On Her Own
Nikki James takes on the boys (and Mormons) in Matt Stone and Trey Parker's Broadway musical The Book of Mormon
By Whitney Spaner
Photographed by Mimi Ko
As the lone female star of The Book of Mormon, the new Broadway musical by South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker, actress Nikki James is hoping to infiltrate Hollywood's most notorious bromance. "I was talking to Matt and Trey about comedy and how a lot of comedians and satirists sort of write about things they know," recalls James. "And they were like, 'We just noticed that we don't write many female characters. We write for ourselves, for people like us,' and I was like, 'I can be your muse!'"
The Book of Mormon, opening in March, is a song-and-dance filled send-up of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Unlike the fairer sex, Mormons are a subject about which Parker and Stone know quite a lot. They'd already dedicated an SP episode to the Mormon disciple Joseph Smith and have been brewing The Book of Mormon musical idea since their college days.
James plays Nabalungi, a young Ugandan woman who befriends two 19-year-old boys from Salt Lake City who come to Africa on their mission trip (a right of passage for Mormons). Lewd, hilarious and bound-to-be-offensive songs about poverty, AIDS and the big man above ensue, including the showstopper "Hasa Diga Eebowai" (or "Fuck You God"), sung by the members of Nabalungi's tribe. Somewhere a protester is picking up a paintbrush and a picket sign.
But all jokes and jabs the play is not. "It's also sweet," says James. "I think that's the part people are not expecting." And Parker and Stone have left the heart out of the show to their lady, who belts out a touching ballad in the first act that is not unlike, say, an "On My Own" from Le Mis or The Little Mermaid's "Part of Your World."
That's a lot of responsibility on her tiny shoulders (she's a mere 5'3"), so thank goodness Parker and Stone provided plenty of laughs in the rehearsal room. "You'll hear Trey start to say something and it's like, 'Oh my God, that's Cartman, you're doing Cartman.'"
The Book of Mormon opens March 24th at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre, 230 W. 49th. St, New York.
Nikki wears a dress by Louis Vuitton
Stylist: Luiji Tradini
Hair: Mesh Subra using Bumble and bumble for nine4hair
Makeup: Margina Dennis
Intro Arists for Yaby Cosmetics
Shot at the Soho Grand Hotel
The Book of Mormon, opening in March, is a song-and-dance filled send-up of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Unlike the fairer sex, Mormons are a subject about which Parker and Stone know quite a lot. They'd already dedicated an SP episode to the Mormon disciple Joseph Smith and have been brewing The Book of Mormon musical idea since their college days.
James plays Nabalungi, a young Ugandan woman who befriends two 19-year-old boys from Salt Lake City who come to Africa on their mission trip (a right of passage for Mormons). Lewd, hilarious and bound-to-be-offensive songs about poverty, AIDS and the big man above ensue, including the showstopper "Hasa Diga Eebowai" (or "Fuck You God"), sung by the members of Nabalungi's tribe. Somewhere a protester is picking up a paintbrush and a picket sign.
But all jokes and jabs the play is not. "It's also sweet," says James. "I think that's the part people are not expecting." And Parker and Stone have left the heart out of the show to their lady, who belts out a touching ballad in the first act that is not unlike, say, an "On My Own" from Le Mis or The Little Mermaid's "Part of Your World."
That's a lot of responsibility on her tiny shoulders (she's a mere 5'3"), so thank goodness Parker and Stone provided plenty of laughs in the rehearsal room. "You'll hear Trey start to say something and it's like, 'Oh my God, that's Cartman, you're doing Cartman.'"
The Book of Mormon opens March 24th at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre, 230 W. 49th. St, New York.
Nikki wears a dress by Louis Vuitton
Stylist: Luiji Tradini
Hair: Mesh Subra using Bumble and bumble for nine4hair
Makeup: Margina Dennis
Intro Arists for Yaby Cosmetics
Shot at the Soho Grand Hotel
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