Andy Kelso is currently singing and dancing eight times a week in the smash-hit, Tony-winning musical “Kinky Boots” as shoe factory owner Charlie Price, who saves the company with the help of cabaret star Lola, played by Tony winner Billy Porter. Kelso takes Backstage backstage during one performance filled with camaraderie, chitchat, and a very large pair of heels!
When I arrive at the theater and have some extra time, I’ll hang with whoever else shows up on the steps outside of the stage door before the show (in this shot it’s Stephen Tewksbury and Joey Taranto). If the weather is nice, this is where all of our theater’s “water cooler talk” happens.
After signing in, I grab a coffee and catch up with our amazing stage/company management team. Among other things, these are the people who approve our vacations and hand us our paychecks, so it’s never a bad idea to be on their good side!
Right as the show is starting, I stop in and touch base with Mother Porter! We see each other a lot onstage each day, but this is really our only chance to say hi without being in character, and it’s always nice to start the show with a little connection.
In my dressing room, I spend a little physical therapy time with the Thera-Band and foam roller to ward off any serious injuries. Six inch heels are no joke!
I don’t have much downtime backstage during the show, but after the big fight scene in Act 2 and“Soul of a Man,” I get to take a seat for a minute just in time for my dresser, Ginny, to strap me into the boots. People always ask how they feel, but they are custom-made for our feet/legs, which makes them strangely comfortable. Then again, I only have to wear them for about 15 minutes at a time and I am totally fine with that.
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