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Elk Grove actor in Metropolis' 'Spamalot' meets John Cleese

Things just keep getting better for Elk Grove Village native Joe Bianco.

On the heels of playing King Arthur in "Monty Python's Spamalot," one of the most successful runs ever at the Metropolis Performing Arts Centre in Arlington Heights, Bianco found himself on the set of WGN Morning News last week, opposite one of the show's creators, actor John Cleese himself.

"He's an icon," Bianco says. "He's the one who got me into Monty Python growing up. He always stood out."

Cleese appeared on the news program in advance of his local appearances promoting his autobiography, "So, Anyway ..."

Bianco and a handful of principals from "Spamalot" provided ambient background for Cleese during his interview segment.

Then, in a second segment, Bianco led the "Spamalot" cast in a game show spoof, moderated by WGN-TV host Larry Potash, called "Know Your British Entertainers."

"(Cleese) isn't full of himself," Bianco said. "He still believes in the art - which restores your faith in the medium."

Bianco and many of his "Spamalot" cast members return to the Metropolis stage beginning Nov. 28 for the holiday run of "A Christmas Carol," before he leaves for Miami for a one-month engagement of the epic fantasy, "Hammer Trinity," which he appeared in during the Chicago premiere in May.

On the day he appeared with Cleese, he left the television studio to complete a series of auditions and record some voice-overs, all before finding some time to do an interview.

And just last week Bianco had his TV debut on "Chicago Fire" ("I Walk Away" is the episode name)

It's all in a day's work for this young, journeyman actor who appeared on stage at Conant High School and went on to major in acting at Millikin University in Decatur.

But he still points to one of his early mentors, the late Jim Hirsch, who directed Bianco in a series of Shakespeare productions mounted by the now defunct Elk Grove Center for the Performing Arts company.

"I owe a lot of my career to him," Bianco says. "He was an important mentor for me."

Bianco says Hirsch taught him how to perform Shakespeare, which Bianco took with him when he studied at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater and even at Shakespeare's Globe Theater in London.

"The words are wrapped in gold," Bianco remembers Hirsch telling him of Shakespeare's prose.

Hirsch passed away five years ago, and the 10th anniversary of his production of "Romeo and Juliet" approaches, in which Bianco starred as Romeo, and his parents even appeared on stage in the production with him.

Bianco remembers those years fondly, of joining with Hirsch to make the Bard accessible to Northwest suburban residents. But mostly it is the direction from Hirsch that he carries with him and his dedication to the art form.

It was shortly after graduating from college, when Bianco was about to set out on his dream of making it as an actor, that he remembers receiving an email from Hirsch.

"You have to believe," Hirsch told him, "you have to believe things are going to turn out well."

John Cleese, right, cracks up the "Spamalot" cast in the WGN cafeteria. COURTESY OF WGN NEWS
The cast of "Spamalot" on the WGN set. Courtesy of WGN News
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