Video: Nina West Is the Very Queen

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It's the Roundtable with me, Robert Bannon. Welcome to The Roundtable, everybody

My name is Robert Bannon, and you're watching us right here where Broadway gets its news on Broadway World

I'm so excited for you to be joining us here at the Roundtable. We're here every single Friday with the best of artists talking about art

our next guest is somebody who I love. I love 54 below

I love cabaret. I love drag. I love queer art. I love people who are just out here teaching the children how to love and accept one another

And that's what our next guest is all about. My name is Robert Bannon. I'm happy that you're here

If you like this show and you join us every single Friday, I'm so grateful for you

We're on the Broadway podcast network every single day. You can follow me at Robert M. Bannon on Instagram or go to YouTube, like comment and subscribe

and join us Thursday nights when we do live shows. It's such an honor to be here

I grew up watching Broadway World. I grew up loving our next year

Well, we're the same age, ish. But sometimes I pretend I'm younger

Nina West joins us stop by to say, hey, you know them as Nina

I know them as Andrew, but we all know them as super talented. Drag Christmas and a special cabaret coming

to 554 below is what we have on the agenda for this edition of the roundtable on Broadway

So our next guest came on the show last year, maybe two years ago. Nina West, Andrew, he was on tour with hairspray

I don't think Andrew, or as you know, Nina West ever sleeps

I think they're on All-Stars. I think they're at 54 below. I think there's like 64 dates in 12 days across this country

And then just decides for the fun and giggles of it all to do an entire drag Christmas tour

Nina West, I'm exhausted. Welcome back to the roundtable. Hi. I'm so excited to be back, Robert

Thanks for having me. Thank you. You know, since I saw you, we moved

I moved to Detroit, Michigan. I was born in Detroit, Michigan. So that's what I was going to say, like a Detroiter

And I've learned about the Coney dogs and Faygo soda and all of these weird

All you got, you get the o. Were you from recently? Are you from Wisconsin

Do you call it soda or pop? Well, I grew up calling it pop, and then I went to college in Ohio

This is a really weird story. I went to college in Ohio at a school that was predominantly populated by students from the East Coast

So then I learned how to say soda. So I just adjusted to soda because I was like, I'm not going to be the guy who's saying pop

So I grew up saying pop. Now I say soda. Or, you know, like if you're, but if you're from Atlanta, you know, you just say Coke

I want a Coke, I want a Coke. Everything's a Coke. A Sprite's a Coke, which I also had to learn

You know, I learned that my drag travels. But, like, you know, now it's like, yeah. I refuse

I'm not calling it pop. I'm a Jersey boy through and through. I'm never calling it. I'm just putting it out there, right

Soda. See, East Coast. It's soda. You are such a light and a joy

And especially as a teacher and educator and out educator at that, the work that you've done, your books

your advocacy, your music has been. and such an inspiration, talking about Ohio, the work you do in Ohio where you're from

and the foundation and the queer youth out here, thank you. Thank you for all that you do

Thanks so much. Thank you. You know, I feel like, and I think anyone can speak to this

I'm living my best life because I think I'm doing what I was born to do. I think I'm doing

what I was put on this planet to do. And sometimes that can be a really tough journey to

figure that out and figure out, oh my gosh, and still to this day, am I making a mistake? Am I, you know

like am I you're just like how are people going to receive this you just you stop and think but then

I'm also you know really blessed to have been able these last few years to just step into it and go

this is what I'm supposed to do I know this is what I'm supposed to do and so it makes a lot easier

when sometimes the roadblocks get in the way or sometimes like the day just doesn't go the way

you want it to and you just go you know but I'm meant to do this stuff figure this out I will

find the way they maneuver around this. So that makes the work a lot easier. So when I'm writing a children's book or I'm producing music and writing music

that is, oh, there's the book. Yeah. But when you're writing a children's book and you hear the world telling you that drag should not be in the space

I also intrinsically believe that queer parents and parents of queer children have the right

to raise their kids and their children the way that they're. they see fit and to protect them and to help inform them of valuable lessons that

every that are universal of kindness sharing joy self-acceptance i think all of the i think the message

i think the messenger is just as important as those messages and so um so like i have i just remind

myself and all these paths that i'm you know got my my hands in that like this is like this is

whatever it is divine um energy universe, this is where I'm supposed to be, and this is what I'm supposed to be doing

