BWW Interviews: Kingsley Leggs Talks Career and Touring SISTER ACT

While SISTER ACT's First National Tour was playing in Durham, North Carolina, I got a chance to talk with Kingsley Leggs, who plays Curtis Jackson, Deloris Van Cartier's gangster boyfriend and the show's villain. Kingsley Legs, who originated the role of Curtis Jackson on Broadway, spoke with me about his career, SISTER ACT's rehearsal process, preparing the First National Tour, SISTER ACT itself, and life on the road.

Me: How did you first get involved in theatre?

Kingsley Leggs: Oh man! (Laughs) I did my first foray when I was a sophomore in high school. I really liked it, and I thought, "Wow, if I could this, this would be kinda cool." I continued doing plays in college. I went to school and studied music. When I graduated, I stared working at a not for profit theatre company in Saint Louis. That's kind of really where my professional career began.

Me: What made you decide to pursue a career in theatre?

Kingsley Leggs: It spoke to me. It spoke to my heart. You know, I enjoyed it very, very much. I had always sang and danced when I was a kid, but when I started doing plays I just really enjoyed it. I always did a lot of singing. I sang in church. I always sang, but as I started doing more plays and started to go and see more productions, I really had a desire to become a better actor. You know, I think they call it being bit by the bug. It's a cliché, but I think that's really true in that once you feel that like that, it ceases to be something you want to do and becomes something that you have to do.

Me: You originated the role of Curtis Jackson in the Broadway production of SISTER ACT. How did you get involved with the Broadway production of SISTER ACT?

Kingsley Leggs: I got a call from my agent saying that they were interested in seeing me for the part. They sent me the material. As I going over it, I was like, "Okay. I can probably do this." (Laughs) I went in for the first audition, had a series of auditions, and boom, there I was.

Me: How did you prepare for the role of Curtis Jackson in SISTER ACT?

Kingsley Leggs: You know, I just looked at the material. I watched the movie once, just to refresh myself with the story. The material was very straight forward, and it was what it is. I didn't find it to be particularly strenuous in trying to figure out what's it about. I mean, it is what it is. I was just about trying to read the words and bring truth. Not to be too corny.

The script that I auditioned with is not the script that we have now. It was retooled. It had a whole different kind of feel to it. (Laughs) It had a little more in your face, Shaft (Laughs) kind of feeling to it. In fact they callEd Curtis Shank in the beginning, and he always spoke of himself in the third person. So, It had a little bit of the flavor that it does now, but it was still clear on what it was and who the guy was. And of course, once I got into the first call, we had Jerry Zaks, our brilliant director. He had his ideas of who this guy should be now, he conveyed that to me, and we just went from there.

Me: What are the differences between rehearsing for SISTER ACT on Broadway and SISTER ACT on tour?

Kingsley Leggs: Not much. I mean, it's the same show, the same story, the same attitude. You know, we've got different people, a slightly different set, but it's still the same. You know, rehearsal is rehearsal.

Me: What was the most challenging aspect of rehearsing or preparing for SISTER ACT?

Kingsley Leggs: I would say to keep it focused and simple. Pace is very important to our show. We're a comedy, so it's all about the music, the words, and the pace of this show. Now, I'm passing the ball along, but sometimes, as actors, we want to do more or we feel something different, but the show really requires a confluence of the pace and the rhythm for the whole thing to work.

Me: What is the most rewarding part of performing in SISTER ACT on tour?

Kingsley Leggs: I suppose bringing it to the rest of the people in the country. I mean, Broadway is Broadway. It's a wonderful institution, but there's a whole lot of people around the country that never get to make it to Broadway. So, you take a show out and expose the rest of the country to it, and I think it's a wonderful thing. We've certainly been received very, very well as we go around. It's a very happy and feel good musical. It's kind of cliché too, but we are the ultimate feel good show. You can bring your kids and you can bring your grandmother. It's fun, and it's great to see smiling faces at the end of the night when we're doing our bows, and to see how much joy we're bringing to people-people that wouldn't necessarily or ordinarily get a chance to go to New York and see a Broadway show.

