MEDIA CONTACT:
Joshua Ford
Director of Marketing and Communications
CYNDI LAUPER’S TONY-WINNING KINKY BOOTS IS FIRST MUSICAL OF 2023 ON
THE OLNEY THEATRE CENTER MAINSTAGE
Artistic Director Jason Loewith helms the feel-good musical and features local stars
Solomon Parker III as a drag queen Lola, and Vincent Kempski as troubled shoe
manufacturer Charlie
Olney, MD — January 3, 2023 — “The sex is in the heel” and on the Olney Theatre
Center Mainstage as Kinky Boots runs February 10 - March 19, 2023. With music
and lyrics by pop-icon Cyndi Lauper, a book by Broadway-legend Harvey Fierstein,
and its tale of overcoming prejudice and stereotypes, the Olney Theatre production is
just the thing to get winter-worn theatregoers through to spring. Director Jason
Loewith, in addition to longtime collaborators Christopher Youstra (Music Director)
and Tara Jeanne Vallee (Choreographer) will also be aided by Devon Vaow (who is
well known in drag circles as Evon Michelle), as the production’s drag consultant and
makeup designer. Additionally, costume designer Kendra Rai supplies the inspiration
for the titular footwear, a bevy of drag queens, and industrial factory workers The
invited press performance is Thursday, February 16 at 8:00 pm. Interested critics
may reserve two tickets by emailing [email protected]. Tickets are
available from $42 - $85 and can be purchased at olneytheatre.org or 301-924-3400.
Said Loewith about the production, “What better way to start 2023 than with a
Tony-winning musical about optimism, change, tolerance and acceptance? Kinky
Boots is a fun and wild ride, and I'm so excited to RAISE UP our audiences
alongside this stellar cast and creative team.”
In the show, which is based on a little-seen indie film of the same name, Charlie Price
(Vincent Kempski) is desperately trying to save his family’s shoe factory, when an
encounter with Lola (Solomon Parker III), a London drag queen in need of a quick
repair for her boot, unites them in a new business venture. In order for their plan to
work, the macho culture of Charlie’s economically depressed industrial hometown is
going to have to co-exist with the gender-fluid exuberance of Lola and her queens.
Solomon Parker III, who also performs in drag as Echinacea Monroe, grew up in
Montgomery County, and sees his Olney debut as Lola serving as a kind of “capstone”
to a DC-theatre career that has seen him rise to the first rank of local performers. He
recently was a standout in Signature’s production of The Color Purple and Ford’s
Theatre’s Grace. Says Parker, “I was lucky to grow up with the diversity of Silver Spring.
But I’m definitely from a tougher part of the county. So embracing my femininity,
expressing that in drag, has been a majorly expressive feat. Like I’m a 200 pound
black dude. I get Lola. I’ve lived and continue to live Simon’s experience. To be
able to embrace our shared gender fluidity is going to be an incredible experience to
share onstage. I’m 15 minutes from the street I grew up on. So leading this show and
telling this story is a real pinnacle for me.”
Vincent Kempski makes a long-anticipated return to Olney Theatre to play Charlie
coming off acclaimed performances as the Wolf/Cinderella’s Prince in Signature
Theatre’s production of Into The Woods and last year’s turn as Roger in the Virginia
company’s production of Rent.
Also joining the Kinky Boots cast are Candice Shedd-Thompson as Charlie’s
longtime girlfriend Nicola; Stephen Schmidt as Charlie’s dad; Chris Genebach as the
ultra-masculine factory worker Don; Alex De Bard as Lauren, a local factory girl;
Ricardo Blagrove as Lola’s father Simon Sr; Karl Kippola as factory worker George;
Calvin McCullough as Charlie’s shoe-biz connection Harry; Stephen Murray as
Nicola’s boss Richard; Kaiyla Gross as office manager Pat, and Sarah Anne SIllers as
Trish, a factory employee with a lot to lose. Shane Hall (Dance Captain), Connor
Reilly, Robbi Duncan, Quadry Brown, David Singleton and Malachi Alexander are
the Angels - Lola’s fellow drag queens. Henry Harleston will play Young Lola/Simon,
while Grayden Goldman and Dustin Sardella share the role of Young Charlie. Swings
for the production are Alexis Krey, Catrina Brenae and Tyrell Stanley.
Joining Loewith, Youstra, Vallee, Vaow, and Rai on the creative team are Milagros
Ponce de León (set designer), Larry Peterson (wig designer), Max Doolittle (lighting
designer), and Matt Rowe (lighting designer). Leigh Wilson Smiley is the dialect
coach, Casey Kaleba is the fight choreographer, and Ben Walsh is the Production
Stage Manager.
First Time Free
Once again, Olney Theatre Center is making 4 free tickets to preview performances
of Kinky Boots (Feb. 10, 11, 12 & 15) available to new patrons who have never
attended a production. Those tickets may be reserved by using the code 1stTimeFree
prior to selecting seats.
MASK POLICY
Masks are required at performances on Wednesdays and Sundays.
Masks are recommended but not required at performances on Thursdays, Fridays, and
Saturdays. This policy is subject to change, visit OlneyTheatre.org/health for more
information.
