ACCLAIMED MUSICAL KINKY BOOTS ARRIVES IN BEIJING
After 45 successful shows in Shanghai and Guangzhou, the award-winning musical extravaganza Kinky Boots has finally arrived in Beijing, the final stop of its inaugural China tour.
The winner of major musical awards, including the Tony, the Grammy and London’s Olivier Award, the musical is being shown at the Tianqiao Performing Arts Center till Sept 16.
Based on the 2005 British film of the same title and featuring music and lyrics by Cyndi Lauper,
Kinky Boots has toured the world and been adapted into Japanese and South Korean versions since its premiere in Chicago in 2012.
The musical tells the story of Charlie Price, a struggling young man who takes over the family business of running a shoe factory. With the factory being on the verge of closure, an unlikely but spectacular drag queen named Lola helps the young man embark on a mission to create women’s shoes for men.
“This is the first time we are in China and the audience is fun, warm and welcoming,” says actor Lance Bordelon in Beijing, who plays the role of Charlie Price. “The show is a universal human experience and relatable to both the audience and ourselves. We present it with an authentic heart and it proves that it transcends culture.”
Originally from Scott, a small town in South Louisiana, the United States, but currently residing in New York City, Bordelon has been a musician most of his life, playing the saxophone and clarinet in an orchestra and singing in church from a young age.
“You identify with these characters so easily whether you are someone who struggles with your life or with something else,” Bordelon adds. “We are in our 20s and the question we all ask ourselves is ‘who am I?’ The role, Charlie, also has the same issue about starting to pave his way and figuring out what he wants in his life.”
For actor Jos N. Banks, playing Lola is his “dream role”. He started with watching the musical and admiring everyone onstage, especially Billy Porter, who first played the role of Lola on Broadway and won the Best Actor at the Tony Awards.
It took Banks several attempts to join the musical before he was accepted three years ago.
“You feel loved and accepted in this musical. People belong to certain groups and we all need a place on this Earth. It’s such a beautiful and powerful message delivered through the musical,” Banks says. “People leave the show thinking that they can conquer the world and be their best selves because of Lola and her energy.”
Banks, a Chicago native, started singing in choirs and tried out musical in high school. He suffered from stage fright and when he told his mother that he wanted to pursue a full-time acting career, she thought he was crazy.
He later studied musical theater and costume design at Millikin University, where his talent was not recognized and was subsequently released from his program.
“I believe in what I have and I wouldn’t be here, performing worldwide, if I listened to the negative opinions about my talent,” he says.