LAURENCE MOSSMAN has a Pinay mom from Leyte and a dad who’s a New Zealander. He and his two older brothers were born and raised in Auckland and have visited his mom’s country several times. Standing 5,’9”, very buff due to regular gym workouts and now 27 years old, he decided to come to Manila to try his luck here as a singer. Why didn’t he venture in nearby Australia where they have a thriving theatre industry in Sydney and Melbourne? “My eldest brother is an actor in Sydney while the other one is a hotel manager,” he says. “I chose to come to Manila.”
He’s been in Manila for two years now. How is it so far? “At first, I had some culture shock due to the difference in climate, the traffic situation and the sheer number of people. In New Zeland, there’s about only 1.5 million in our city, Auckland and here, there’s a crowd everywhere. I’m now trying to learn how to speak Pilipino and I’m glad that English is also widely spoken here.”
He has tried appearing on TV as a bad guy in ABS-CBN’s “Dolce Amore” while his first local play is “Fun Home” with Atlantis Theatrical Entertainment Group (ATEG) staged last year and early this year. He portrayed the boyfriend of the lead female character, played by Mikkie Bradshaw Volante, who was seduced by Mikkie’s gay dad. Now, he gets to work with Mikkie’s husband, Nyoy Volante, in the new ATEG musical, “Kinky Boots”. “I play a young businessman who wants to beef up their company’s shoe business and Nyoy as as drag queen named Lola helps me by introducing a new line of boots called ‘Kinky Boots’. It’s a great experience working with Nyoy. I saw him in ‘Jersey Boys’ and I was just blown away by the wide range of his talent. I know I’ll enjoy acting and singing with him.”“Kinky Boots” opens at the RCBC Theatre in Makati on June 30. Tickets are now available at Ticketworld at (632) 891-9999 or visit www.ticketworld.com.ph
