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The “Kinky Boots” Broadway Tour will try the Kuss Auditorium on for size at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 2. The show is presented by the Clark State Performing Arts Center.
This musical includes adult language and themes.
“Kinky Boots” celebrates how an unexpected friendship can change perceptions and create successes.
When a young man named Charlie takes over his father’s struggling shoe factory, he meets an unusual performer named Lola who inspires Charlie to create high-heeled boots to save the business — and in the process, the two discover they are not so different after all.
Clark State Performing Arts Center executive director Adele Adkins said “Kinky Boots” is as close to a perfect musical as one can get and for everyone from kids to grandparents.
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“The show’s message, music, story, dancing, everything, appeals to people of all ages, men and women, creed or color,” she said. “Men who think they’re being dragged to ‘just another musical’ by the wife have almost more fun than anyone else. But this musical is actually more concerned about the human condition.”
“Kinky Boots” is the first national tour for Cincinnati native Bethany Xan Jeffery, who portrays office manager Pat and is in the ensemble. She’s excited to bring out her comedy side and part of new opportunities for women in theater.
“We don’t have to be wearing gowns, it shows we look like everyone else,” said Jeffery.
These themes are reflected in “Kinky Boots.”
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“I’m super passionate to tell a great story and this show has an unlikely story a lot of people can relate to,” she said. “You’ll crack up and weep. People are finding the heart in it.”
Jeffery said the cast feeds off the energy from the audience, and is especially excited to have family members traveling to watch and she’s excited to be back here. “Ohio is an incredibly diverse and eclectic state,” she said. “’Kinky Boots’ is a show where the more we get from you in the audience the better we do. Come give it a look.”
Adkins hopes the audience will go home with more than just the memorable songs in their minds.
“My favorite quote from the show is, ‘When you change your mind about someone you can change your world.’ I guarantee that the audience will leave the theater feeling happy and optimistic about the world. That’s something we can all use these days.”
WANT TO GO?
What: Kinky Boots Broadway Tour
Where: Clark State Performing Arts Center, Kuss Auditorium, 300 South Fountain Ave., Springfield
When: Thursday, Nov. 2, 7:30 p.m.
Admission: $35-60 (plus ticket and facility fees)
More info: 937-328-3874 or go to https://pac.clarkstate.edu/events/calendar/kinky-boots-broadway-tour/
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