . . . about so many things onstage, offstage, in rehearsal, about the work, about keeping things alive. He’s never claimed to have all the answers. He’ll say, “This was my answer to that problem, but you might come to a different conclusion.”

So he made it easy for you.

He did, he really did. So much of what Harvey’s done for me is giving me the confidence to be my own Arnold.

It’s interesting how Arnold — despite his neuroses — is so confident. Not just as a gay man, but as a man, a person. In your own life . . . do you hear his voice in your head? Like . . . what would Arnold do in this situation?

Yes! Absolutely! I’m a tougher person outside the play, because I’m Arnold. I don’t have his temper and don’t talk to people the way he does, but he has given me a lot of confidence and strength in my real life. He’s a good angel and devil to have on your shoulder.

In between playing Arnold Off-Broadway last year, and on Broadway now, you played Hamlet in Washington, D.C. There’s a switch!

Hamlet was right on the heels of last year’s “Torch Song.” The director was concerned my Hamlet would be a little too Brooklyn. I still had Arnold’s accent in my head. So he was a little nervous that it might be too . . . um . . . (here, Urie recites Shakespeare as if Arnold were speaking): ”Oh, that this too, too sullied flesh would melt, thawww ‘n’ resolve itself intuh a dew.” (He chuckles.) But Arnold’s confidence, strength, compassion — those are all good things for Hamlet to have, too.

One last thing — I saw that some of the “Ugly Betty” cast came to your opening night, and you mentioned how you’d love to do a reunion show, like the return of “Will & Grace.”

That’s my favorite show on TV. I think “Ugly Betty” could pick up now, too, nearly a decade after we saw them last. We were on mostly during the Obama years. It might be interesting to hear from a smart, passionate, beautiful Latina right now. I don’t know what her job would be if we came back. I just think maybe we’d drop the “ugly” — and call it just…“Betty.”

Smart idea. What would your character, Marc St. James, be doing?

Still working for (Vanessa Williams’ character) Wilhelmina! Maybe Betty’s nephew Justin (Mark Indelicato) now works for us, and perhaps he’s my assistant. But I still answer to Wilhelmina. The dynamic of me being her flying monkey is too delicious to give up.

We’ll have to wait and see.

Everybody would do it. We all love each other so much. That was such a special group. We had veterans like Vanessa and Judith (Light) and Tony (Plana), who said, “This is special. Don’t take it for granted.” And we never, ever did. For so many of us, it was our big break. So . . . we listened to them, and had our eyes wide open. There was absolutely no cynicism — EVER — working on that show. I loved every minute of it.