And not everyone's going to get it, and that's okay. You know, but I believe that I'm supposed to be doing

My voice is supposed to be one that people can hopefully cut through and hear through the noise

and finds a little bit of grace and hope. And again, joy

I keep coming back to that word because I think we need it now more than ever. Ever, ever

And that's why we love you. And we need to follow you. You're one of the few people who don't follow the Nina West

follow the Nina West at Nina West, I'm joking, I can't say the Nino West

but I want you to follow and make sure. You know, we talk about the children's book, and you alluded to it

It's a device of time for drag for queer people across the country, and you bring joy

and some excitement. I mean, you're like the drag queen of, you worked with Disney, you put out children's book

I mean, like, you are America's, like, I think of you as like a sandwich, like pop

Like, you are America's queen. You know, I'm, I will tell you like I actually working on the show for 54 below and the show that going to tour with some dates around the country And wow we want to that the we so good This is the show working on That me

So, but we're, you know, we're fine-tuning the writing. And actually right before I got to this interview

I was working with my director, Matt Lenz, we're kind of going through the script and kind of re-approaching some stories

And we talk in the show about my relationship with Disney and how important it is to me and how as a kid

I never, that it was going to happen for me. I never thought it was going to happen for me

And so I take it so seriously. You know, in all the fun, I take the fun so seriously

It's so important to me that people can come and see me doing this work that I'm very honored to do

I'm very grateful that Disney has, you know, has worked with me and has collaborated with me and has celebrated what I do

because I think that's really pretty special. And, you know, hopefully just allows people wherever they may be to be like, yeah, there's still

I can see myself here. And seeing, as you know, as an educator, when people see themselves, they actually embrace themselves

You know, if you don't see yourself in the world, you don't, you can't visualize a dream

You can't visualize a future. And that is, I mean, that's so, like, integral and instrumental in keeping specifically, queer kids

LGBTQI plus youth alive and getting them to the next chapter, the next phases of their life

Queer kids deserve a dream too. And I think that, you know, like, I think my friends at Disney are seeing that

I think, you know, my friends at Nickelodeon are seeing that. Publishers of books and people who are working in pop culture, sure, it's divisive

And sure, that noise is so loud. But, you know, we as consumers get to, you know, put our money where we want the things that we believe in

And I think that there's, we're seeing a lot of buying power in, you know, LGBTQI plus stories and LGBTQI plus affirmative messaging

I needed you when I was a kid because that, it's so powerful. It's so important more than ever to be able to see in what you're doing

It really is divine work. And that's why we love you all here so much. You are coming to 54 below

I was reading about your show. You can get to get to my favorite place. I always say on the show, get the Caesar salad, get a little drink

You have a little moment. A moment. I like the guacamole with the little plantain chips

Giacomole with the plantain chips. 54Below.org. You're there two nights. It's Broadway's living room

Is there a better place? There's not a bad seat in the house. I am literally, it's a dream come true to be doing 54 below

I did a show there in December of last year with a fellow Denison graduate

but I went to Denison University here in Ohio. And I just had the time of my life

I just had the time of my life. And so when I was there, they said, what you wanted to do

A show here on your own. I said, oh my God. It is Broadway's living room, right

You know, it's like, it is the place where people go to try out new material to do a solo show

a solo concert. I've seen John Tartaglia there. I've seen Christine Ebersoll there

I have seen, I mean, like, I love this venue. And it's sacred to you. us as actors, as performers, as theater kids

And I can't believe I'm doing it. And I've got some great special guests

Matt Lens, like I said, is directing. Lon Hoyt is my music director

I have two surprised guests, one for each night that I'm not sharing just yet

But I'm just really excited to share this story of the very queen and what it means right now

in this time with these wonderful artists at this iconic, iconic location

So New York, please come out and come. Yes. See us. Come see the show

54Below.org. Get your tickets. Go to Nina West on Instagram or the website

and you can get your link to your tickets as well. I read the PR release about the show

