Yanah gets better with every character

For someone who has been performing since the young age of nine, Yanah Laurel is one artist who only gets better and more impressive with every character she portrays, and in every song that brings her powerful voice straight to the heart of her audience.

Now a two-time Aliw Award nominee for Best Actress in a Musical, Yanah has made a name for herself as one of the brightest young theater talents in the country today. She was lauded for her stellar portrayal of Whatsename in 9 Works Theatrical’s staging of the Tony Award-winning rock opera American Idiot, where she received a Gawad Buhay citation for Female Featured Performance in a Musical. She also wowed audiences in Atlantis Theatrical Entertainment Group’s staging of the Tony Award-winning Jersey Boys, where she played Lorraine, and also in Fun Home where she played Joan.

Yanah admits that from the moment she started performing as a young girl, there was “an instantaneous connection” that made her fall in love with the musical stage. It was something that kept coming back until it became a passion she could not resist. “In 2008, I knew that this is something that I want to do for the rest of my life,” she discloses.

Not a lot of people know, however, that Yanah almost lost her voice and, with it, her dream of spending the rest of her life on the theater stage. “I was sick for over two years and suffered from a rare but life-threatening condition called Achalasia, an esophageal motility disorder. It was the most challenging and physically painful part of my life because my condition made it hard for me to eat as I couldn’t keep anything down. I lost 50 lbs. and my voice was severely affected. I popped a blood vessel in my throat, which required me to undergo seven months of vocal therapy,” Yanah reveals.

Needless to say, Yanah survived that disheartening roadblock in her musical career and has lived to fulfill her dream of continuously honing her talents. Aside from gaining recognition and accolade for her performances, she also gets to portray more remarkable characters that make her shine brighter on stage. This month, she will be seen playing the lead role of the spunky shoe factory worker Lauren in the Manila staging of Cyndi Lauper’s Tony and Grammy Award-winning Best Musical, Kinky Boots.

“Lauren is a feisty and brave young woman who marches to the beat of her own drum. She is unapologetically her charmingly odd self, and I love that about her. What makes her different from the other roles I have played is, on a physical sense, I chopped off my hair for the role! I have never had hair this short in my life and it was daunting yet exciting,” Yanah shares, adding that Kinky Boots is really worth watching for the heart and celebration of self-love and its “two feet of irresistible tubular sex!”

Produced by Atlantis Theatrical Entertainment Group, together with Metrobank Card Corp., Kinky Boots features 16 original songs by Cyndi and is based on the inspiring book by four-time Tony winner Harvey Fierstein. Directed by Bobby Garcia, the Manila staging of the Tony Award-winning play opens on June 30 at the RCBC Plaza in Makati City. Joining Yanah in the powerhouse cast are Nyoy Volante, Laurence Mossman, Jamie Wilson, Nel Gomez, Christine Flores, Sarah Facuri, Steven Cionde, Rhenwyn Gabalonzo, Ron Gohel, Jill Peña, Japs Treopaldo, Juancho Escoto, Ritz Beltan, Jorege, Jahnke, Michael Jahnke, Jazztin Cacayan, Mark Pineda, Gerhard Krysstopher and former Miss Saigon cast member Tricia Canilao.

Kinky Boots will run from June 30 to July 23. For tickets, call 891-9999 or visit www.ticketworld.com.ph.