Video: Nina West Is the Very Queen
Sep 17, 2024
She does it all! Broadway, records, TV, All-Stars! Nina West is here! Our buddy Andrew Levitt aka Nina West is here to talk about a boatload of amazing projects on the way!.Nina is back in NYC and coming to 54 Below. Watch in this video!
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Are you ready
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It's the Roundtable with me, Robert Bannon. Welcome to The Roundtable, everybody
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My name is Robert Bannon, and you're watching us right here where Broadway gets its news on Broadway World
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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
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our next guest is somebody who I love. I love 54 below
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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
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And that's what our next guest is all about. My name is Robert Bannon. I'm happy that you're here
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If you like this show and you join us every single Friday, I'm so grateful for you
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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
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and join us Thursday nights when we do live shows. It's such an honor to be here
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I grew up watching Broadway World. I grew up loving our next year
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Well, we're the same age, ish. But sometimes I pretend I'm younger
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Nina West joins us stop by to say, hey, you know them as Nina
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I know them as Andrew, but we all know them as super talented. Drag Christmas and a special cabaret coming
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to 554 below is what we have on the agenda for this edition of the roundtable on Broadway
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So our next guest came on the show last year, maybe two years ago. Nina West, Andrew, he was on tour with hairspray
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I don't think Andrew, or as you know, Nina West ever sleeps
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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
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And then just decides for the fun and giggles of it all to do an entire drag Christmas tour
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Nina West, I'm exhausted. Welcome back to the roundtable. Hi. I'm so excited to be back, Robert
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Thanks for having me. Thank you. You know, since I saw you, we moved
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I moved to Detroit, Michigan. I was born in Detroit, Michigan. So that's what I was going to say, like a Detroiter
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And I've learned about the Coney dogs and Faygo soda and all of these weird
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All you got, you get the o. Were you from recently? Are you from Wisconsin
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Do you call it soda or pop? Well, I grew up calling it pop, and then I went to college in Ohio
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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
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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
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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
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I want a Coke, I want a Coke. Everything's a Coke. A Sprite's a Coke, which I also had to learn
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You know, I learned that my drag travels. But, like, you know, now it's like, yeah. I refuse
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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
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Soda. See, East Coast. It's soda. You are such a light and a joy
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And especially as a teacher and educator and out educator at that, the work that you've done, your books
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your advocacy, your music has been. and such an inspiration, talking about Ohio, the work you do in Ohio where you're from
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and the foundation and the queer youth out here, thank you. Thank you for all that you do
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Thanks so much. Thank you. You know, I feel like, and I think anyone can speak to this
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I'm living my best life because I think I'm doing what I was born to do. I think I'm doing
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what I was put on this planet to do. And sometimes that can be a really tough journey to
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figure that out and figure out, oh my gosh, and still to this day, am I making a mistake? Am I, you know
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like am I you're just like how are people going to receive this you just you stop and think but then
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I'm also you know really blessed to have been able these last few years to just step into it and go
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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
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when sometimes the roadblocks get in the way or sometimes like the day just doesn't go the way
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you want it to and you just go you know but I'm meant to do this stuff figure this out I will
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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
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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
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I also intrinsically believe that queer parents and parents of queer children have the right
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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
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every that are universal of kindness sharing joy self-acceptance i think all of the i think the message
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i think the messenger is just as important as those messages and so um so like i have i just remind
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myself and all these paths that i'm you know got my my hands in that like this is like this is
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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
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And not everyone's going to get it, and that's okay. You know, but I believe that I'm supposed to be doing
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My voice is supposed to be one that people can hopefully cut through and hear through the noise
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and finds a little bit of grace and hope. And again, joy
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I keep coming back to that word because I think we need it now more than ever. Ever, ever
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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
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follow the Nina West at Nina West, I'm joking, I can't say the Nino West
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but I want you to follow and make sure. You know, we talk about the children's book, and you alluded to it
