♪ And when you're old like 32 ♪
♪ You'll all remember Jamie New ♪
♪ The kid who learned to fly ♪
- The hit West End musical,
"Everybody's Talking About Jamie"
just made its U.S. debut in Los Angeles.
In the show,
Roy Haylock plays Hugo AKA Loco Chanelle,
the mentor to young drag queen, Jamie.
Haylock is best known as Bianca Del Rio,
winner of "RuPaul's Drag Race," season six.
Paul Wontorek caught up with Bianca
to talk about the musical,
designing costumes, dream roles, and a whole lot more.
- Bianca Del Rio.
Look at you, you're backstage at a theater, I can tell.
- I'm very fancy.
I'm at a theater here
called the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles
doing, "Everybody's Talking About Jamie."
So this is not my dressing room, don't get excited.
This is the "green room" that I'm in.
- Everyone knows you as the legendary drag superstar
but you're really a theater kid under all of it.
And I know that's sort of where this all started for you.
So what is it like to be in the run of a show?
- Oh, it's amazing.
First of all, "legendary" also makes me feel old.
So I appreciate that.
But, it's one of these things where,
you know, it kind of comes full circle.
Cause' I started out in theater, which is what led to drag
and now getting this opportunity
to be a part of the show which has been amazing.
This is my third installment in the show.
Cause I've done it in the West End.
I did it on a tour then, now here.
It's nice to be a part of a company
it's nice to be a part of a cast
it's nice to have someone else's words to say.
So there's not as much responsibility
as it is when you're writing, directing,
producing your own stuff.
So it's kind of like a leisure moment for me.
You know, I get to revel in the luxury
of being on stage with some brilliantly talented folks.
- Whenever I've seen artists in situations like this,
like, well, are we billing this as
Bianca starring in this or Roy starring in this,
but it's Roy slash Bianca playing Hugo slash Loco.
- Yes, because I do play ... - Lot of slashes
- A lot of slashes going on here, but you know,
my thing is whatever's gonna sell tickets.
So, for me, in the end
it's one of those things where,
the show in particular,
I start out the show out of drag then I get in drag,
and then I'm out of drag again.
So it's one of those moments where
there's a lot more Roy slash Hugo.
Than there is Bianca slash Loco Chanel.
So, it is one of those moments where
I'm doing a little more out of drag
than I would normally do.
But it's just a brilliantly written part
and you know, as I said, it's
it's been a whirlwind to get to do it, perform it,
actually getting to bring it to America has been,
you know, surreal.
- So did teen Roy at West Jefferson High School
get to do musical theater?
- Oh God yes! I did the costumes,
I did the sets, I did it all.
I was doing everything but directing,
but I was directing in my own mind,
but yeah, that's kind of where it started,
I was in high school,
and it was that kind of a thing
where it just made sense, you know?
And then I had all the makings to be a drag queen
cause I was doing everyone's hair,
everyone's makeup, everyone's costume.
And it just kind of snowballed from there.
- I also know that when you came to New York,
one of the first things I learned about you was that
you worked at Barbara Matera...
- Yes!
- LTD, which is like a legendary..
- Yes!
- Broadway costume shop.
- Yeah. I mean, how lucky, I mean,
it was one of those things,
cause I was always involved in costumes
and when I moved to New York I started at 890 Broadway,
Barbara Matera was on the fifth floor and you know,
it was one of those surreal moments where
everything was created there.
That was always my passion was doing costumes.
So I would do costumes during the day,
and then I would do my drag at night and,
and work at the bars, it was one of those things,
as you know, living in New York
you're doing what you gotta do to pay the rent.
- Did you ever get to like put on
the Elphaba costume yourself?
- Well you know, we didn't make Elphaba,
- we made Morrible so I... - Morrible!
- Morrible, that's good casting.
- Of course it is!
Oh yeah hopefully the movie is watching.
We did Morrible and I definitely had on Morrible
many, many times.
- Do you have Broadway dreams, of appearing on Broadway?
- Always. Always.
If it anybody's listening.
Yeah. Always have it.
You know? And it's one of those things where
I don't say no to much as I've said,
but I'm open to any of it.
Please sign me up any day, sign me up.
- I have thought of some amazing roles you could play.
- Oh God.
- And I would love, I would love to do a little
"who'd you rather" like,
- Okay - I'm gonna give you
- two options okay?
- Perfect.
- And I have them in categories.
- Okay.
- So the first category is: 1920s party girls.
We have Mame Dennis in "Mame"
or Velma Kelly in "Chicago."
- I think at my age I'd have to be Mame
cause I'm no Chita Rivera and I can't kick that high.
You know, I have to be the nurturing older one.
And if Lucy did Mame, I could do it with my voice.
So that's good.
Yes. I could do it, yeah.
- Miss Hannigan in "Annie"
or Mrs. Lovett in "Sweeney Todd."
- Oh, you're killing me with this.
I would, I like both.
I like both because they're both demented.
I'll take a risk here, I would say Hannigan
only because I could be mean to children.
- A pair of Patti parts, Eva Peron in "Evita"
or Mama Rose in "Gypsy."
- See, I think I look more like an Evita
but I think I'm more appropriate for Mama Rose.
You know the battle act scene
mother that's pushing her children to the front.
I think, yeah, I would,
I would take Mama Rose over Eva Perón.
- These two are total animals.
Grizabella in "Cats" or Ursula in "The Little Mermaid."
- Oh Ursula. I gotta be Ursula.
I'm allergic to cats.
Can't do it, can't do it.
I'm allergic to real cats.
Not the production.
- The final one, this might be the hardest.
- Okay.
- Greatest stars of all,
Norma Desmond in "Sunset Boulevard."
or a Dolly Levi in "Hello, Dolly!"
- Norma Desmond, without a doubt.
Norma Desmond is my thing.
Yes, yes.
But, staircase worries me,
and you have to eat all of those things,
which is challenging.
So, I would say Norma Desmond because
I can honestly say that I am
a woman who wears a little too much makeup
and in denial and does roam around my house in a turban.
So, I'm a shoo-in.