I love Gash," says blue-eyed, six-foot-two, self-described corn-fed Oklahoma boy Kelly Mantle. "Gash is such a bundle of contradictions; witty and clever yet ridiculous and stupid, worldly but naïve. Gash can flip on a coin but he's a brilliant, wonderful human being."

The multi-talented Mantle – stage/screen actor and rock musician -- portrays flamboyant female impersonator Gash in British playwright Bryony Lavery's thoughtful comedy-drama about faith and friendship, Last Easter, on the Moulton Theatre stage through May 21.

The central character, June (Helen Wassell), reveals one Easter that she is dying of cancer. Her shocked theatrical friends Gash and Leah (Yosefa Forma) rally around as best they can. They conscript another friend – boozy, dabbling Buddhist Joy (Kirsten Chandler) – to join them in taking June on a road trip across France to Lourdes, renowned for its allegedly miraculous healing waters.

The pilgrimage is Gash's idea. As Mantle explains, although Gash has left his Roman Catholic upbringing far behind – he's lapsed for sure – and knows that June does not believe in religion, he's willing to grab at anything if there's a chance it will save his friend's life. "There's still this little voice inside him saying 'what if' – Gash is genuinely wanting to cure June."

Like the other characters in Last Easter, stressful circumstances and bitter disappointment force Gash to confront issues of faith and friendship in a way he never has before. "Each of them discovers something about their own spirituality. Each of them has to test their own capacity for friendship; how much they are willing to give."

Mantle – yes, he is related; baseball icon Mickey was his beloved uncle – says there are moments when it's hard to hold back the tears. "It's an emotional roller-coaster," explains the Hollywood-based actor, "but there's also lots of laughter. It's the laughter that gets you through the tears."

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