And like there's some songs and stories, but like there are songs that we know

Like you're singing some famous, famous, fun numbers in the show. Well, yeah

So the show, I mean, so like, we are. The show has more

a lot. You know, I did, I did some, what we'd like to call out-of-town trial with my show in

Provincetown last month. I did a few nights there, and I wanted to see what the audience response

was going to be. And we went back, we came back here. I live in Ohio. And so I came back to Ohio

with my music director, Q. Jones, also known as Greta Goodbottom. She's my drag daughter

but she's a brilliant pianist. And when we came back and we really have worked and fine-tuned things

and I worked with my long time writer and collaborator Patricia Taylor, and we just kind of tried to find these rhythms and these stories

And so the songs are all parts of, you know, different moments in my life

Pieces from The Little Mermaid, pieces from, I don't want to give way too much

but, you know, like we've got original music in there. We have, you know, The Very Queen, which is a song that I co-wrote with my friend Mark Myers

That's a spoof, a parody of Gilbert and Sullivan, Modern Major General

which lists all 210 drag queens who ever walked into the worker removal

All is drag race, right? That's in the show, and I'm doing it live, and I have no anxiety about it

You know, there's original pieces in it. There's a very special song on the show

that I've done for the last several years with my friends at Disney and with Alan Mencken

and so we're going to do it here in the 54-Blow show that I love so much

and obviously some music from Shaman and Whitman. And, you know, I think what I love about Broadway

I think what attracted me to Broadway is a queer kid. Hey, a hairspray

What attracted me to Broadway, I think, to Broadway is that I found people who are like me

And I think a lot of those names that I've said, you know, like Howard Ashman

Mark Shaman, Mark Shaman, these queer influences, that plays a big part into the storytelling of the show

And I think celebrating, uplifting those voices. And you know I guess being a part of this this fabric of this community means like I a big sentimental kid Like I am And if you would have told me five years ago that I would be doing a show of 54 below I be like you lying

That's not true. It's too hard to happen. It won't happen for me

I'm past my prime. You know, and here we are, you know, and it's happening

And my whole life has been a whirlwind. I've been working doing this thing for 25 years in and out of drag

again, to just have this ability to tell these stories and share these songs and do it

in Broadway's living room. It's just, it's a dream come true. I know, next stop, Broadway, you know

Yes, come on. It's got to help. You work, so you're talking about, listen, so humble, okay, superstar, drag performer, singer

tours, the whole gamut, music out. And then you say, oh, I don't know if I'm

I could be past my time. It's not going to happen. When you look at your routing, when you look at your tour list

you are all across this country. You're coming to Canada. You have the show

There's multiple shows. You're doing Halloween shows. You're doing this show around places

You are then going to the Christmas tour. Like you, you keep Mac in business here with the makeup and the drag

Yes. You are working. Yeah. Well, you know, I mean, before drag race

you know, I think for so many of us, drag is a hustle. You know, I grew up in a gay bar hustling

I do a show and I would see if I could pick up any other shows using the same face I had already put on that night

to just maximize my income because it's like, you know, drag queens are, we don't have a union

We are terribly underpaid. Hey, that's me. So, like, you know, I was, you know, when I started

I was just hustling, but I also kind of come from that

that's just in my nature. I want to work. I love working

And my work is so personal. And I have found ways to make, you know, like

I've told these stories to myself and to others of why it's important to me

which keeps me moving and keeps me working. And, yeah, I mean, I would be really miserable if I was, for me

I just don't like downtime. So, yeah, give me the Halloween show

What can I do for Halloween? What can I make work? Is it going to be a Beetlejuice theme

Is it going to be a Wednesday theme? Is it going to, like, what am I going to be doing? Right? And then let's pick up and then do the very queen in Columbus, which is happening, right

We sold out all of our shows and we're going to be a homecoming. And then it's going on Christmas tour for two months

And it's like, okay, great, shifting our focus. So, like, actually, while I'm writing the show, I've written a Christmas song for the tour

We're doing fittings for the Christmas tour. we're, we're, I have fittings to finalize for the very queen in New York City and at Basser

which is, which by this time will have happened. And then looking into 2025, right

We're doing a production of the Little Mermaid or not the Little Mermaid. Oh my gosh

