It's certainly been quite a 'gay' summer for the Golden Globe-nominated star of HAIRSPRAY, Nikki Blonsky. First, she headlined the sold-out 10th Anniversary concerts of Men Alive, the Orange County Gay Men's Chorus in July, reprising her star-making turn as Tracy Turnblad from the 2007 film adaptation of the Broadway phenomenon. She then followed it up by participating in the first-ever West Coast public screening of the sing-along version of the HAIRSPRAY movie musical she starred in as a fundraiser for the Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles.
Now she's about to debut as Maria in the Atlantic City premiere of the hit off-Broadway smash musical MY BIG GAY ITALIAN WEDDING for a pair of performances on Friday, August 26 and Saturday, August 27 at the Hilton Hotel Casino Resort. Joining her in the cast is Emmy and Tony-nominated stage and screen favorite
Lainie Kazan (
My Big Fat Greek Wedding,
Desperate Housewives) who will play her loud, outspoken mother Angela. Also leading the cast is the show's original co-creator and star
Anthony J. Wilkinson.
A week before the show's premiere, Nikki once again sat down for an exclusive chat with BroadwayWorld's
Michael Lawrence Quintos about her latest project.
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BWW: Hi again, Nikki! So tell me how you got involved with MY BIG GAY ITALIAN WEDDING...I got involved with the show basically through my agency. They told me it was going to be in Atlantic City and that
Lainie Kazan was going to be playing my mom!
Lainie Kazan?! I mean, that's all they needed to say! She's a legend and a genius! She's going to be my mom? I'm in! [
Laughs]
And how have rehearsals been going?Oh, Michael, it's been going really great! It's so much fun! Lainie and I actually went to see the original show itself while it was still playing at the
St. Luke's Theatre [in New York City]. We were sitting next to each other and we definitely loved it. And, so, after that... we were, like, ohmigosh, we need to do this! Lainie and I just hit it off from day one. The first thing she said to me was "My Daughter!" I haven't gotten a greeting like that since the time when
John Travolta greeted me with "Come to Momma!" when I started HAIRSPRAY!
Wow, how very similar! Yeah. It's really nice when people just embrace you right away. Lainie is one of my idols. I used to watch her on
The Nanny! And I loved her in
My Big Fat Greek Wedding! But my all time favorite TV show ever is
Will & Grace. So having seen her on that and now to work with her is like my Holy Grail! And she's been just the nicest person in the world and we both feel truly blessed to be a part of such a wonderful show. It's such a great part and she's such a great mom. She's definitely doing a great job standing in for my own mom, I think! [
Laughs] So, yeah, rehearsals are going great... we all get to hang out and I get to work with this awesome cast that is so full of talent.
That's great, Nikki! I'm surrounded by amazing singers... great dancers... great actors.... it's amazing! The guy who plays my brother,
Anthony Wilkinson... he wrote the show! It's a
very Italian cast... very fitting! [
Laughs]
Wow, the food at the wedding reception must be awesome!The funny part about it is that Lainie and I are the only two people [in the entire cast] that aren't Italian! But luckily they're all cool with that because we all look very similar! [
Laughs]
Now tell me a little bit about your character Maria...My character's
full name is Maria Pinnunziato. She comes from a big Italian family. She is the sister of Anthony, one of the grooms. Now, she is a lot of fun! She wants to be a Broadway star, so everything with her is Broadway! Broadway! Broadway! She really wants to sing at her brother's wedding. You see, it's actually an Italian family tradition to have one of your relatives sing at the ceremony. It takes some convincing, but Anthony finally agrees to let her sing. But the catch is—she's not very good at it! [
Laughs] But... well... see, she's not bad, but she's just not
great. But her family encourages her and supports her. So she decides to take [the performance] to a
whole 'nother level! She does everything from dance to rap to... well, you name it, she does it!
That sounds like a really fun role! So I gather you get to sing a huge musical number in the show?Well, I get to sing a take-off on a very classic song. She puts her own spin on it after about eight bars. It's quite a different version!
