ALAN MINGO JR TO STAR IN KINKY BOOTS

American Alan Mingo, Jr. To Star in Mirvish “all-Canadian” Production of Tony Award-winning “Kinky Boots”

Despite much-hyped plans to present an all-Canadian cast in the Canadian premiere of the hit Broadway musical “Kinky Boots” Mirvish Productions have failed to find a homegrown performer to play the show’s leading character – Lola, the Drag Queen.

When David Mirvish announced the show a year ago this February to launch its subscription drive, he promised the Canadian premiere would be a sit-down, homegrown production with an all-Canadian cast.

Now, despite such Canadian talent as Daren A. Herbert (who starred as Burrs in Acting Up Stage Company / Obsidian Theatre’s hit production of “The Wild Party”) and David Lopez, who has appeared in the Toronto production of “Priscilla-Queen of the Desert” and played leading roles in “Cats” and received nominations for various awards for his performances in “La Cage aux Folles” and “Ain’t Misbehavin,” Mirvish has reneged on his promise in favor of American performer Alan Mingo, Jr.

An entertainer with extensive Broadway, touring and regional experience, Mingo, Jr. co-starred last year in “La Cage aux Folles” as Albin opposite Broadway vet Brent Barrett (“Grand Hotel”) as Georges during the Wells Fargo Pavilion’s Music Circus 2014 season in Sacramento, California. Harvey Fierstein, “Kinky Boots'” book writer, also wrote the book for “La Cage aux Folles.”…

On Broadway, Mingo, Jr. understudied Sebastian in “The Little Mermaid” in 2008, and, in “Rent” in 1996, he was the replacement for Tom Collins.

On U.S. National Tour in 2010, he played the Donkey in “Shrek” and Simba in “The Lion King” in 2002.

On TV, he appeared on “Law and Order” in 1990 and “Frasier” in 1993.

About Kinky Boots

With music and lyrics by rocker Cyndi Lauper and book by Harvey Fierstein, “Kinky Boots” was adapted from the 2005 movie of the same name.  Following previews in Oct. 2012 at Chicago’s Bank of America theatre, it officially premiered on Broadway on April 4th, 2013.

It won six Tony Awards including Best Musical and gave Cyndi Lauper a Best Score Tony for her first effort.  She made history by becoming the first “solo writing” woman to win in that category.

The Broadway original cast CD received the 2013 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theatre Album.  It is available from Song& Script along with a book of songs from the show including “The History of Wrong Guys,” “Sex is in the Heel” and the rousing finale   “Raise You Up / Just Be.”

“Kinky Boots'” Toronto engagement begins June 16th.  Although Mirvish productions call it a sit-down engagement, tickets are currently on sale only to Sept. 27th.

Dennis Kucherawy

KINKY WINGS?

U.S. National Tour of Broadway Smash KINKY BOOTS Opens at Buffalo’s Shea’s Theatre this Tuesday for Week-Long Run

OK, we know Buffalo likes its Kinky (chicken) Wings hot, but how about its Kinky Boots?

We’ll know tomorrow, Tuesday, April 21st when they stride into Buffalo’s Shea’s Performing Arts Centre for a week long engagement, ending Sunday, April 26th.  That’s two-months before the show’s Canadian premiere in Toronto this June.

Of course, they’re not just the latest in fashion.  “Kinky Boots” is, speaking of hot, the sizzling, six-time Tony Award winning Broadway show with music and lyrics by rock superstar Cyndi Lauper and book by Harvey Fierstein.  Its awards included Best Musical and Best Musical Score, giving Lauper the distinction of being the first woman to win that category as a single writer and not part of a team.

“Kinky Boots” is based on the 2005 British-American comedy-drama film featuring, among others Chiwetel Ejiofor who went on to star in the Oscar-winning film “12 Years a Slave,” as the drag queen, Lola.

Following previews in Oct. 2012 at Chicago’s Bank of America theatre, “Kinky Boots” officially premiered on Broadway on April 4th, 2013 and has grossed more than $146 million since then.

The U.S. National Tour of “Kinky Boots” stars J. Harrison Ghee as Lola; Steven Booth as shoe factory owner Charlie Price; Lindsay Nicole Chambers  as Lauren; Joe Coots  as Don; Craig Waletzko  as George and Grace Stockdale in her touring debut as Nicola. Other casting includes Darius Harper, Ricky Schroder, Juan Torres-Falcon, Hernando Umana, Damian Brett, Stephen Carrasco, Lauren Chapman, Amelia Cormack, Blair Goldberg, Crystal Kellogg, Ross Lekites, Patty Lohr, Mike Longo, David McDonald, Bonnie Milligan, Horace Rogers, Anne Tolpegin and Sam Zeller.

For tickets (from $33-$83), call 1-800-735-3000, go to http://www.ticketmaster.com or the Shea’s Ticket Office, 650 Main Street, Buffalo. For groups (15+), call 829-1154.
Performances are Mon. – Thurs. at 7:30 p.m., Fri. at      8 p.m., Sat. at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Sunday 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Directed and choreographed by Tony® Award-winner Jerry Mitchell, “Kinky Boots” continues to play to standing-room-only crowds nightly. The show, which has broken all box office records at the Hirschfeld Theatre, recouped its costs in October 2013, after just 30 weeks on Broadway.

Kinky Boots took home six 2013 Tony® Awards, the most of any show in the season, including Best Musical, Best Score (Cyndi Lauper), Best Choreography (Jerry Mitchell), Best Orchestrations (Stephen Oremus) and Best Sound Design (John Shivers). The show also received the Drama League, Outer Critics Circle and Broadway.com Awards for Best Musical and the Grammy® Award for Best Musical Album, along with many other accolades.

In “Kinky Boots,” Charlie Price has reluctantly inherited his father’s shoe factory, which is on the verge of bankruptcy. Trying to live up to his father’s legacy and save his family business, Charlie finds inspiration in the form of Lola. A fabulous drag queen entertainer in need of some sturdy stilettos, Lola turns out to be the one person who can help Charlie become the man he’s meant to be. As they work together to turn the factory around, this unlikely pair finds that they have more in common than they ever dreamed possible… and discovers that when you change your mind about someone, you can change your whole world.

The design team for Kinky Boots includes Tony® Award nominee David Rockwell(Scenic Design), Tony® Award-winner Gregg Barnes (Costume Design), Tony Award-winner Kenneth Posner (Lighting Design), Tony® Award-winner John Shivers(Sound Design), Josh Marquette (Hair Design), Randy Houston Mercer (Make-up Design), Telsey + Company, Justin Huff, CSA (Casting), with Musical Supervision, Arrangements and Orchestrations by Tony and Grammy Award-winner Stephen Oremus.

Kinky Boots is produced on Broadway and on tour by Daryl Roth and Hal Luftig, James L. Nederlander, Terry Allen Kramer, Independent Presenters Network, CJ E&M, Jayne Baron Sherman, Just for Laughs Theatricals/Judith Ann Abrams, Yasuhiro Kawana, Jane Bergere, Allan S. Gordon & Adam S. Gordon, Ken Davenport, Hunter Arnold, Lucy and Phil Suarez, Bryan Bantry, Ron Fierstein and Dorsey Regal, Jim Kierstead/Gregory Rae, BB Group/Christina Papagjika, Michael DeSantis/Patrick Baugh, Brian Smith/Tom and Connie Walsh, Warren Treppand Jujamcyn Theaters.

For more information on Kinky Boots visit www.kinkybootsthemusical.com or www.sheas.org.

The Broadway original cast CD and songbook are available at Song & Script.

Dennis Kucherawy