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It's a device of time for drag for queer people across the country, and you bring joy
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and some excitement. I mean, you're like the drag queen of, you worked with Disney, you put out children's book
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I mean, like, you are America's, like, I think of you as like a sandwich, like pop
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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
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So, but we're, you know, we're fine-tuning the writing. And actually right before I got to this interview
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I was working with my director, Matt Lenz, we're kind of going through the script and kind of re-approaching some stories
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And we talk in the show about my relationship with Disney and how important it is to me and how as a kid
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I never, that it was going to happen for me. I never thought it was going to happen for me
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And so I take it so seriously. You know, in all the fun, I take the fun so seriously
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It's so important to me that people can come and see me doing this work that I'm very honored to do
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I'm very grateful that Disney has, you know, has worked with me and has collaborated with me and has celebrated what I do
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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
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I can see myself here. And seeing, as you know, as an educator, when people see themselves, they actually embrace themselves
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You know, if you don't see yourself in the world, you don't, you can't visualize a dream
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You can't visualize a future. And that is, I mean, that's so, like, integral and instrumental in keeping specifically, queer kids
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LGBTQI plus youth alive and getting them to the next chapter, the next phases of their life
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Queer kids deserve a dream too. And I think that, you know, like, I think my friends at Disney are seeing that
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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
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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
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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
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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
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It really is divine work. And that's why we love you all here so much. You are coming to 54 below
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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
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You have a little moment. A moment. I like the guacamole with the little plantain chips
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Giacomole with the plantain chips. 54Below.org. You're there two nights. It's Broadway's living room
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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
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I did a show there in December of last year with a fellow Denison graduate
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but I went to Denison University here in Ohio. And I just had the time of my life
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I just had the time of my life. And so when I was there, they said, what you wanted to do
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A show here on your own. I said, oh my God. It is Broadway's living room, right
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You know, it's like, it is the place where people go to try out new material to do a solo show
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a solo concert. I've seen John Tartaglia there. I've seen Christine Ebersoll there
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I have seen, I mean, like, I love this venue. And it's sacred to you. us as actors, as performers, as theater kids
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And I can't believe I'm doing it. And I've got some great special guests
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Matt Lens, like I said, is directing. Lon Hoyt is my music director
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I have two surprised guests, one for each night that I'm not sharing just yet
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But I'm just really excited to share this story of the very queen and what it means right now
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in this time with these wonderful artists at this iconic, iconic location
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So New York, please come out and come. Yes. See us. Come see the show
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54Below.org. Get your tickets. Go to Nina West on Instagram or the website
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and you can get your link to your tickets as well. I read the PR release about the show
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And like there's some songs and stories, but like there are songs that we know
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Like you're singing some famous, famous, fun numbers in the show. Well, yeah
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So the show, I mean, so like, we are. The show has more
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a lot. You know, I did, I did some, what we'd like to call out-of-town trial with my show in
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Provincetown last month. I did a few nights there, and I wanted to see what the audience response
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was going to be. And we went back, we came back here. I live in Ohio. And so I came back to Ohio
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with my music director, Q. Jones, also known as Greta Goodbottom. She's my drag daughter
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but she's a brilliant pianist. And when we came back and we really have worked and fine-tuned things
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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
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And so the songs are all parts of, you know, different moments in my life
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Pieces from The Little Mermaid, pieces from, I don't want to give way too much
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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
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That's a spoof, a parody of Gilbert and Sullivan, Modern Major General
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which lists all 210 drag queens who ever walked into the worker removal
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All is drag race, right? That's in the show, and I'm doing it live, and I have no anxiety about it
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You know, there's original pieces in it. There's a very special song on the show
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that I've done for the last several years with my friends at Disney and with Alan Mencken
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and so we're going to do it here in the 54-Blow show that I love so much
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and obviously some music from Shaman and Whitman. And, you know, I think what I love about Broadway