For those people who've never heard of the show, can you tell us a bit more of what it's about?Yeah, the story revolves around Anthony Pinnunziato, a gay man living in New York City. He has a boyfriend, Andrew, whom he's really in love with. He also has this crazy, wacky but lovable family behind him and a close group of friends that he hangs out with. He then realizes that it's time to take the next step in his relationship—to get married! And that's when all
H-E-double-hockey-sticks breaks loose! [
Laughs] Now, my character—and this is how she's kind of similar to me—she's all for it! She's, like, "Woo-hoo! Yeah!" But everyone else in the family has, you know, differing feelings towards [two men getting married].
So the show plays two performances on August 26 and 27, right? Are there any plans to maybe play more dates in the near future?I actually hope so! It's such a fun show! I know there'll be so many more audiences that would really enjoy this production! It's definitely a show that carries a great message and has a lot of heart.
And with the passage of marriage equality in the state of New York, this show probably carries a lot more weight and significance both for the cast and the people who watch it.Yeah, that's what's really amazing about doing the show... We're putting on a play about two guys getting married! To be in that mindframe—it's very exciting to be doing a show where the plot can now actually happen! It's now, you know,
legit! I think for audience members who see it, whether they're gay or straight, will realize—with what just happened here in New York—that it's 'real-er' than ever now!
Now, I must say, it looks like you've had quite a 'gay' summer... or, rather, a 'gay-friendly' summer! First your collaborations with the gay choruses on the West Coast and now this show. I take it you have a soft spot for the gay community?Oh, it's not just a soft spot! It is my
whole body! [
Laughs] Are you kidding me? I am a huge advocate for the LGBT community. My cousin is gay... my best friend is gay... And, you know, just growing up feeling like an outsider—being a plus-size girl—I had nobody to stick up for me. So, now, to hear about kids who are bullied in school because they're lesbian or transgender or bi or gay, it's very, very important for me to let these kids know that they have someone close to their age who's rooting for them and standing up for them... Even though I'm an actress, I don't just act. I have a voice and I feel that I can be an advocate and speak on their behalf. I want to do whatever I can to make sure that [these kids] have a wonderful, amazing time in high school. And also, [fight] for them to have the rights that all people have! Support is the best gift I could I ever give besides love.
And it's truly appreciated, I'm sure!I just feel very strongly about being an advocate for the LGBT community. I mean, a lot of people have asked me if I'm a lesbian... well, no, I'm not. But that's my main message: you don't have to be gay to support gay people. Support and love is something you can give to everyone.
Great! Now, the last time we talked you hinted at some future projects in the works that you have coming up. Can you give our readers any more clues as to what they are?Well, [MY BIG GAY ITALIAN WEDDING] was one of them... I have something else, but I have to still keep it under wraps. It hasn't been officially finalized... [
Laughs] But, yes, there is something in the works for the Fall, and it's going to be a lot of fun and I'm really looking forward to doing it! It should be a blast! But I can't mention the name of it or exactly what it is...
I understand if you can't contractually talk about it freely yet... but, dang, the suspense is killing me! [Laughs] Alright, any parting thoughts about MY BIG GAY ITALIAN WEDDING?All I can say is that the show takes place in the last week of my summer, and I have had one
heckuva gay summer... and it's been amazing! I wouldn't have it any other way. The only way to do summer is the gay way! [
Laughs]
Follow Michael Lawrence Quintos on Twitter: @cre8ivemlq
To read Nikki's previous full interview, click HERE.Blonsky's NOH8 campaign photo by Adam Bouska/NOH8.-----
MY BIG GAY ITALIAN WEDDING, playing on August 26 and 27, 2011, is directed by Sonia Blangiardo and features choreography by J. Austin Eyer, costume design by Philip Heckman, and original music and lyrics by David James Boyd. Three-time Daytime Emmy Winner Anthony Wilkinson, the creator, writer and star of the show, will reprise his role as 'Anthony' for the Atlantic City run.
Shows are at 9pm at the Atlantic City Hilton Hotel Casino Resort in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Tickets start at $45 and are available on Ticketmaster.com or through the Hilton Hotel & Casino's box office at www.achcasinoresort.com. For more information visit www.BigGayItalianWedding.com
