Interview: J. Harrison Ghee of KINKY BOOTS at Waterbury's Palace Theatre

What happens when the young owner of a failing shoe factory in Northampton, England meets a fabulous London drag queen named Lola? Well, in three words - BIG FAB FUN! And audiences will have the opportunity to witness this thrilling, yet touching musical tale, KINKY BOOTS, when the show takes the stage at the Palace Theatre in Waterbury, CT on December 6th. Playing the fabulous drag queen, Lola, is J. Harrison Ghee, and I had the chance to sit down with him to talk about the glamour, the hard work, and the absolute thrill of bringing this story to Waterbury.

BWW: Thanks so much for taking the time to talk with me today. We are really looking forward to KINKY BOOTS in Waterbury!

J Harrison Ghee: I am excited too!

Can you start by telling us a little bit about how you got started in the theatre?

I grew up singing in church and it's something I have always done. I like to say that when I was born I came out singing instead of crying. Theatre is just something that kind of came to me along the way. For a long time I thought I would be a lawyer or a doctor, but my heart has always been for entertainment. So, when I graduated high school I decided to move to New York and study musical theatre. From there the ball got rolling and here we are today with KINKY BOOTS.

For those unfamiliar with the story of KINKY BOOTS, how would you describe the show?

KINKY BOOTS is a story about a men's shoe factory in Northampton, England that is failing. My co-star, Adam Kaplan, who plays Charlie, gets the factory and runs into my character, Lola, on a trip to London. Together they come up with a scheme to save the factory by making boots for drag queens. Along the way there are messages of love, acceptance, and understanding. We like to call the show "big fab fun!" You get a range of emotions with this show.

KINKY BOOTS has such a powerful message, especially in today's world. What is it like bringing a story like this to the stage?

It's a great responsibility. It's a blessing to be able to do it and I am honored to play a character like Lola. The story is very close to home for me, so I take pride in being able to share this message every night across the country and around the world. It really is such an imperative time for this message to be shared with society.

Having seen the Broadway production, I know how electric the show can be, and the emotional impact it has on the audience. How have audiences reacted around the country?

People are always pleasantly surprised. I love to hear people say "I am a season ticket holder and I didn't know what to expect, but I had the time of my life. Thank you for opening my eyes." We have had children inspired to come out to their parents and parents vice versa who know their children are struggling with a number of things, so it opens a conversation on so many levels. That's what it is all about. As humans we need to learn how to communicate better and KINKY BOOTS is helping people do that every day.

The music from Cyndi Lauper is so infectious. It must be a blast getting to perform it every night!

It is! Just like there is a range of emotions, there is a range of stylistic influences that they used with the music that are so fun to explore every night. And being Lola, I have this freedom to find new things and to play around. I love that. It makes it easy to keep it fresh every night.

So, speaking of Lola, she is a drag queen, and a fabulous one at that. What's the best and hardest part of being in drag every night?

The best part is being able to share this message. When I wake up in the morning one of my first thoughts is "I get to change someone's life tonight." That is what drives me and gets me to the theater and inspires me to really want to dig in. The hardest part is the stamina of doing it eight times a week. It is a lot. To be emotionally and physically invested and connected every night and every performance is a lot harder than I thought it would be. I have been doing drag outside of the show for six years now, so I really understand the life of a drag queen. But doing it eight times a week in such a concentraTEd Manner is very taxing.

Considering your years of performing drag, how have you brought your own experience into the role of Lola?

In my personal drag I get to be whoever I want to be every night. I can switch it up. I can give you glamour, or goth, or rock, or soul. I can be so many things and there is a freedom there. Being Lola and being the same character every night lets me have fun but still explore the different avenues of that person. It keeps it fresh and new. It's kind of a two in one - Lola is informed by my personal drag as well.

So we have to talk about the costumes for a minute. I mean they are out of this world.

They are fabulous! I treat the costumes as carefully as I treat the show itself. I have a dresser who maintains my costumes impeccably and we take care of those costumes together because they are so beautiful and so amazingly designed. They have to be shown off in the best way.

What do you look forward to the most before you step out on stage each night?

Often times, I am most excited about one, if not two songs specifically. "Not My Father's Son" and "Hold Me In Your Heart" are two very touching songs, and I enjoy seeing how I am going to feel and see what is going to happen with them. I want to live in a place of honesty and truth. My hope is that someone is touched and that they get the message and the true essence of those songs. The show is therapy for me. Whatever I am going through in life, I allow myself to go there in the show. I am afforded that opportunity and it is the most amazing thing to be able to put my mess into the show.

And how long have you been on this tour?

I have been with the show for two years. I started the tour as a swing, the Lola understudy, and the assistant dance captain. Our original Lola chose to leave the show and I re-auditioned and took over as Lola full-time in November of last year.

What would you say are the best and most difficult parts about touring with a show like this?

I've learned so much about myself as a human and as an entertainer, as far as dealing with relationships and communicating with other people. It has shown me a lot. We live in a bubble on tour. We are a tight-knit family but I have seen so many people come in and out of the show. There are only two people left on tour who are original, me and one of the factory workers. The wheel just keeps turning, so adjusting is also hard, not just to new people but new cities as well.

And you have gotten to see lots of new cities, I am sure.

Absolutely, and we have gotten the best responses from the show in some of the most unsuspecting places, like Des Moines, Iowa. We had an audience of 3000 people there and they were all on their feet clapping and dancing and singing along during the finale. It touched each of us so much. We were so effected by the energy in the theater and it took a long time after the show ended for many of us to recover.

So thinking toward the future, do you have a dream role that you would one day like to play?

The possibilities are endless! I see myself doing so many different things it's just a matter of where to begin. One Dream role, for me, would be to play Seaweed in HAIRSPRAY. Other than that, wherever the wind blows and whatever the universe has for me, I'm open to possibilities.

Do you have any advice for young performers looking to make it into professional theatre?

One of the things that I always say is that I wouldn't be where I am today if I didn't have people in my life that were honest with me. The people that are closest to me are people that don't allow me to be delusional. They keep me regulated by being honest with me. I believe that has been one of the keys to my success. I also advise people to listen to their intuition and their heart and it will usually guide you to the right thing. Things will work out as long as you are coming from a place of truth and honesty.

Anything we haven't covered that you would like to share with our readers?

KINKY BOOTS plays at the Palace Theater December 6 -11. Tickets can be purchased online at www.palacetheaterct.org, by phone at 203-346-2000 , or in person at the Box Office, 100 East Main Street in Waterbury, CT.

Top Photo: - J. Harrison Ghee in the National Tour of Kinky Boots. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

Middle Photo - J. Harrison Ghee and Adam Kaplan in the National Tour of Kinky Boots. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

Bottom Photo - Kinky Boots National Touring Company. Photo: Matthew Murphy.