J. Harrison Ghee News

Good morning, BroadwayWorld! Today's big news: Tour star J. Harrison Ghee reprises his role as 'Lola' in KINKY BOOTS on Broadway, starting tonight, and Amy Herzog, Dominique Morisseau, Penelope Skinner and more are up for the 2017 Suzan Smith Blackburn Prize, announced today!

Producers Daryl Roth and Hal Luftig announced today that J. Harrison Ghee, currently earning rave reviews across the country as Lola in the National Tour of Kinky Boots, will strut onto Broadway this Spring, joining the Broadway production beginning March 6, 2017.

Kinky Boots is the smash-hit musical that brings together four-time Tony® Award-winner Harvey Fierstein (Book) and Grammy® Award-winning rock icon Cyndi Lauper (Tony Award-winner for Best Score for Kinky Boots). Check out brand new photos of the tour below!

Kinky Boots, the smash-hit musical that brings together four-time Tony® Award-winner Harvey Fierstein (Book) and Grammy® Award-winning rock icon Cyndi Lauper (Tony Award-winner for Best Score for Kinky Boots), opens at the Community Center Theater on Jan. 31 and runs through Feb. 5.

Kinky Boots, the smash-hit musical that brings together four-time Tony® Award-winner Harvey Fierstein (Book) and Grammy® Award-winning rock icon Cyndi Lauper (Tony Award-winner for Best Score for Kinky Boots), opens at the Community Center Theater on Jan. 31 and runs through Feb. 5.

The new Eccles Theater is currently serving as the temporary home for the national tour of KINKY BOOTS--a heartfelt exploration of family and friendship. With a Tony-winning pop score, performances bolstered by emotional strength and bravery, and design that is both subtle and bold, this is an unusual show that really works.

Votes are cast; polls are closed; and results have been tabulated! This was our biggest year yet! After a record number of voters in more than 75 regions worldwide, BroadwayWorld is very excited to announce the 2016 Los Angeles winners! Thanks to all who voted, and huge congratulations to all the winners!

There are undoubtedly other productions worthy of merit in 2016 which I did not cover. This list is based only on what I saw and reviewed. (alphabetical listings; Equity, Equity-waiver & Non-Equity productions are mixed) (artists performing outside LA may be included in performance categories) No set, costume, technical awards. I leave that to the bigger awards and to the expertise of those who really know those fields inside out.

OMG, the dancing! Everyone dances and it's delightful. KINKY BOOT makes everyone want to kick up their heels and dance for joy.

Sam Zeller was born and raised in Anaheim, CA, the youngest of three sons. Zeller went to Walt Disney Elementary school and grew up, in his words, 'a very fantasy like type life, because I always thought everyone was surrounded by Disney characters all the time like I was. But of course, nobody was.'

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.

A musical delight that's funny, sexy, and heartening till the very end.

What is the most beautiful thing in the world? Nature? Love? Food? What if I told you that for some, the answer was shoes? That is the exact mantra the Price family has passed down though the generations and unto the most recent heir, Charlie. When it comes his turn to take over the family shoe business, he is conflicted:  stuck somewhere between the ill-fated triangle of paternal expectations, fiancée demands, and personal validation.

'Kinky Boots' plays at DPAC through September 18

This week, we go around our Broadway World to feature stories in New Jersey, Tampa, San Diego and more. Check out our top 10 stories around our Broadway World below, which include IAGO in New Jersey, SPRING AWAKENING in Tampa, and LOVE'S LABOR'S LOST at the Old Globe directed by Kathleen Marshall, just to name a few.

When I saw Kinky Boots here in Chicago during its pre-Broadway tryouts, I left the theatre with a huge smile on my face. While the show does have its share of heavier moments, it is also full of so much joy. As it returns for a short run to the Oriental Theatre, I was thrilled to see it maintained the same sense of fun and sentiment that it had in 2012.

When KINKY BOOTS played Playhouse Square in April of 2015, while still running on Broadway, it was a really good performance. The show is back again and, believe it or not, it's even better this time around.

Two hundred and seventy pounds in high heels is like Bambi on ice. @aaronwalpole #kinkybootstour