Feature: Will Nolan Returns With LEOLA'S LADY LAND LOUNGE at The Green Room 42

Where to start when writing a feature about Will Nolan?

I could introduce Will as the creator of Leola, a "senior citizen redneck diva" who wows audiences with her sketch comedies. I could talk about how he dreamed up Leola as the complete opposite of his own great-aunt Leola - his character is a 70-year-old Southern lesbian who just "wants to save the whole world."

Will indicated that he struggles to call Leola a drag performance because he views drag as something that involves a lot of artistry, and said Leola is more "basic" than the illusions crafted by, say, Ru Paul's Drag Race contestants. But he loves her for her ability to reach so many people. "There's something for everyone," he said. "A preconceived notion [is] that she's a bitchy drag queen, or a monologue, for old people - hopefully the character sort of goes beyond any sort of specific demographic in that sense."

I could go the route of talking about Will's background in performing and sketch comedy, too. When he graduated college he immediately moved to New York City from his own home in the South, because the dream had always been theater - Broadway! Name in lights! The whole nine yards! But he quickly realized that "you have to make the work for yourself," and so started a comedy sketch show with a friend because "we felt like we were already making our friends laugh, so why not do it more formally, and if anybody shows up then great."

He took a solo show class and created the character of Leola and spent months just diving into her history and story and learning all the ins and outs.

Maybe I could tell you about his upcoming series at The Green Room 42, part of a long-standing residency, where Will, as Leola, will interview performers, interact with the audience, and have a rousingly good time. He said he was inspired to premiere this new format because he wants to help promote other artists and performers and grow their audience - and his own. "I know as a performer who is doing their own thing, how hard it is," he said. "You tap your audience, they come to stuff, but trying to reach outside of your own sphere of friends and family [is hard]. [This is an] opportunity for people who are in the cabaret world to branch out and find a new audience."

Will, who said he can't sing a lick himself, added, "I'm excited to share the stage...I love just powerhouse voices in a small space blowing the roof off of it."

All those are great options, of course, but I think what sticks out the most to me from my phone interview with Will is his commentary on why performing brings him joy. "I can't think of anything in terms of artistic satisfaction that brings me more joy than making people laugh," Will said. "Laughs are even more valuable today, if you get that genuine response from an audience today with all that's going on in the world, there's just gratification."

Will said he loves performing as Leola and that the greatest compliment is when someone comes up to him at the end of the show feeling like they've made a new friend. "They've bought into this character and her story," he said, a note of awe in his voice. "[They've] bought into it to go on her journey, touched something inside of them that they've been able to relate to. It blows me away every time I get to do it."

Will chatted about one of his favorite things about cabaret, which is incidentally one of mine as well: the marriage of performance and storytelling that the best shows bring together.

"Everyone is doing a cabaret show with a mixture of storytelling and singing," Will said. "The singing's great and it's what gives you goosebumps, but when you can link it to the person's own personal journey? There's a real story there."

Leola's Lady Land Lounge is a monthly variety show performed at The Green Room 42. Leola will feature artists who have upcoming shows at the venue as well as introduce the audience to someone who isn't quite a singer but is still a member of the arts world. Tickets are available here and the first installment will be on Thursday, Sept. 30 at 7 p.m.

You can learn more about Leola at her website.

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