Many fans of the hit movie Bring It On, about the champion high school cheerleading squad, will be happy to know that it is the foundation for a musical made for the stage.
It's going to be a catfight as the school rivalries compete to win in this new show.
Windy City Times spoke with Gregory Haney who plays the trans cheerleader La Cienega in this touring production. Haney has taken over New York's Broadway in Memphis and Tarzan as well as touring with smashes such as Cats and Wicked.
Before coming to Chicago, Haney talked with WCT about his background and his one-of-a-kind character.
Windy City Times: Hi, Gregory. Where in the world are you?
Gregory Haney: I'm in Dallas, Texas.
WCT: Enjoy the weather down there while you can. You have had some history with Chicago, I noticed.
Gegory Haney: I do. I lived there for a year and a half with Wicked.
WCT: You studied at the Gus Giordano Dance School here also.
Gegory Haney: I studied at Giordano's then went to the Joffrey Ballet in New York a couple of years after.
WCT: How did you then get on Broadway?
Gegory Haney: I was in school in 2003 then decided to go to New York to train at Alvin Ailey but wound up training in other places. I auditioned for a show and got it. I was gone for three years. When I came back Tarzan was on Broadway. I auditioned and got that one. That was my first Broadway experience.
WCT: Was Josh Strickland in that cast?
Gegory Haney: Yes he was.
WCT: I saw him in Peepshow, which he was excellent in. You have been in some great productions as well, with Memphis and Cats.
Gegory Haney: I have been very lucky. Now I am in Bring It On, so that is amazing.
WCT: Are you a triple threat, with singing, dancing, and acting?
Gegory Haney: That is really what is great about the show is everybody does everything. It is not even triple threats; it is more like quadruple threats.
WCT: What is the fourth threat?
Gegory Haney: Tumbling.
WCT: How acrobatic do you have to be for this performance?
Gegory Haney: I don't have to do any kind of tumbling for the show. I can, but I don't. I think my wig would fall off so I leave it to everyone else!
WCT: Do you have a lot of makeup to put on in the show?
Gegory Haney: I have a 15-to-18-minute transformation in the middle of the show while it is going on. I am in the opening number then I run to my dressing room. The first number when they get to my school I am a girl. It is very interesting the dynamic between the two. When I come out of the stage door no one realizes that I was just a woman onstage.
WCT: What have you learned with the experience of playing transgender? Has it opened up doors for you?
Gegory Haney: It has. It is a double-edged sword a little bit because you know you have all the qualities of being a man onstage and at the same time very easy to flip into being a woman. You are so versed in being around women that you don't have to dig that deep, especially being an African American and having such strong female roles in our life it is very easy to tap into my other experiences.
WCT: What is your character La Cienega like? Sassy maybe?
Gegory Haney: She is sassy. She can be your best friend as well as your worst enemy.
WCT: Have you heard reactions from transgender people in your travels?
Gegory Haney: I have. L.A. was our first stop with the tour and there were a few transgender community members that came to the show and sought me out after the show. They were very excited about my portrayal of the character. That made me feel really great.
One of the biggest things I was worried about was if I was being real with who she was and showing respect to the community. It is such a hard thing in general to do. I didn't want to poke fun at it or be disrespectful. I wanted to show there is strength in who you are.
WCT: That would be hard to do if the show is campy. Is the show campy?
Gegory Haney: Jeff Whitty is the writer so, of course, there will be an element of camp. Have you seen Avenue Q?
WCT: Yes. He won the Tony for it.
Gegory Haney: It is a traditional musical theatre show so it gives you two acts. The characters just follow and you will have a lot of belly laughs.
WCT: Tell our readers about some of the music.
Gegory Haney: The music is amazing. We have Tom Kitt (Next to Normal) and Lin-Manuel Miranda (In the Heights) on music, Amanda Green on lyrics, music supervisor Alex Lacamoire, so it is literally the dream team.
WCT: Do you have a favorite song that you like in the production?
Gegory Haney: "It's All Happening" at the top of act two.
WCT: Do you have a solo in Bring It On?
Gegory Haney: I do a lot of the backups but when "Ain't No Thing" comes up it is myself, Nautica, and Bridget singing. It is a self-empowering song.
WCT: Anything else you want to say about the show?
Gegory Haney: Just buckle up!
Buy your seat to buckle into fast as Bring It On: The Musical runs through March 25. Visit www.broadwayinchicago.com .
