‘Kinky Boots’ coming to the State Theatre in Uniontown
The cast of the musical "Kinky Boots" to be performed at the State Theatre Center for the Arts in Uniontown.
Caedon Vogel plays Charlie in this weekend's production of "Kinky Boots" at the State Theatre Center for the Arts in Uniontown.
Kelly Tunney
K鈥檔ique Eichelberger (left) plays Lola and Caedon Vogel (right) plays Charlie in the upcoming musical 鈥淜inky Boots鈥� at the State Theatre Center for the Arts in Uniontown.
The Main Street Theatre Company鈥檚 second summer production, 鈥淜inky Boots,鈥� will strut onto the stage in Uniontown this weekend.
鈥淲e are always looking for ways to bring popular musicals to the Uniontown area,鈥� said John Wagner-Malia, the director/choreographer for the musical, which will be presented at the State Theatre Center for the Arts.
鈥淜nowing how successful it was in major cities across the country, we jumped at the opportunity to produce this Tony Award-winning musical right here at the State Theatre,鈥� he said, noting that the performance rights for the show were recently made available.
Based on a 2005 British film of the same name, the musical version was written by Harvey Fierstein with music and lyrics by pop icon Cyndi Lauper.
The story centers around the character of Charlie Price, who inherits a shoe factory from his father and forms an unlikely partnership with cabaret performer and drag queen Lola to produce a line of high-heeled boots in hopes of saving the business. In the process, Charlie and Lola discover that they are not so different after all. The show has themes of kindness, finding optimism, tolerance and acceptance.
鈥淏eyond its popularity, it has an incredibly important and relevant message,鈥� Wagner-Malia said. 鈥淭his felt like the perfect way to close out our first season as the Main Street Theatre Company and share this story and message with the community.鈥�
Along with its uplifting message, Wagner-Malia said the show also has some wonderful music.
鈥淚t is joyful and infectious,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 think that once you hear the music, people will want to hear these songs over and over again. You can definitely hear Cyndi Lauper鈥檚 influence when you are listening to the music from the show.鈥�
Rehearsals for the show began on May 30, which was also the same time the company started rehearsing for their first summer show, 鈥淛oseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.鈥� That created a bit of challenge, said Wagner-Malia, but the cast and crew of about 60 people persevered.
鈥淭he passion and dedication our cast and crew has is remarkable, and is going to make this production a special experience for our audiences,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 could not ask for a better group of people to tell this story with.鈥�
Kristen Tunney, the production manager of the show, said some of the cast members auditioned this spring specifically because they wanted to be a part of 鈥淜inky Boots,鈥� while others were just eager to participate regardless of the show.
鈥�(At) the rehearsal when we put people in their boots for the first time, everyone got pretty excited,鈥� Tunney said.
Delaney Harvey, who plays the role of Lauren, only knew of the show鈥檚 music when going into rehearsals, and had no idea how much fun the show would be.
鈥淚鈥檝e never played a comedic role like Lauren before, so it鈥檚 been a blast hearing John (Wagner-Malia) and my castmates laughing at and with my character,鈥� Harvey said, noting that the biggest challenge of the show is carrying through the energy for the entirety of it. 鈥淔rom beginning to end, every character is faced with these life-changing experiences and decisions to make. You can鈥檛 relax for a moment or you might miss something great.鈥�
Wagner-Malia said the show has a ton of moving parts with some new and exciting things in which the performers had to train, including dancing on conveyor belts and dancing and moving in some rather large boots.
鈥淥ur cast and crew is working incredibly hard, and I think the audiences will be thoroughly impressed when they see the production,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he theater offers an escape from our everyday lives, and the uplifting message found in 鈥楰inky Boots鈥� is the perfect escape for our audiences.鈥�
Tunney said they鈥檙e truly grateful to be in a partnership producing musicals at the State Theatre for the tenth year running.
鈥淓ven a decade in, it鈥檚 still exciting to feel so supported by a community that鈥檚 enthusiastic about seeing a real range of musical theater,鈥� Tunney said. 鈥溾�楰inky Boots鈥� is a fantastic example of that range.鈥�
The cast of 鈥淜inky Boots鈥� will take the stage at the State Theatre Center for the Arts in Uniontown at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, July 28 and 29 and 2 p.m. Sunday, July 30.
Ticket are $15 each and can be purchased at www.statetheatre.info.