Matt Cardle Will Lead KINKY BOOTS at London Coliseum

Multi-platinum-selling recording artist and award-winning West End actor Matt Cardle will play Charlie Price alongside Johannes Radebe as Lola, in the brand-new production of the Olivier, Tony and Grammy Award-winning KINKY BOOTS The Musical. The show will strut into the spectacular London Coliseum for 17 weeks from 17 March 2026 to 11 July 2026, with a week of previews at Curve, Leicester from 3 March 2026. Tickets are on sale now.

Tosh Wanogho-Maud, who is currently starring as Lola in the European leg of the touring production, also joins the cast as Alternate Lola*.

KINKY BOOTS The Musical features a book by Harvey Fierstein and a score by Cyndi Lauper. It will be directed by Curve's Artistic Director Nikolai Foster (My Fair Lady, A Chorus Line, Billy Elliot).

Matt Cardle rose to fame performing with Rihanna in front of a televised audience of over 20 million as the winner of The X Factor's highest ever rated series in 2010. Since then Matt has soared up the charts and achieved similar success on his own terms releasing four studio albums; Letters (2011), The Fire (2012), Porcelain (2013) and Time To Be Alive (2018). New album, The Great Escape, is released on 10 April 2026.

Matt most recently starred as Shakespeare in the UK and Ireland tour of & Juliet. He played Huey Calhoun in Memphis (Shaftesbury Theatre, West End) alongside Beverley Knight, for which he received the WhatsOnStage Award for ‘Best West End Debut.' He also appeared as Wally Strand in Strictly Ballroom (Piccadilly Theatre) and Pilate in Jesus Christ Superstar (Barbican Theatre).

Matt said “I am absolutely over the moon to be joining the cast of Kinky Boots on London's biggest stage. Theatre has been a huge part of my career so far, and leading a cast alongside Johannes Radebe at the London Coliseum is a huge honour. Kinky Boots is a show I've loved for years so to get the opportunity to step into the role of Charlie Price is a dream come true. Bringing this iconic role to life in the West End is an incredible privilege, and I cannot wait to share this production with audiences.”

Tosh Wanogho-Maud started his career as a child in the iconic shows Whistle Down the Wind and The Lion King. Previous credits include ICEBERG in Titanique (Criterion Theatre) Palladium Pantomime, Oklahoma! in Concert (Theatre Royal Drury Lane), Batboy in Concert (The London Palladium), Ain't Too Proud (Prince Edward Theatre), Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat (Toronto), The Drifters Girl (Garrick Theatre), Dreamgirls (Savoy Theatre) and The Book of Mormon (Prince of Wales Theatre). His film and television credits include Jingle Jangle (Apple TV+), Bridgerton (Netflix) and Roadkill (BBC).

KINKY BOOTS The Musical is a Broadway and West End phenomenon based on a true story and movie of the same name released in 2005.

When Charlie Price inherits his family's failing shoe factory, saving the company – and his love life – feels like an impossibly tall order. Until, that is, he meets Lola, the sparkling, larger-than-life drag queen with the unlikeliest of answers. Can they work together to reboot the business and save the day? Perhaps they just need to help each other – and everyone around them – to stand a little taller…

A glorious celebration of friendship and individuality, let Kinky Boots raise you up higher than ever at the legendary London Coliseum for 17 weeks only.