See, like, that's my brain is. We're doing it into the woods where, yeah, a charity production in Columbus where I'm going

to be the witch, which is a dream come true. Again, I don't know if, again, I mean, I say all these things, like, I believe I'm

deserving of these things. Like, it's like, I can't believe. I don't know. It's going to happen

believe I'm deserving of these things. But like oftentimes queer people, you know, we hear that

it's just not for you. And so, or, you know, drag queens, it's just not for you. And so you kind of

that hearing it so many times, you can't help but sometimes like, you know, psychosomatically just

think it may just not be for me. And like instead of working myself up to like, oh, I really hope

And like having this disappointment wash over me just like accept. But then I've also learned

right, the other half of Andrew or Nina is that, you know, You know, like, who cares if people say no, I keep knocking on doors

And I believe in the power of speaking things into the world and speaking things into existence

Telling the world, I want to work with the Muppets. Three years later, five years later, ten years later, however long it took, I was working with the Muppets

And working, singing with Kermit the Frog, that doesn't happen to everybody

And I have to stop and take a step back and go, okay, I'm lucky, I'm privileged

And like, what, and like, how do I continue to build this momentum of, I've accomplished in my dreams and hopefully being a walking example that this can happen for anybody

There's, you know, like, how can that happen? So I'm a rambler, but I believe in the power of speaking it into the universe and I'm positive

manifestation and affirmation. And I think that people need to hear that because when you turn on the TV and you hear all

these, this noise, which and you've got to cut through the noise and you've got to figure out

how can I live my best life. And it's more than just, I mean, like, there's a lot to it

One just saying, I wish, it's not looking at a wishing star and hoping someone's going to come in and, you know, like a fairy governor

and just kind of anoint you. It's much more than that. And part of that belief in the magic also, I think, helps propel me

You know, I believe that there's a magic. I believe that we are divinely, you know, connected all of us

however that might be. And, you know, like, we're all connected in someone. And so I respect that

And I try to understand that though we might differ, how can we all, you know, have, where are our commonalities

But also how do I stand up for my difference? How do I stand up and speak out for my, for who I am and for who people like me are

That's why Nina West is the nicest drag queen in the whole entire world. Oh, thank you

And my goal in life is the same with Kermit the Frog, and I came up with a plan while we were talking

If I comb my hair over, I can be Andrew Nina West

There's a way that we look like we're related. I think so

Oh, my God. You can be my brother. And I could just go in and be like, Kermit, this is Nina

I can't do makeup. I can't do makeup. Sure can I. Don't read it, but neither can I

Yes. Well, if you've seen Nina West on All Stars and Drag Race, which you just had an epic run

And why I was so, when you went back on, I was like, not Nina West back on all stories

because Nina West is a legendary queen. Thanks. Came in and tore things apart The books the recordings the 54 below show the Halloween all the things But like you said you going on a Christmas tour Those dates also across this entire country from New York to L and everywhere in between

a drag queen Christmas hosted by Nita West with an all-star lineup of Queens

So my fiance is the president, is the, it runs Motor City Pride here in Detroit

Yes. He goes every, he's the entertainment coordinator and he goes every year

to a drag queen Christmas. I called him and I said to him

Nina West is coming on my show again and we are going to go

November to the Fisher Theater. And we will be out and about

because I've never seen Nina West. We open, we open in Detroit, Michigan

So it's every single season we open to Detroit, Michigan, which is kind of fabulous

at the Fisher Theater. Dragfans.com. That's where you get your tickets. Dragfans.com

Tickets are selling mad. The lineup is insane. I don't know who exactly is on the lineup in Detroit

but the lineup includes throughout the country on the tour, Sasha Colby, Jimbo, Brooklyn Heights, Plasma

Safira, Plain Jane. You know, it's a crazy lineup. And what I love about this show is

that it does bring all of these queens from television into your city for, I think, the most magical time of the year

