Nikki M. James: Attention, Wal-Mart Shoppers!
About the author:
Three seasons, three very different musical roles: That's the career path of up-and-coming actress Nikki M. James. After getting her start on Broadway six years ago in the supporting cast of the short-lived Adventures of Tom Sawyer while still a student at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, James made a splashier impression as one of the young lovers in All Shook Up. From there, she jumped to the leading role of Dorothy in director Des McAnuff's high-profile staging of The Wiz at La Jolla Playhouse last fall. Now she's back in New York, front and center in the off-Broadway production of Walmartopia. Cheryl Freeman and James play a mother/daughter team employed at Wal-Mart who speak out against the company's working conditions and find themselves in a dark future where Wal-Mart dominates the entire world in this irreverent musical satire. So, was James a fanatical Wal-Mart shopper herself before getting the part? Broadway.com asked the young actress to tell all.
"We have everything you need."
Most people who live in the United States and in about 13 other countries have shopped at a Wal-Mart. Until recently, I was not one of those "lucky" people. I'm a city girl from New Jersey who moved to New York the second I was allowed. Thanks, Mom, for paying my NYU tuition! There's no Wal-Mart in Manhattan and there wasn't one close to my hometown, so I had to do a little research when I was cast as a Wal-Mart employee in a musical called Walmartopia.
Composer Andrew Rohn and book writer Catherine Capellaro have done a remarkable job with this piece, first produced in their home state of Wisconsin as well as at last year's Fringe Festival: They've managed to create a really funny show that has a heart, but also points out some unsettling aspects of a big corporation, namely Wal-Mart. The heroines of Walmartopia are hard-working Americans who can't seem to get ahead, working for a company that has created an atmosphere where "not getting ahead" is the norm.
I was invited to be a part of a reading of Walmartopia in May directed by Daniel Goldstein, whom I'd worked with on the Broadway musical All Shook Up. I love Danny, so of course my answer was yes. The decision was made easier by the fact that the script was hilarious, the music was great, and the show even had a message. Our work went fast: We had only 29 hours in which to learn and present a full-length musical. Meeting for our first day of rehearsal on a Monday, by Friday we were performing for a small audience—and we had lot of fun along the way. The cast of 11 plays a number of characters, each one kookier than the last. Our reading was well received, and I was delighted to learn that a full production would be mounted at off-Broadway's Minetta Lane Theatre—and that I was going to be part of it.
In late July, we started rehearsals and—lucky me—two more All Shook Up-ers signed on August Eriksmoen and John Jellison, as well as a few people from the earlier reading. We were on our way. Rehearsals for Walmartopia have moved slowly at times, mostly due to the fact that we spend the better part of our eight-hour day laughing our heads off! I don't think we have ever made it through a run of the show without Stephen DeRosa cracking everyone up, and just wait until you hear the store guard speak for the first time. Don't worry: I won't give anything away. You'll have to buy a ticket!
When it comes down to it, this show is about a mother and daughter who triumph against all odds—in their case, the wide-reaching power of a corporation that rules the earth and has mastered the space-time continuum. I hope audiences leave the theater with the message that one person can change her neighborhood, city, country or even the whole world through determination and perseverance, and that the truth matters, especially when it's easier to look the other way.
Now, I can't possibly act in a show about Wal-Mart without having visited one. So a few days ago, I went...I saw...I conquered. No, really, this place does have everything I need, and whole lot of crap I don't. It was the biggest store I had ever been in. There was food, hunting gear, televisions and china. I live in the biggest city in the world, and I was totally overwhelmed at Wal-Mart. I thought, "This is so convenient," but as my mind traveled to the things I've learned working on this show, my thoughts became "My convenience, but at what cost to others?" Somewhere there's a happy medium, but for now, there's Walmartopia!