Stark County native sees Edna role in ‘Hairspray’ as ‘greatest gift’

For Andrew Levitt, a native of Greentown, Ohio, near North Canton, playing the iconic role of Edna in "Hairspray" is the perfect marriage of his drag queen and theater backgrounds.

Audiences will get to see him in all his Edna glory Tuesday and Wednesday when the Tony Award-winning musical's national tour lands at E.J. Thomas Hall for the Broadway in Akron series.

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Edna Turnblad, the mother of plus-sized heroine Tracy, is an agoraphobe who has spent 20 years inside due to her self-consciousness being an "ample American." All that changes when the bubbly Tracy gets on the Corny Collins show as a teen dancer and leads the charge to racially integrate the TV show, enlisting her mother's help as her agent.

In the process, the lovable Edna gets a big makeover, finds her voice and re-enters society. The iconic drag role was first played by drag queen Divine in John Waters' 1988 "Hairspray" movie and then by Harvey Fierstein in the Broadway musical, which premiered in 2002.

"I wanted to honor their legacy," said Levitt, who cited Fierstein as a role model in the theater world and for the work he's done on behalf of the LGBTQ community. 

Levitt, who is gay, is an advocate for the LGBTQIA community. He started his own Nina West Foundation at the Columbus Foundation in 2015 to serve LGBTQIA+ organizations and causes.

The performer, who was bit by the musical theater bug in high school, credits his beloved choir teacher, the late Kathy Ringley, for getting him involved in theater. She drove Levitt, a 1997 Canton Central Catholic High School graduate, to his first audition ever at the Players Guild in Canton, where he landed his first part in "A Christmas Carol."

"She was the person who really kind of opened the door for me to be able to pursue theater," said Levitt, 43. "It was a welcomed voice."

He went on to study theater at Denison University in Granville, Ohio. His parents live in Columbus and his sister remains in the North Canton area. 

"I went to Denison, and then 9/11 happened and I decided to stay in Columbus" instead of move to New York for theater, said Levitt, speaking by phone March 30 from the "Hairspray" tour in Pensacola, Florida.

That decision led to Levitt starting his drag queen career as the glamorous Nina West in Columbus in 2001. He's performed as Nina West across the country and done regional theater for the last two decades. 

The performer shot to national fame when he competed as Nina West on Season 11 of the reality TV competition "RuPaul's Drag Race" in 2019, where he was named Miss Congeniality. He had auditioned for the show nine times.

Levitt, who talks about the power of drag and the career-changing experience he had in "Drag Race," said both have taught him that his voice matters.

"It's difficult, it's challenging. It tries you emotionally, mentally, physically. You're just really exhausted," he said of the show. "But it was a show that really does showcase your talents to the world and allows you to be seen by a lot of amazing people. And it really does make you better."

After the show, Levitt toured the world for about two years with the global sensation that is "RuPaul's Drag Race," meeting fans all over the world.

The actor, in fact, was asked to play Edna in "Hairspray" after the musical's original choreographer, Jerry Mitchell, saw him on "Drag Race." Mitchell called Levitt in August, 2019, and told him he'd had a dream about him playing Edna for a remounting of the "Hairspray" tour. Mitchell told Levitt that he was the creative team's top choice for the role.

He called Levitt back that December and brought him to New York for a work session with him and original "Hairspray" director Jack O'Brien. The rest is history, with the tour kicking off four months ago in San Diego.

In this story, Edna is "a plus-sized woman who has lost her feeling of value and her self confidence in the world," said Levitt. But "Tracy is leading the call for her mother to blossom into a beautiful, gorgeous butterfly."

African American character Motormouth Mabelle also inspires Edna in "Big, Blonde & Beautiful," where she sings about all bodies being beautiful, including in these lyrics:

"Why sit in the bleachers timid and afraid when Edna, you can be your own parade!"

Levitt said he loves learning from his character every night that he performs in "Hairspray."

"She's brilliant and she's beautiful and she's tough. She is challenging.  But she is the greatest gift that's happened to me I think in this career, and I'm excited to see where it all goes," he said.

Details

Musical: "Hairspray"

When: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Wednesday

Where: E.J. Thomas Hall, University of Akron

Onstage: Starring Andrew Levitt, Niki Metcalf, Sandie Lee

Cost: $20-$77.50

Information: 330-253-2488 or www.playhousesquare.org/broadway-in-akron 

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