Standing tall in ‘Kinky Boots’
Kyle Taylor Parker’s confidence is rising to new heights.
The performer is stepping into sturdy stilettos to star as Lola in the Tony-winning musical “Kinky Boots” at Segerstrom Center for the Arts from Dec. 30 to Jan. 11.
Parker, who has been in “Kinky Boots” since its 2012 debut, became an understudy for Lola, played by Tony Award-winner Billy Porter. Now he gets to play her front and center in the musical’s first national touring production, which kicked off in Las Vegas on Sept. 4.
“Lola is a remarkable role,” Parker said by phone from the musical’s current stop in San Francisco. “Being an African-American gay man to play the lead in this show about pride and acceptance is an honor to me.
“I want to tell people, ‘You too can be on stage’ and that your story matters.”
Inspired by true events, the musical features book by Harvey Fierstein and music by Grammy-winning pop icon Cyndi Lauper. “Kinky Boots” tells the story of Charlie Price, who inherits his father’s failing shoe factory. He turns to new friend and cabaret star Lola, a drag queen, to save the family business. The unlikely duo create footwear that dazzles on the runways of Milan, Italy, and gives the factory a new future.
And the boots, critical to the plot, are among the stars of the show. The glitzy thigh-highs made of metallic and crocodile red leather for the feisty Lola, look treacherously high, but they are safe to dance and jump around in. Parker, who wears a different shoe in each scene, said he got his girlfriends together to teach him how to strut in style.
“It was a labor of love,” he said with a laugh. “I have nothing but respect for women who wear heels.”
The “Angels,” who make up an ensemble of fellow drag queens led by Lola, also lace up eye-popping boots designed with anything from gold lame to rhinestone-encrusted heels.
So far, none of the actors putting on the finished footwear has complained or been forced to drop out of the show because of pain. A physical therapist is available daily to ice the performers’ legs and feet.
Earlier this year, the production created a “Just Be” campaign by asking six personalities, including Josh Groban, Mario Batali and Kelly Osbourne, to put on a pair of dazzling red boots and share the musical’s message about how they use their passions to help and inspire others.
Segerstrom Center for the Arts also ran the promotional campaign by asking Orange County residents to put on an exact replica of those worn in the show. “Kinky Boots” wearers promoting the show included Barbara Venezia, Sandy Segerstrom Daniels and Kedric Francis, executive director of Coast magazine.
Though Terry Dwyer, Segerstrom Center president, didn’t get a chance to zip up the signature scarlet pair, he said he and the center had fun promoting the show.
“Those boots were popular,” Dwyer said. “I’m just so excited to have ‘Kinky Boots’ come to Segerstrom because it’s a sparkling score and it’s a story that has a heart of gold.”
The show, which Fierstein said is about self-acceptance, has struck a chord with critics and theater-goers, as evidenced by its 13 Tony Award nominations, including one for Best Costume Design. The musical started its journey with an out-of-town tryout in Chicago during the fall of 2012 and opened on Broadway in April of 2013.
It earned a season-high number of nominations and six Tony wins, including Best Musical and Best Original Score for Lauper in her first outing as a Broadway songwriter.
And for Parker, who grew up in Milwaukee, Wis., performing on Broadway has been an honor and a dream come true. He knew he wanted to be an actor when he was 5 years old after his mother took him to his first Broadway show, “Annie” at the Martin Beck Theatre, known today as the Al Hirschfeld Theatre.
Parker went on to graduate from the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York and returned to the same stage at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre to make his Broadway debut. He performed in the national tour of “In the Heights” and regional tour of “Hair.”
Once he wraps up the show on the West Coast, with Costa Mesa being the last stop, he and the rest of the cast and crew will head east with shows in Boston, Philadelphia and Nashville, among other cities.
His message to audiences, he said, is to stand up for what you believe, even if that’s wearing 6-inch heels.
“Just be who you want to be,” Parker said. “Be beautiful.”
If You Go
What: “Kinky Boots”
When: 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturdays; 1 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Sundays from Dec. 30 through Jan. 11
Where: Segerstrom Center for the Arts, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa
Cost: Tickets start at $29
Information: (714) 556-2787 or visit scfta.org