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I think what attracted me to Broadway is a queer kid. Hey, a hairspray
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What attracted me to Broadway, I think, to Broadway is that I found people who are like me
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And I think a lot of those names that I've said, you know, like Howard Ashman
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Mark Shaman, Mark Shaman, these queer influences, that plays a big part into the storytelling of the show
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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
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That's not true. It's too hard to happen. It won't happen for me
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I'm past my prime. You know, and here we are, you know, and it's happening
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And my whole life has been a whirlwind. I've been working doing this thing for 25 years in and out of drag
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again, to just have this ability to tell these stories and share these songs and do it
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in Broadway's living room. It's just, it's a dream come true. I know, next stop, Broadway, you know
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Yes, come on. It's got to help. You work, so you're talking about, listen, so humble, okay, superstar, drag performer, singer
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tours, the whole gamut, music out. And then you say, oh, I don't know if I'm
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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
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you are all across this country. You're coming to Canada. You have the show
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There's multiple shows. You're doing Halloween shows. You're doing this show around places
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You are then going to the Christmas tour. Like you, you keep Mac in business here with the makeup and the drag
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Yes. You are working. Yeah. Well, you know, I mean, before drag race
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you know, I think for so many of us, drag is a hustle. You know, I grew up in a gay bar hustling
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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
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to just maximize my income because it's like, you know, drag queens are, we don't have a union
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We are terribly underpaid. Hey, that's me. So, like, you know, I was, you know, when I started
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I was just hustling, but I also kind of come from that
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that's just in my nature. I want to work. I love working
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And my work is so personal. And I have found ways to make, you know, like
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I've told these stories to myself and to others of why it's important to me
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which keeps me moving and keeps me working. And, yeah, I mean, I would be really miserable if I was, for me
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I just don't like downtime. So, yeah, give me the Halloween show
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What can I do for Halloween? What can I make work? Is it going to be a Beetlejuice theme
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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
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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
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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
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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
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which is, which by this time will have happened. And then looking into 2025, right
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We're doing a production of the Little Mermaid or not the Little Mermaid. Oh my gosh
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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
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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
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deserving of these things. Like, it's like, I can't believe. I don't know. It's going to happen
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believe I'm deserving of these things. But like oftentimes queer people, you know, we hear that
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it's just not for you. And so, or, you know, drag queens, it's just not for you. And so you kind of
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that hearing it so many times, you can't help but sometimes like, you know, psychosomatically just
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think it may just not be for me. And like instead of working myself up to like, oh, I really hope
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And like having this disappointment wash over me just like accept. But then I've also learned
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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
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And I believe in the power of speaking things into the world and speaking things into existence
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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
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And working, singing with Kermit the Frog, that doesn't happen to everybody
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And I have to stop and take a step back and go, okay, I'm lucky, I'm privileged
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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
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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
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manifestation and affirmation. And I think that people need to hear that because when you turn on the TV and you hear all
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these, this noise, which and you've got to cut through the noise and you've got to figure out
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how can I live my best life. And it's more than just, I mean, like, there's a lot to it
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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
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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
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You know, I believe that there's a magic. I believe that we are divinely, you know, connected all of us
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however that might be. And, you know, like, we're all connected in someone. And so I respect that
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And I try to understand that though we might differ, how can we all, you know, have, where are our commonalities
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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
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That's why Nina West is the nicest drag queen in the whole entire world. Oh, thank you
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And my goal in life is the same with Kermit the Frog, and I came up with a plan while we were talking
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If I comb my hair over, I can be Andrew Nina West
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There's a way that we look like we're related. I think so
