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GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STAR-BULLETIN.COM
A song and dance number is set in Cook County jail in Diamond Head Theatre's production of "Chicago."
Getting star-struck Katie Leiva scored one of the great lead roles in modern musical theater when she was cast as high-octane murderess Velma Kelly in Diamond Head Theatre's season-opening production of "Chicago." But she says she didn't think of herself as a star until someone in the ensemble mentioned that they were watching her to pick up tips to help them hone their talents and eventually move up to lead roles.
in ‘Chicago’
By John Berger
jberger@starbulletin.com"That was huge for me (because) that's what I used to do," Leiva confided during a leisurely dinner. "I think the value of having done 16 shows in five years is not to say that I've had 16 starring roles, because I didn't get any lead roles until the last couple of years. It was to learn the process, and not just learn it, but to honor it and respect it."
Leiva's developing talents have prepared her to play a great role. Velma Kelly is a tabloid celebrity and the reigning queen of "Murderess Row" in the Cook County jail, until loose-living Roxie Hart (Tricia Marciel) is locked up for shooting her cheating lover. Roxie's attention-getting shenanigans soon bump Velma off the front pages, and before long, they're locked in the mother of all cat fights in a winner-take-all battle for headlines, celebrity status and various financial opportunities that capitalize on their notoriety as killers.
The classic Kander and Ebb musical is based on a real-life 1924 Chicago murder case/media circus. Po'okela Award-winning Andrew Sakaguchi is directing and choreographing "Chicago." The cast includes Douglas S. Scheer as a high-profile defense attorney and Larry Bialock, making a welcome return to the local stage, as Roxie's hapless cuckolded husband.
"It's the first time I've been in the star's dressing room, which is really no big deal now that I'm in it," Leiva said, regarding the other perk that comes with a lead role. "The other side of the stage and the other dressing room is closer to where my entrances are, but now you're 'the star,' so you get a dressing room with a sink!"
LEIVA has paid her dues to get that dressing room since she made her local debut in DHT's 1998 production of "Damn Yankees." Fans would probably cite her work in Manoa Valley Theatre's fast-paced "I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change" two years ago as her first big role, but Leiva said she's always seemed to get more than a straight chorus role.
GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM
Katie Leiva plays accused murderess Velma Kelly.
"Every show I did, I had some role to play, besides being part of the crowd," she said. "My first 'baby step' out of the chorus was in MVT's 'Kiss of the Spider Woman' (in 1999), but my first real step was in DHT's 'How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying' (in 2000)."
Leiva's portrayal of the seductive Hedy LaRue in "How To Succeed" earned her her first Po'okela nomination. She won the "Featured Female in a Musical" award this past summer for her work in MVT's second production of "Song Of Singapore."
Leiva said she was not an "early bloomer" in terms of theatrical work. She was a self-professed nerd in her high school days at the North Carolina School of Science & Mathematics, fondly known to students as "S&M, for short." She went into science instead of auditioning for the drama program, but ended up hanging out with the drama students anyway. Coincidentally, they were doing "Chicago," and she fell in love with the show. Although Leiva went on to earn a graduate degree in sociology, she also made time to study singing, acting and dance.
Her love for "Chicago" was rekindled when she saw it on Broadway in 1996. In the DHT auditions, she wasn't sure whether she'd be better suited as Velma or Roxie. Director/choreographer Sakaguchi saw her as Velma, and she isn't complaining.
"They're both very big parts in very different ways, but Velma is a great part to have," she said. "She holds her own the whole time; she almost never relies on anybody. Roxie has so many more interactions with other people, but I kind of have to hold my own most of the show, which is not as hard as I thought it was going to be in some ways."
Leiva is also holding her own in real life. A divorcée and currently enjoying her freedom, she describes doing "Chicago" as a great antidote to her regular day job.
"During the day, I have to very pleasant and courteous and polite, and at night I get to be this very tough broad who's not polite at all, and, in a way, it's very cathartic to get that out of my system."
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