After a few unexpected pivots, Nina West is set to follow in the nimble footsteps of drag icons by taking on her dream role this fall.

The RuPauls Drag Race veteran will star as Edna Turnblad in the national tour of the musical Hairspray , which opens Nov. 17 in San Diego, California, and will visit more than 60 U.S. cities. West will be joined by Niki Metcalf and Toneisha Harris as Tracy Turnblad and Motormouth Maybelle, respectively, with additional casting to be announced later.

This is the role Ive always wanted, said West, whose real name is Andrew Levitt. Ednas journey as a character is a journey Ive been on not seeing how beautiful we are on the outside, not trusting we are worthy, being ashamed of ourselves. Its a journey many of us go on, right?

Based on John Waters 1988 film of the same name, Hairspray follows Tracy Turnblad, an energetic, fun-loving teen in 1960s Baltimore whose dream is to dance on the most popular variety show on TV. After landing a role, Tracy begins to campaign for the show to be desegregated so that she can share the spotlight with performers of color.