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Oh, my God. You can be my brother. And I could just go in and be like, Kermit, this is Nina
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I can't do makeup. I can't do makeup. Sure can I. Don't read it, but neither can I
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Yes. Well, if you've seen Nina West on All Stars and Drag Race, which you just had an epic run
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And why I was so, when you went back on, I was like, not Nina West back on all stories
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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
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a drag queen Christmas hosted by Nita West with an all-star lineup of Queens
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So my fiance is the president, is the, it runs Motor City Pride here in Detroit
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Yes. He goes every, he's the entertainment coordinator and he goes every year
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to a drag queen Christmas. I called him and I said to him
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Nina West is coming on my show again and we are going to go
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November to the Fisher Theater. And we will be out and about
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because I've never seen Nina West. We open, we open in Detroit, Michigan
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So it's every single season we open to Detroit, Michigan, which is kind of fabulous
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at the Fisher Theater. Dragfans.com. That's where you get your tickets. Dragfans.com
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Tickets are selling mad. The lineup is insane. I don't know who exactly is on the lineup in Detroit
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but the lineup includes throughout the country on the tour, Sasha Colby, Jimbo, Brooklyn Heights, Plasma
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Safira, Plain Jane. You know, it's a crazy lineup. And what I love about this show is
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that it does bring all of these queens from television into your city for, I think, the most magical time of the year
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Regardless of what you celebrate or if you don't celebrate, it is a wonderful time of year to get everyone together
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to go to the theater and see a wonderful drag show. And a lot of times when we're meeting people after the show
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or before the show at the meet and greet, they're saying, yeah, this is like, oh, we go to the Nutcracker
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we come to a drag queen Christmas. This is our family outing for the holidays
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And it's also really cool, I will say, to be able to tour around the country during that time of year
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and see how regionally everyone celebrates and how, you know, and there's like where people put a pop-up holiday shops and stands
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It's just wonderful. It's a wonderful ability to tour during this time of year
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And it's a great group of people, and it's a great show. So hopefully you won't miss it
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I'll be there. Yeah. You better be there. If you're in New York, you need to go to 54 below
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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
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Yeah, bago. Bego. That's right. I also learned what a burner soda ginger ale
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Vernon. Vernor's ginger ale. Burner's ginger ale. Do you not like it
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It's good. It tastes not like ginger ale, but it's good. I'm going to get kicked out of the city
22:18
It's really like, it's burners, I believe, is burning, right? It's like, right
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Ginger. I love that. I'm going to bring you a basket of burners
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A very Midwest. I love that. Do you want diet or regular? Give me the full throttle
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full strength diet ginger ale. No. No. I'll see you at the Fisher Theater in November
22:40
with a six pack of burners ginger rail. Okay. Listen, we're going to follow Nina West
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wherever you are on social media. We're going to stream the music. You put out other Christmas music
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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
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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
23:05
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
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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
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No buttons work here. Follow Nina West. I follow. I'll be following
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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
23:37
You just are the light, Nina West. Well, I think it takes us all to shine that light
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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
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And just as a reminder, you can do it too. This is not anything unique that happens just for one person
23:54
And so any way that I can help lift other people up and find their truth, their calling, their joy
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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
24:07
and be ready for your show. Jody Benson, who I love, the best
24:14
I don't know why I just had to break down a Jody Benson love best, but she is like the best
24:20
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
24:27
Benson, let me just end it with Jody Benson. She did this show when her book came out
24:33
And I just took 15 minutes to just kind of stare. I just want to, she's so beautiful and so sweet
24:39
And she's my childhood. She's become a good friend of mine. And I didn't think that that was ever a reality
24:45
But what the truth is, is that she's like the real deal
24:48
She is so loving. and so caring and so invested. Her kids are incredible
24:54
Her husband is amazing. These are just really good people who are really motivated, I think
25:01
by just, I think, again, trying to just make a positive impact on people's lives and do good
25:07
And she is like the walking example of that. So it just is like a little mermaid
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Love Fess, Judy Benson. Follow Chudy Benson on social media. That's it
25:15
Thank you so much for being here. I'm going to go pick up my kids now. I appreciate you very much
25:20
Bye, Robert. Bye. There you have it. How much do we love Nina West
25:26
We love you being here with us. We love the Broadway World family. We love everything about the roundtable
25:31
We love you for being supportive and showing love every single day that we've done this show
25:36
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
25:45
Oh, Lord in heaven. You can go to Robertbannon.com or follow me at Robert and Bannon on Instagram
25:50
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
25:55
We just sometimes have to look for it and find it. And sometimes we have to be it for ourselves
25:58
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
26:04
Bye, everybody
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