THE SKIVVIES are authentically themselves

Written by | Entertainment, People We Love

THE SKIVVIES – Singers | Dancers | Musicians | Songwriters | Underwear Lovers

“One of my balls fell out on stage and it was photographed by Playbill. I didn’t know util the next day when I was scrolling through pictures. I had to write Playbill, “please remove that picture of my balls.” – Nick

After walking around in their underwear getting ready to sing, as besties often do, dynamic duo and theatre vets Lauren Molina and Nick Cearley were inspired to call themselves The Skivvies – first a YouTube sensation, now a national constantly sold-out touring musical celebration of powerhouse mashups and stripped down pop songs, theatre celebrity guests, and of course, lots of undies. The duo has been hailed by The New York Times, People, Wall Street Journal, and Sports Illustrated, among a long list of critical acclaim. While the duo celebrates music in all its glory, their shows also celebrate the human form, regardless of age, shape, size, body type, race, or sexual orientation. It’s body positivity set to song.

Nick and Lauren are a mix of Linus and Lucy and Will and Grace. They perfectly complement each other – both with vocal and with actual compliments. They are each other’s support system and real-life besties. The two first met through a children’s show, a bad stage manager who didn’t show up, and a road tour in a two-seater van. Picture it, playing animals in Just So Stories show tour, 27 states, sometimes driving 10 hours a day between cities and performing up to three shows a day. After both arriving at their first rehearsal early, they knew it was going to be a good friendship. But it was during that van time that they really connected. “We found out during that drive that we sang the same song at our showcase. ‘Popcorn’ from Little by Little. Nobody knows that song. Very random,” Nick told us.  Lauren recounts, “We just had a very similar sense of humor, taste in music, and we both really got off on showing each other new music and sort of had this sarcastic outlook on life. When you click with somebody, you just know.”

Both come from a family of artists. Nick’s family-owned dance studios and he danced until he was 18. Was he bullied because of it? “Yes, of course, that comes with the territory. But I stuck it out. The younger version of me was called Nick and his Show Gals because I was the only boy in the studio.” Nick’s father is a piano player, his grandparents met in a band. Lauren’s father was the assistant principal bassist and personnel manager of the Detroit Symphony, and her mother was a dance teacher. As much as they are a force together, they have both enjoyed an extensive solo career. Lauren made her debut in the actor/musician production of Sweeney Todd playing opposite Patti Lupone and Michael Cerveris, went on to the original production of Rock of Ages, and won a Helen Hayes Award for her performance in Candide. After serving as an usher who happened to be at the right time and the right place taking over for an injured Scooby-Doo, he would go on to appear in the first Broadway national tour of All Shook Up, as well as Pageant, and Buyer & Cellar. Together, they produced an actor/musician version of You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown. They are each other’s admiration society, without ego. Lauren puts it, “We are powerful together. We are powerful apart. I am so lucky I have found a lifetime creative collaborator.” Nick follows up, “and so we want the best for each other.”

Together is magical. Their medleys are magical. Nick tells us, “I have loved a medley since the day I was born. A Hal Leonard-produced, published medley has been my jam. So, when we started to make music together, it was like ‘I was born to do this arrangement.’” Lauren shares, “One of us will get an idea that’ll pop into our heads, like ‘these two songs would go really well together.’ We lean into the fact that most pop songs are four chords.” Nick interjects, “We have made a career on four chords. Kidding! But we kind of just like brainstorm all of the potential songs that we could put into a mashup, figure out how it works, and then after a couple of hours, we got an arrangement!”

The power of music and words is very important to The Skivvies. Their shows are truly meant for all audiences as they present a unified world on stage, a little bit of everything. With the increase in minority-directed violence, now is the time for a Skivvies show. Lauren puts it, “The rise of anti-Semitism, not great, and it starts with words. It starts with words, and they matter. It is so scary, words basically fuel the fire for violence and violent acts, and we’ve seen it in full effect in how it works with the LGBTQ community. We see it on the rise. Right now we really need to care about one another. We need to care about the truth and we need to care about what is happening in the world in order to enact change. Empathy is lost. It will change the world if you put others first.”

Nick wraps up the mission of The Skivvies, “I wish that everyone would embrace their authenticity because I think that’s the superpower nobody talks about. I wish somebody would have told me that. I just like to tell people to care about each other.” We love their art and their vision.

Last modified: February 8, 2023

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