Meet Laurence Mossman aka Charlie Price In The Successful Philippine Adaptation of "Kinky Boots"
Laurence Mossman is definitely more than his handsome looks. His talents in singing and acting have given life to the character of Charlie Price in Atlantis Entertainment Group's production of Tony-awarded musical "Kinky Boots."
"It is challenging to play Charlie because I had to bare myself onstage in those vulnerable moments of failure. And dancing on treadmills and in heels is definitely not easy, too," Laurence tells Metro.Style. "But there are qualities of Charlie that I can relate to, like his shyness and introvertedness as well as his empathy. What I like best is his perseverance and empathy, especially towards Lola/Simon."
Charlie in "Kinky Boots" is the son of the owner of a struggling shoe factory who was inspired by drag queen Lola/Simon (played by Nyoy Volante) to create outlandish boots dedicated for performing drag queens. Nyoy's wife, Mikkie Bradshaw, will portray the role of Lauren (formerly played by Yanah Laurel), Charlie's factory assistant and love interest.
Laurence, 28, decided to be based in Manila from Auckland, New Zealand towards the end of 2014, to further pursue his musical career. Since his mother's hometown is in Leyte, Philippines, it was easy for him to see himself performing in the country.
"I’ve always known from an early age singing in church and performing in shows that I wanted to pursue music. It has always resonated with me," he says.
Laurence started taking singing lessons when he was 13. He did a few school musicals and studied Music at Otago University, which honed his talent. After college, he did a couple of operas, musicals, and concerts, and taught singing to high school students in his hometown.
His musical influences range from opera singers Pavarotti and Franco Corelli, music theater stars like Ramin Karimloo to rock bands like Foo Fighters and Muse.
During his first days in Manila, he sang with a vocal trio called Primo that was regularly singing in Resorts World Manila. He also dabbled in modeling and acting for television. "I had a small stint playing the kontabida billionaire 'Mr. Mossman' in the hit TV series Dolce Amore alongside Liza Soberano and Enrique Gil. I also did bit roles in movies like Die Beautiful with Paolo Ballesteros," he shares.
His theater career debut was with Atlantis Entertainment Group in 2016. "My first musical here was an amazing experience with Atlantis Theatrical in the musical 'Fun Home' alongside music theater queen Lea Salonga and the incredible director Bobby Garcia," he says. "Fun Home" received positive reviews from theater fans and critics.
Following that, Laurence snagged his first lead role as Charlie Price in "Kinky Boots" last year. The Philippine adaptation of the musical was a huge success that it is having a rerun this March.
"I am very excited to be doing a rerun in March, especially since the cast and group have been family to me," Laurence shares. "'Kinky Boots' will inspire you to go pursue what you want and what will make you happy. It will inspire you to embrace yourself. Very happy to have this opportunity and thankful for Atlantis Productions and Bobby Garcia for trusting me with this role," he says.
Directed by Bobby Garcia, "Kinky Boots" will run from March 2 to 18 at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium of RCBC Plaza, Makati City. You may buy tickets via www.ticketworld.com.
Photographs by Chris Clemente
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