PHOTO EXCLUSIVE: "In the Jungle..." A Two-Show Day With The Jungle Book's Elegant Peacock, Nikka Graff Lanzarone | Playbill

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PHOTO EXCLUSIVE: "In the Jungle..." A Two-Show Day With The Jungle Book's Elegant Peacock, Nikka Graff Lanzarone

This is my peacock hat. One final check downstairs, then it’s time to go up and put the dress on!

PHOTO EXCLUSIVE: "In the Jungle..." A Two-Show Day With The Jungle Book's Elegant Peacock, Nikka Graff Lanzarone

Musical theatre favorite and popular Playbill contributor Nikka Graff Lanzarone is on her latest theatrical adventure at Chicago's Goodman Theatre, playing a 7'2" Peacock in the world premiere musical adaptation of The Jungle Book. The performer/photographer/blogger/podcaster shares a recent two-show day.
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This is my peacock hat. One final check downstairs, then it’s time to go up and put the dress on!
Good morning, Playbill! I’m a bit of a disaster when I wake up, so I’m not showing you a picture of that. Instead, we start this two-show Saturday early, to record an interview for my podcast, “The Ensemblist!” All set up, I’m just waiting for t
Why, it’s <i>Jungle Book</i>’s own Geoff Packard, coming by to tell us stories of his time in <i>Phantom of the Opera</i>. I promised him I’d make him coffee if he did the interview before two shows. It’s only fair, right?
Say hi to my podcasting partner extraordinaire, Mo Brady! Mo and I do our interviews for “The Ensemblist” over Skype. He’s the best. Check us out on iTunes or at theensemblist.com!
After the interview, I pack up and head over to the Goodman Theatre for the matinee.
Look how cute we all are, up on the wall!
Through the door and down the stairs- that’s where the magic happens!
Our callboard- full of announcements, fun pictures, and…what’s that?
Some girl is going to be taking pictures of <i>The Jungle Book</i> cast? All day? That sounds like SO MUCH FUN.
Let’s head to the dressing rooms, but not before stopping to sign a couple of posters- anyone who promises popcorn as a reward certainly knows how to lure actors into doing what they want, right?
Just outside our door…
This is my station. Let’s get a closer look.
Boyfriend Dan, sweet 8-year-old cousin Holdenn and Dan’s brother and sister-in-law with our super-cute nephew! Also a peacock, but more on that later.
Usman Ally, our awesome Bagheera!
Alka Nayyar, our resident brilliant Indian dancer, says hi.
Hi, Monique Haley!
Nehal Joshi arrives, also poses for an album cover.
Angela Nicole Patmon, super duper lady swing, gives me the old double-show-day thumbs-up.
Tommy Derrah, who plays Kaa, pokes his head out of his dressing room to say good morning.
Half hour! We’re called into the green room because we have a birthday! It was banana cake with caramel frosting. You KNOW you’re jealous.
Doug Peck and Victor Wisehart are very happy about cake. Do you blame them?
Kevin Carolan, who plays Baloo, is also looking forward to cake.
How adorable are Doug, Geoff, Kevin, and Anjali Bhimani? Just a little monkeying around before we have to get ready.
Mowgli in the house! Akash Chopra enjoys his pre-show treats.
Time to get ready! Alka does her makeup.
The boys’ monkey frills are good to go.
We use the hallway as our warm-up room. I stretch, but when I see this, I stop and grab my camera…wait for it…
The one and only Ed Kross, just waiting to do a full wolf-costume photo shoot. How can I resist?
Seriously. Look at this gold. He’s so ferocious!
One final pose, then I have to finish getting ready.
This is my peacock hat. One final check downstairs, then it’s time to go up and put the dress on!
Welcome to the Peacock! It has to live upstairs because it’s too tall to track downstairs to the dressing rooms. Also, I can’t walk up stairs in stilts. Time for Act I to begin!
The only break I have comes when it’s time to become a monkey. Hello, monkey.
Look at how fancy these ants are! Geoff and I don these gloves for a special appearance during “Bare Necessities.” See you on the other side of Act I.
Intermission! Kevin Carolan is kind enough to take my Saturday Intermission Picture…
Remember this one? No? Instagram: @nikkalanz. Check it out!
What else is happening at intermission? Anjali stretches in the hallway.
Govind Kumar looks generally adorable all the time.
The Goodman takes photos of their swings with a crown and scepter every time they go on. I think that’s an awesome tradition.
First show of the day is done! Let’s take a walk and find some dinner, shall we?
Down the alleyway to the FANCIEST WALGREENS EVER. They have a sushi bar. I know what you’re thinking, but it’s incredible.
Look who’s also getting sushi! It’s Govind and Tim Wilson.
And Geoff? Looks like we all had the same idea today. There’s an ice cream social later, so I want to save room for that.
Back at the theatre, there’s a meeting onstage. I just liked the way it all looked on the green room monitor.
Akash and Glory Curda, who plays our Little Girl, hang out in the green room.
Scene It? Disney edition! They’re totally winning against our Young Performer Supervisors Katie Cora Clark and Emily Jewison. Doug Peck is doing slightly better.
Ice cream social time! Everyone brings in sweet treats.
Doug, Tim, and Govind enjoy their ice cream, but André de Shields? A grapefruit.
Yep, a grapefruit. You wanted a close-up of that, you say?
That is André de Shields and his grapefruit. You’re welcome, Playbill.
Geoff invents a game called “Wikipedia Quiz Show.” You pick a topic you think you know the most about, then someone else pulls up the Wikipedia page of that topic and quizzes you on it. Glory helps pick questions for Emily about “Star Trek.”
Ed Kross chose “The Dick Van Dyke Show.” He knows an alarming amount about it.
Mieka, my incredible dresser, is put through her “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” paces.
Nehal chose “The Simpsons,” which totally derailed the game once we started reading about who does which voices.
It’s our intrepid dance captain Jeremy Duvall! He chose Janet Jackson.
Larry Yando, our tiger Shere Khan, does…something…to Anjali’s coat. No matter…
It’s half hour again! Time for show #2.
Anjali does her best impression of a subway flasher.
Mieka adjusts Usman’s tail…
…and then tortures him with it. We head upstairs to get back into the peacock costume.
The kids play basketball before every show, and stop for just enough time to say hi.
Peacock time! It takes a stool and two people to get me into this dress. But wait, what’s that…?
TIGER ATTACK! OH NO! Even at 7’2”, I’m powerless against Larry!
And there I am!
Showtime! What are we, now? Monkeys? Elephants?
A drive-by photo of André and his dresser Jeneé, as they prep for King Louie’s number.
We celebrated the 35th Anniversary of “Animal House” with an intermission toga party!
Time for Act II! Alka shows off her monkey taps.
The show is over, but not before Liz and Nehal have a slap fight in the hallway. We really love each other here at <i>The Jungle Book</i>. No, seriously. We do.
Goodnight, Playbill! Thanks for sharing this two-show-day with me! We're here at the Goodman thru the 18th, then on to Boston!
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