Previews: The Tesseract Theatre Company's Production of KINKY BOOTS at The Grandel Theatre

The Tesseract Theatre Company takes on its largest production to date when they open KINKY BOOTS on Thursday, August 17th at The Grandel Theatre. Broadway World had the opportunity to sit-down with Director Taylor Gruenloh, and the shows two leads, Tiélere Cheatem who plays Lola and Kelvin Urday who plays Charlie Price. Each of them shared their excitement about their production of KINKY BOOTS, getting to work in the Grandel Theatre, and what show means to each of them.

The Grandel is the largest house The Tesseract Theatre Company has worked in on a production. Both Cheatem and Urday expressed that even though the space is larger, it is still really small and intimate for this big show. Gruenloh thinks that this production is going to be special because this theater allows them to work in this middle-sized space where it feels like a big musical but has an element that allows you to feel all the different emotions. Cheatem says, “There is no bad seat in the house. No matter where you sit, you’re going to get an up-close viewpoint.”

Last year, Gruenloh and Cheatem worked together on a production of KINKY BOOTS at Missouri S&T in Rolla where Gruenloh is an Assistant Professor of Theatre and Film. Gruenloh shared that he is bringing the amazing set piece that the students built for that show. He talked about the challenges of fitting their incredible set into a space that is a bit smaller than the university’s performance space. In addition to the set piece, Gruenloh is bringing some of the students to St. Louis to get their first experience as professional crew members. He’s really excited about working with the student who did the lighting design at the university. According to Gruenloh, that student will be getting their first professional lighting design credit for the Tesseract Production. He said, “We’re honoring the theatre students of Missouri S&T with this production.”

The three all shared that the mission of the piece is still the same as the production that was staged in Rolla. First, the story takes on the topic of what it means to be man. Second, it explores the themes of what it is to be a disappointment to your father. Finally, for the production to succeed, the audience must fall in love with Lola and open their minds to change.

Gruenloh expressed that getting to do KINKY BOOTS in Rolla was unique. The audiences at Missouri S&T were really moved by the song ‘Not My Father’s Son.’ The theme that everyone has a father and can have a challenging time with their dad is what united our audiences there.

He said, “Because Missouri S&T is an engineering school that the students really fight for opportunities for self-expression.” He shared that students said they came to the show specifically because it was KINKY BOOTS and that they really wanted to celebrate drag. He added that Rolla is in the process instituting an ordinance to ban drag performances, sharing that the battle to protect this form of self-expression is on our doorstep. Urday agreed with Gruenloh and said that the important thing to remember is that what you do to have fun, express yourself, and be artistic doesn’t define who you are as a person.

Cheatem talked about how they approach the role of Lola by placing emphasis on her humanity. They said that’s why audiences connect with this dynamic, Olympian type character, because she exhibits great humanity throughout the show. Cheatem said that Lola learns throughout the show, experiences change, and gains closure with her father.

Urday talked about his take on the character of Charlie. He said, “the biggest challenge is to give this character a bigger arc. In previous performances an actor may not have been offered a lot or range or flexibility with this role.”

Cheatem told Urday that his performance of ‘Soul of a Man,’ during callbacks was the most powerful for them to witness. Cheatem said to him, “hearing you sing your take on that song is really powerful and the audience is not going to miss that.”

Cheatem said they hope people come to see this show because it is a love letter to being who you are. They said, “Come ready to have a fantastic time and leave your expectations at the door. I am really proud of our production of KINKY BOOTS.”

Gruenloh added, “None of this is possible without the support we are getting from the Kranzberg Arts Foundation who runs this whole theatre district.” He shared that what Kranzberg is doing for theatre companies in St. Louis is growing over time. He said, “they have continually supported us with space for rehearsals and performances. But being able to do this show, on this kind of a level, is because of the resources they have provided.”

Tesseract Theatre Company’s production of KINKY BOOTS will play The Grandel Theatre from August 17th through 27th. Click the link below to purchase tickets or learn more.

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