Regardless of what you celebrate or if you don't celebrate, it is a wonderful time of year to get everyone together

to go to the theater and see a wonderful drag show. And a lot of times when we're meeting people after the show

or before the show at the meet and greet, they're saying, yeah, this is like, oh, we go to the Nutcracker

we come to a drag queen Christmas. This is our family outing for the holidays

And it's also really cool, I will say, to be able to tour around the country during that time of year

and see how regionally everyone celebrates and how, you know, and there's like where people put a pop-up holiday shops and stands

It's just wonderful. It's a wonderful ability to tour during this time of year

And it's a great group of people, and it's a great show. So hopefully you won't miss it

I'll be there. Yeah. You better be there. If you're in New York, you need to go to 54 below

You. I'm gonna send you some pop and a coney dog when you're in Detroit and give you a big hug, Nina West

Yeah, bago. Bego. That's right. I also learned what a burner soda ginger ale

Vernon. Vernor's ginger ale. Burner's ginger ale. Do you not like it

It's good. It tastes not like ginger ale, but it's good. I'm going to get kicked out of the city

It's really like, it's burners, I believe, is burning, right? It's like, right

Ginger. I love that. I'm going to bring you a basket of burners

A very Midwest. I love that. Do you want diet or regular? Give me the full throttle

full strength diet ginger ale. No. No. I'll see you at the Fisher Theater in November

with a six pack of burners ginger rail. Okay. Listen, we're going to follow Nina West

wherever you are on social media. We're going to stream the music. You put out other Christmas music

You put out original music albums are out. We're going to stream. We're going to read the book. going to buy the book, we're going to give it to our friends

Then we're going to make sure we're in New York, we're going to go to 54 below. And wherever Nina West is going to be, we are going to see if it's Halloween, if it's Christmas

if it's a regular show, if it's pride, if it's whatever you're doing. Thank you. We're going to follow the Nina West

So everyone go to 54Below.org, get your tickets. Go to dragfans.com. If you're around this country, get your tickets to celebrate Christmas and follow, follow, follow

No buttons work here. Follow Nina West. I follow. I'll be following

We follow because we're fans. And I thank you for what you do. You're so sweet and kind and you really give a lot of love and joy to so many people that are allies that are part of this community

You just are the light, Nina West. Well, I think it takes us all to shine that light

And so for everyone who's ever uplifted me or who continues to shine their light, I mean, thank you for inspiring me to keep pushing forward

And just as a reminder, you can do it too. This is not anything unique that happens just for one person

And so any way that I can help lift other people up and find their truth, their calling, their joy

that's what I think we're all here to do. And so I'm just here to do my little part. Now I'm going to go to listen to The Little Mermaid in honor of you

and be ready for your show. Jody Benson, who I love, the best

I don't know why I just had to break down a Jody Benson love best, but she is like the best

want to ever, if it's like, talk about meeting a hero. I got to meet, I don't know, this interview is over and here I am going, but Jody

Benson, let me just end it with Jody Benson. She did this show when her book came out

And I just took 15 minutes to just kind of stare. I just want to, she's so beautiful and so sweet

And she's my childhood. She's become a good friend of mine. And I didn't think that that was ever a reality

But what the truth is, is that she's like the real deal

She is so loving. and so caring and so invested. Her kids are incredible

Her husband is amazing. These are just really good people who are really motivated, I think

by just, I think, again, trying to just make a positive impact on people's lives and do good

And she is like the walking example of that. So it just is like a little mermaid

Love Fess, Judy Benson. Follow Chudy Benson on social media. That's it

Thank you so much for being here. I'm going to go pick up my kids now. I appreciate you very much

Bye, Robert. Bye. There you have it. How much do we love Nina West

We love you being here with us. We love the Broadway World family. We love everything about the roundtable

We love you for being supportive and showing love every single day that we've done this show

We've been doing it here for a while. We've been doing it on YouTube and Broadway Podcast Network. Like I said, you want to follow more information about me or you want to watch more of these interviews

Oh, Lord in heaven. You can go to Robertbannon.com or follow me at Robert and Bannon on Instagram

I thank you so much for being here. There is so much joy, there is so much love, there is so much goodness and acceptance out there

We just sometimes have to look for it and find it. And sometimes we have to be it for ourselves

So the best is always yet to come, and I thank you for being here. Thank you, Broadway, World Family, and I'll see you next time right here on the Roundtable

Bye, everybody