For most of his adult life, J. Conrad Frank has had a slightly delusional, usually tipsy, and compulsively loquacious Russian diva living inside him. Her name is Katya Smirnoff-Skyy, and she gets to emerge at least once a month at Martuni's for a cabaret fling. But occasionally the exiled countess finds herself regaling audiences in theatrically grander circumstances, such as the Aug. 1 & 2 engagement at New Conservatory Theatre Center in a new show created for the benefit event.
Katya on a Hot Tin Roof does woozily reference the Tennessee Williams play of a similar name, but more as an opportunity for Katya to riff on her own life than as a mirror of the original play. "In general," Frank said, "I take some kind of theme, and however strange that theme is, I relate to it as Katya. For instance, Katya feels that she and Maggie are very similar. They both drink a lot, and they both find homosexual gentlemen attracted to them. And Katya talks about the family drama and the love and passion she has had in her life through the eyes of a 60-something lady whose views of reality are a little bit skewed."
Frank, who focused on opera as a music major in college, has incorporated multiple interludes in which Katya can trill musical emphases to her stories. "When she talks about how homosexual men are drawn to her, she sings a version of Katy Perry's 'Teenage Dream' as it relates to a brief encounter she had with Neil Patrick Harris in 2002," Frank said. "There's all kinds of music, from Lady Gaga to Cole Porter, with a little bit of opera thrown in."
Katya was born after Frank, as a recent arrival in San Francisco, landed an understudy role in Howard Crabtree's Whoop-Dee-Doo! at NCTC. "I met a bunch of theater people who had been around a long time, and Joe Wicht, who was then going by Trauma Flintstone, invited me to be a part of a monthly drag cabaret he was starting at Martuni's. I had never really done drag before, but I bought a wig, put together a couple of songs, and in a week or so Katya was born pretty much as she exists today."
Katya's character was inspired by some of the women Frank encountered while studying opera at the University of Oregon. "Sort of the grandiose European opera singer who sees the world in a very skewed and harmlessly self-important way," Frank said. "So from this lovable archetype, through the work I did at Martuni's and at NCTC in their Emerging Artists program, I focused on writing and creating years of stories for her. Now when I write a show for Katya, I already know how she'll react to any situation. I speak her language."
Part of the new show is designed to give free rein to Katya's voice. "The second half of the show is based on questions from the audience," Frank said. "I'm quick on my feet, love ad-libbing, and always want to make it as fresh as possible."
By day, Frank works at his family business, Marquel Ltd. in Burlingame, which makes cosmetic brushes. "I get a great discount on makeup brushes," Frank said, which come in handy in his life as Katya. While it's a fulltime job, there is the flexibility that comes with working with family, and he stays on the lookout for new performing opportunities. Katya will be at Feinstein's at the Nikko on the weekend before Christmas, and in the fall he'll be playing the Charles Busch role of an aging songstress in Die, Mommie, Die! at NCTC.
"I do intend to do a bit more traveling," Frank said. "I get requests to do shows out of town, and I try to make time to do that. Katya certainly can't keep her fans waiting forever."
Katya on a Hot Tin Roof will have two performances at New Conservatory Theatre Center. Tickets to the Aug. 1 performance are $35. Tickets to the Aug. 2 performance, which includes a reception, live auction, and refreshments, are $85. Call 861-8972 or go to nctcsf.org.