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“Hairspray,” Monday-Tuesday, Jan. 25-26, 7:30 p.m., Scranton Cultural Center (420 N. Washington Ave.) Tickets: $35-$57. Info: www.hairsprayontour.com, www.broadwayscranton.com, 570.342.7784
by Nikki M. MascaliStaff Writer
From the moment he performed in “South Pacific” as a West Scranton High School freshman, Theo Lencicki knew he found his calling.
“I loved every second of it,” he recalled in a phone call from Lancaster last week.
Following his high school stage debut, Lencicki attended Northeastern Educational Intermediate Unit’s Arts Alive program to train in singing and dancing. He eventually went to Penn State University to major in theater and dance.
“I’ve been out (of school) for two years and have been working ever since in the business,” he said. “It’s exciting.”
Following his graduation, Lencicki, 23, did regional theater in West Virginia before embarking on a 7-month stint performing on a cruise ship in South America. Next Monday and Tuesday, Jan. 25-26, the actor hopes to do a stint on a big stage in his hometown, the Scranton Cultural Center, as part of the cast for “Hairspray.”
“I’ve performed there on the stage, but this is the first time I’m performing with a national touring company,” he said.
Set in 1962 Baltimore, “Hairspray” is the story of “big girl” Tracy Turnblad whose only passion is dancing. She lands a spot on “The Corny Collins Show,” a local TV dance program, and quickly becomes a celebrity while trying to woo heartthrob Link Larkin and bring diversity to Corny’s show. The musical, based on John Waters’ 1988 film, has been immensely popular since its first award-winning stage adaptation in 2002. The movie was remade in 2007.
“Not only were the ’60s colorful and fun and the music great, but there’s a message,” Lencicki said of “Hairspray’s” popularity. “It’s about a bigger girl who’s following her dreams, beating the odds and trying to involve integration.”
Lencicki was among 1,500 people who auditioned for the 30-person cast of “Hairspray.”
“There’s only, like, nine white male cast members, so to get in is amazing,” he said.
As a swing actor for “Hairspray,” Lencicki is on standby in case another actor can’t perform. He covers six different roles, including the 4-person “Nicest Boys” ensemble. He also understudies the Corny Collins character.
“I’m not always in the show, but I’m always on standby to go in,” he explained. “I most likely won’t be going on for Corny in Scranton, but hopefully I’ll be going on for one of the four Nicest Boys, fingers crossed because it is the hometown show.”
Lencicki has been on stage for two of the three weeks of this “Hairspray” tour, and he has already performed three of the six songs he covers.
“It’s a challenge,” he said of keeping all the parts straight, “but one I’m definitely up for.”
Lencicki cites “Nicest Kids in Town” as his favorite from the show.
“It’s the second song, and it’s the introduction of all the ensemble characters,” he said. “It’s so fun and uplifting, and (it shows) the energy that we have right out of the gate.”
Life on the road hasn’t been too much of an adjustment for Lencicki, especially compared to his seven months in South America when he “was completely removed from anything that I knew.”
“Being on the road and living in hotels and out of the suitcase? I’m young, and I’m having so much fun,” he said. “I went to school for theater and dance, so being able to do what I love is priceless.”
Between the cruise ship, going on auditions and this “Hairspray” tour, Lencicki hasn’t had a chance to make a permanent move to New York City yet.
“I’m pretty much based out of Scranton,” he said. “Since New York is so close, I just go into the city and do a few auditions. I’ll get something, and then I’m gone.”
Performing in New York or continuing with Broadway national tours like “Hairspray” is what the actor hopes for in the future. After the curtain goes down on his stage career a few decades from now, Lencicki doesn’t want that to be the end of theater and dance for him. He wants to pay homage to the people who have inspired him throughout his education.
“I feel like you can only be a performer for so long,” he began, “so 20 years from now, I can definitely see myself becoming a teacher or a professor at a university to inspire other people to follow their dreams.”
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