EVENT DETAILS
KINKY BOOTS
Book by Harvey Fierstein
Music and Lyrics by Cyndi Lauper
Original Broadway production Directed and Choreographed by Jerry Mitchell
Based on the Miramax motion picture Kinky Boots, written by
Geoff Deane and Tim Firth
Music Direction by Christopher Youstra
Choreography by Tara Jeanne Vallee
Directed by Jason Loewith
Scenic Designer Milagros Ponce de León
Costume Designer Kendra Rai
Lighting Designer Max Doolittle
Sound Designer Matt Rowe
Fight Choreographer Casey Kaleba
Wig Designer Larry Peterson
Makeup Designer & Drag Consultant Devon Vaow
Production Stage Manager Ben Walsh
Begins performances: February 10
Previews: February 10 - February 15, 2023
Press opening: Thursday, February 16 at 8:00 pm (RSVP to
Scheduled to run through: March 19, 2023
Performances Wednesday through Saturday at 8:00 pm, Saturday and Sunday at 2:00
pm, Wednesday matinees at 2:00 pm on February 15 and March 1. No Saturday
matinee on February 11.
Accessibility
GalaPro captioning on smartphones and tablets is available for all performances.
Audio-described performance for the visually-impaired on Wed., March 22 at 8:00 pm.
Sign-interpeted performance on Thurs., March 2 at 8:00 pm.
Related Events at Olney Theatre
Opening Night Panel Discussion: Drag, Theater, & Culture, from La Cage Aux Folles to
Ru Paul
Thursday, February 16, 2023
5:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Mainstage Theatre
$10/Free for members
We will trace the history of the art of drag and drag culture from its underground origins to its
movement into “the mainstream”.
Moderated by: Rashaud Matthews
Speakers: Evon Dior Michelle - Director of Entertainment/CoFounder of SADBrunch
Entertainment; Sunrize (Joseph W. Ritsch) - Director/Choreographer/Producing Artistic Director
at Rep Stag
Beyond the Stage - Sip n (Face) Paint (BYOM)
Saturday, February 25, 2023 at
5:30 PM - 7:00 PM
1938 Origin
al Theatre
$10
Batimore’s 2020 Drag Queen of the Year and Director of Entertainment/CoFounder of
SADBrunch Entertainment, Evon Dior Michelle, will lead a Drag Makeup Tutorial. This event is
B.Y.O.M.: bring your own makeup! Enjoy experimenting with bold and bright looks!
Drinks and snacks will be available to purchase.
Not-Your-Typical-Singles Mixer
Thursday, March 9, 2023
6:00 pm Mixer
8:00 pm Kinky Boots
Location: Actors Hall at Olney Theatre Center
Tickets plus pre-show reception: $40
~Drag~ yourself (or not) to the “It's Not Your Typical Night in the burbs!” We have the
glamorously talented Evon Dior Michelle, Director of Entertainment and CoFounder of
SADBrunch Entertainment, as our host for our first ever Singles Mixer at Olney Theatre! We
have reserved a section in the Mainstage Theatre for all the attendees to sit together to watch
Kinky Boots after the mixer.
Drinks and snacks will be available to purchase.
ABOUT OLNEY THEATRE CENTER
Mission
Olney Theatre Center for the Arts produces and curates theatrical performance for the diverse audiences
in our community, and educates, learns from, supports and inspires a more inclusive generation of
theater-makers.
Vision
We strive to become an arts and culture powerhouse, redefining the American regional theater movement
by cultivating and sharing the creativity of our community.
History
Founded in 1938 as a summer playhouse, Olney Theatre Center (OTC) now produces world and
American premieres of plays and musicals, and reimaginings of familiar titles year-round; presents the
work of leading companies and artists; tours nationally and locally; teaches students of all ages; and
mentors a more inclusive generation of theatremakers. For more than 8 decades, OTC has brought
impactful theater performance and education to our community, helping to grow the vibrancy and vitality
of our home in the Washington, DC region.
Over the years, some of the biggest names in theater and film have appeared on our stages, including
Tallulah Bankhead, Helen Hayes, Jessica Tandy, Hume Cronyn, Bob Fosse, Phillip Bosco, Eve Arden,
Eva Gabor, Burl Ives, Jose Ferrer, Carol Channing, Olivia d’Havilland, Tony Randall, Paulette Goddard,
Dorothy and Lillian Gish, Jane Seymour, Anne Revere, Frances Sternhagen, Arthur Treacher, James
Broderick, Olympia Dukakis, Sir Ian McKellen, Marica Gay Harden, John Colicos, Uzo Aduba, Alan
Cumming, Cheyenne Jackson, Robin de Jesus, Wilson Jermaine Heredia, among many, many others.
Olney Theatre is now the cultural anchor of a rapidly changing region and serves one of the most diverse,
best educated, and wealthiest counties in the country. Situated on the unceded land of the
Piscataway-Conoy people, the Olney area was once a rural farming community with a unique Quaker
heritage. Now the area is occupied by every kind of family that makes up 21st Century America, along
with major corporations, shopping districts, civic associations, non profit organizations and a diverse
collection of houses of worship. Montgomery County’s 1 million residents play a dynamic role in the
Baltimore-Washington corridor, and are a driving force behind the region’s creative economy.
Olney Theatre Center employs 40 full time staff, 20 part-time positions, 26 early career apprentices and
players, and more than 400 professional artists annually. The Theatre intends to continue expanding to
better meet the needs of our community.
For more information, please visit olneytheatre.org/history
Follow Olney Theatre Center on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @olneytheatre and on Facebook at
facebook.com/olneytheatre.
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