GREATEST HITS: The “Motown: The Musical” star lives in a spacious one-bedroom loft lined with art. (Lorenzo Ciniglio (3))
Her closet (above) is filled with clothing she’s amassed from her grandmother and her mother — as well as from local flea markets.
I’M COMING OUT: Of the shared roof terrace, which she often has to herself, LeKae says, “I like going here very early in the morning when the city is quiet and the sky is changing.”
A picture of her with Berry Gordy (above): “Because it reminds me to expect the unexpected!” (Lorenzo Ciniglio/Freelance)
Attention all aspiring Broadway stars: Valisia LeKae’s story will either serve as an inspiration — or make you very, very jealous.
“I’m not a trained actress, dancer or singer,” says LeKae. “I was the first of my family to go to college [at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville] and was pre-med initially, then changed to psychology. I never even knew you could major in theater.”
Yet today, LeKae finds herself in the most enviable of stage roles — starring as the diva to end all divas, Diana Ross, in “Motown: The Musical,” which opened last week at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre.
“Diana was such a huge icon. My mother danced on a TV show in Memphis and used to mimic Diana Ross,” recalls LeKae. “I grew up wanting to be part of the ’60s.”
She even kept many of her mother’s and grandmother’s vintage dresses; they hang, along with many flea-market finds, in a large closet off the living room in the Chelsea one-bedroom she shares with her partner, Michael.
“This closet houses so much history,” she says, opening the tall doors to reveal row upon row of gorgeous outfits, plus two shelves dedicated solely to wigs. “All these pleated skirts and V-neck sweaters! I love seeing that union worker ‘Made in the USA’ tag on clothes.”
LeKae, her fabulous wardrobe in tow, moved to New York 12 years ago, with dreams of becoming a recording artist. “I headed here to be the next Diana, the next Aretha,” she says, laughing.
Up to that point she had sung in the church and done stints in college at the Dollywood theme park. But she ended up auditioning for and scoring Broadway roles, including “The Book of Mormon,” “110 in the Shade” and “Ragtime.”
Then two years ago, “Motown” came about — and if there was any doubt LeKae was the perfect Diana, it was put to rest when she showed up at every reading in a different ensemble, from all different eras of the singer’s life. (The show spans from 1959 to 1983 and tells the story of Motown talents including Smokey Robinson, Michael Jackson and the Supremes.)
“Berry [Gordy] told me it would help the way I thought about the character, it would help me identify with Diana more,” LeKae says. “I think everyone thought I was going out and buying these outfits — but I already had them, along with all the wigs and lashes.”
And while LeKae loves getting all dolled up for the stage, in her free time she chills out at home with Michael, a photo agent, and their three dogs, Cosby, Katie and Rosie.
When she moved into his top-floor, 1,500-square-foot co-op loft two years ago, she suggested the space needed a bit of color — “We’ve got to girly it up,” she recalls telling Michael.
Red accent pillows now brighten up the two sofas in the living room, whose white brick walls are the ideal showcase for a revolving photo collection. “The photos are endless, so I never have to buy any,” she says, though the one that never moves is her favorite, a Marilyn Monroe taken by Bert Stern.
Michael also surprised her on a recent birthday with a public-school desk that he found at a flea market. “I love all things old, and love to think of all the people who sat here,” she says of the desk, which fits in perfectly with the antique bed frame in the simply decorated bedroom.
When LeKae is looking for a bit of fresh air, she simply heads upstairs to the building’s common roof deck. “I’m a really early riser,” she says, “and when I go up there, like at 5 a.m., it’s so quiet and I have it all to myself. I’ll do yoga and sometimes kickboxing.”
Now that LeKae is channeling Diana eight times a week, what would happen if the diva herself should turn up in the audience?
“I haven’t met her yet in person, but I feel her in my heart and in my dreams,” says LeKae. “I really look forward to the day she gets to see the show.”
Valisia LeKae’s
favorite things
* Her closet, not just because it’s a good size, but “because it houses so much history”
* A public-school desk that was a gift from her partner, Michael
* The album “I Hear a Symphony”; a friend gave it to her and the title track is her favorite Supremes song
* A photograph of Marilyn Monroe taken by Bert Stern
* A picture of her with Berry Gordy: “Because it reminds me to expect the unexpected!”
* Her journal, made from an album cover of Diana Ross and the Supremes
* The building’s rooftop