Me: You've touched on this a little when you talked about the changed sets, but are there any other differences between the Broadway production and the touring production of SISTER ACT?

Kingsley Leggs: Not in terms of the material. We're saying the same words. We're singing the same songs. The direction is much the same. There's maybe been some slight tweaking of the new script. A word here, a word there, but nothing that would constitute as major change. The biggest change is that it's a different cast. There's about five of us who were part of the Broadway company, but for the most part we're an all different cast. We're a little smaller than the Broadway cast, but it's pretty much the same.

Me: What the hardest part about being on tour?

Kinglesy Leggs: (Laughs) Sleeping on a different bed every week! That's one thing. Constant change. I'm not big on change. I've been saying that, but that's not necessarily true. I don't mind change. I think part of being successful and what I've achieved in my life is because I've always been adaptable and really not afraid of change. But, I am a bit habitual and I like (Laughing) things to stay. I like sleeping in the same bed, and I like doing things the same way, you know. And tour life is not about that. It's very rare now that we're even in a place two weeks. It's usually just one week now. So every week you're in another city.

I think probably the worst part is the travel because we only get one day off a week, and oftentimes that one day is filled with travel. Like this past Monday, we had a day off, and we spent eight hours of that in travel. So, it's not really a day off. (Laughs) So, I would think that's probably the toughest thing. Sometimes we get "Golden Days." That's a day off and we're not traveling, we're just sitting in the city. That's great. That's probably the hardest thing. And keeping your diet together. And trying not to spend money! Because, you know, you're away from home. You don't get to cook. You're bored. So, you'll just go out and you end up spending money that you normally wouldn't spend if you were at home, and those funds add up.

Me: What are you most looking forward to about being in Houston?

Kingsley Leggs: Well, to be honest, I have a very dear, close friend from Houston. He lives here, but he happens to be home in Houston now. We've known each other for about 21 years, and he's always talked about his family, friends, and all about Houston. I've never been to Houston, so I'm really looking forward to getting down there and actually meeting his family, spending some time with him while the play is in town, and seeing Houston. You know, back in the 80s, it was the place to go. Everybody was going to Houston.

Me: What advice would you offer to others hoping to make a career in the theatre?

Kingsley Leggs: Well. (Pauses) Have a tough skin! (Laughs) Because you're going to hear no more than you hear yes. If this isn't something that you really love to do and feel like in your soul it's something you have to do, you may want to consider something else because it's not easy. But, on the opposite side of that coin, I would say that it can also be a wonderful, wonderful career and a wonderful business. I have seen a great part of the world because of what I do. I have met some extraordinary people, worked with some extraordinary people, and brought a lot of joy to a lot of audiences because of something that I love doing. And that's really rare. They always say that if you find something that you love doing and that you'd do for free, then you'll never work a day in your life. So, It really can be that, and there's a lot of joy. But, it's not for the faint of heart. It really is not. It can be a tough business, so you really have to know it's where you want to be. And, if that's the case, then just work hard, learn as much as you can, be as kind as you can, and stick to it. Don't let anybody tell you that you cant achieve it.

The musical adaptation of SISTER ACT will be playing in Houston from May 28 - June 2, 2013. Audiences can catch the show that is heralded as being "Gloriously Broadway," "Ridiculously fun," and as a "Divine musical comedy" in Sarofim Hall at The Hobby Center for the Performing Arts, 800 Bagby Street, Houston. For more information and tickets, please visit http://houston.broadway.com or call (800) 952 - 6560.

Photo by Joan Marcus. Courtesy of Broadway Across America - Houston.

Charles Barksdale, Ernie Pruneda, Kingsley Leggs, and Todd A. Horman in SISTER ACT.