Those familiar with the very first season of the singing impersonation show “Your Face Sounds Familiar” have already seen Nyoy Volante perform in drag as Tina Turner, Sylvia La Torre, Katy Perry and Whitney Houston.
Nyoy made the competition’s Final Four and ultimately finished second with a spot-on performance of Whitney’s “I’ll Always Love You.”
Therefore, it comes as no surprise that the hitmaking singer-songwriter, who is also known for his memorable performances in several musical theater productions, was cast in the role of the stiletto-loving cross-dresser Simon, also known as Lola, in Atlantis Theatrical Entertainment Group’s Manila production of the Tony and Grammy Award-winning musical, “Kinky Boots.”
Although Nyoy has had experience in performing in drag in “Your Face Sounds Familiar” and when he was cast as AIDS-stricken transgender Angel Schunard in Atlantis’ previous staging of “Rent,” Nyoy admits that the one of the hardest parts about cross-dressing is wearing high heels.
“I’m planning to wear heels for two to three hours a day before we start rehearsing for the show just to get used to it,” he quipped during the press conference that announced the show’s cast.
In a subsequent interview with InterAksyon, Nyoy said that although he first became known for his acoustic hit ballads, he was already enamored with theater at a very young age.
“When I was a kid, I would come up with shows that I perform for my parents. Whether it’s a magic show or a mini play that I created, I enjoyed entertaining my folks,” he recalled.
Years after releasing several hit albums, Nyoy started reinventing himself as a theater performer, mostly for productions staged by Atlantis such as “In The Heights,” “Shrek The Musical,” “The Addams Family,” “Rock of Ages,” and most recently “Jersey Boys.”
“Whether I’m playing lead or part of an ensemble, I absolutely enjoy doing musical theater. There’s a certain discipline to it. I get to do characters I don’t get to do in real life. And when I show people what I could do with a certain character and they show their appreciation, that’s when I feel fulfilled as a performer,” he noted.
Asked if he has a dream role that he wants to play in a musical production someday, Nyoy surprisingly or not surprisingly picked another iconic cross-dresser.
“I was part of the ensemble in a local production of ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’ and I love doing that show. I do hope that I’ll be given the chance to play Dr. Frank N. Furter someday,” he revealed.
Realizing that the music for “Kinky Boots” was written by legendary pop star Cyndi Lauper, Nyoy confessed that he himself is working on his own original musical.
“It’s a love story in the form of comedy. That’s as much as I can say about it for now. The characters are not yet final and I may still change its direction. But I do hope to finish it within the next two years and hopefully decide by the third year if I want to execute in on film or on stage,” he concluded.
Winner of six Tony Awards, including Best Musical, “Kinky Boots” also features a hilarious, uplifting book by four-time Tony winner, Harvey Fierstein.
Also in the cast are Laurence Mossman (“Fun Home”), Yanah Laurel (“Fun Home,” “American Idiot”), Tricia Canilao (“Miss Saigon”), Jamie Wilson, Nel Gomez, Christine Flores, Sarah Facuri, Steven Cionde, Rhenwyn Gabalonzo, Ron Gohel, Jill Peña, Japs Treopaldo, and Juancho Escoto. Featured as the Angels are Ritz Beltan, Jorge Jahnke, Michael Jahnke, Jazztin Cacayan, Mark Pineda and Gerhard Krysstopher.
Directed by Bobby Garcia and presented by Atlantis Theatrical Entertainment Group together with Metrobank Card Corporation, “Kinky Boots” opens on June 30 at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, RCBC Plaza in Makati City.
For ticket information, visit www.ticketworld.com.ph.