BWW Interviews: Cyndi Lauper Talks KINKY BOOTS

Are you ready Houston? Let us hear you say "Yeah!" The tour that everyone has been waiting for is finally here! Tonight, Theatre Under the Stars (TUTS) has a brand new shoe! They're kicking off their run of the Tony Award-winning musical Kinky Boots at the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts. In addition to winning the Tony Award for Best Musical, Kinky Boots also took home the Tony for Best Score. Naturally, BWW-Houston could think of no one better to get Houston audiences ready for the party than by chatting with Cyndi Lauper herself.

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BWW: A lot of your work sends a wholly positive message about being true to yourself and being proud of who you are. Kinky Boots is no exception. Why is this important to you?

Cyndi Lauper: Because really that is the heart of the matter for me. As a kid, because I was "different," I got picked on a lot. I tried to "fit in" too, but at the end of the day that was more painful than being not in the "in crowd," or having a lot of friends, or going to all the cool parties, or in some cases being bullied. When I finally just accepted myself for who I was, I blossomed. I found my voice, and in the end that is what brought me all my success. So, I try and tell that story because only when you love yourself can your life really start.

BWW: How is creating a new musical similar to creating an album? And, how is different?

Cyndi Lauper: It's different because your job as a songwriter for musical theater is to help move the story forward in song. It's very specific, and you have to write from many voices for all the different characters on the stage, not just from your own voice/perspective.

BWW: As you've written all of the songs, is there one or a handful that stand out as favorites?

Cyndi Lauper: I really don't [have a favorite]. Because every time I think I have a favorite, I will go to the show and think "Oh no, that's my favorite." I'm really proud of all the songs and just so thankful that Harvey [Fierstein] called me, and that I was able to have this magical creative experience that people are really responding to.

BWW: One of the best elements of Kinky Boots is its score, which is a crazy amount of fun and heartfelt. This is the score that earned you a Tony Award in 2013. How does it feel to be the first solo-woman to win that category?

Cyndi Lauper: Honored. Very honored!

BWW: It seems like Kinky Boots has a little something for everyone. Looking back at this project, do you find that there is any character that you particularly relate to?

Cyndi Lauper: Well, I think Lauren, for sure, because I think most women can relate to her song "History of Wrong Guys"-finding love in all the wrong places. But, in the end, finding your true love in a place you would never expect.

BWW: How does it feel sharing this story, and sharing your score with people across the country, like Houston, Texas?

Cyndi Lauper: At the heart of the matter, the story of Kinky Boots is about the power of love and acceptance, and I'm so happy the show is being brought to people in their own backyards, so they can see it and hopefully be moved by it. We all need to be reminded of that lesson, and it's great that the show is going across the country. I'm so happy people in Houston have a chance to see it for themselves.

BWW: What do you hope audiences take away from Kinky Boots?

Cyndi Lauper: One of the things I dreamed about when I first started writing the songs, particularly "Not My Father's Son" and also in the finale song, "Raise You Up / Just Be," would be that parents would want to call their kids and tell them they loved them, just the way they are.

BWW: We understand if you can't speak much on it yet, but is there any chance that we'll see another original musical score by Cyndi Lauper?

Cyndi Lauper: Absolutely!!!

Make sure to catch Kinky Boots before the stilettos march out of town! Kinky Boots opens tonight, February 10, and will run until February 22, 2015 in the Sarofim Hall at The Hobby Center for the Performing Arts. For more information about the show, or to book your tickets to Kinky Boots please visit http://www.tuts.com.

Also, for information about seeing KINKY BOOTS during its other tour stops or even at the Al Hirschfield Theatre on Broadway, please visit http://kinkybootsthemusical.com.

Photos by Matthew Murphy, courtesy of Theatre Under The Stars.

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