Adinah Alexander (original cast member)
“It has been a singular experience to be a part of Kinky Boots, from our first reading to the last performance. We have a large percentage of original cast members due to the fact that our director and producers have always made us feel treasured members of the Kinky Boots family. I cannot imagine what life will be like without every usher, dresser, musician, doorman, security person, and staff member who has shared [the Hirschfeld] with us all these years. Every performance has been a privilege. There will never be anything like it, for me, again.”

Andy Kelso (original cast member and now starring as Charlie)
“One of my favorite unplanned, onstage moments was when we had to stop the show due to a medical emergency (don’t worry, they ended up being OK!). It was about halfway through Act 1, and we decided that we would pick up where we left off but Billy [Porter, Tony-winning original Lola] would do a recap of what had happened in the show. I was thinking it would be a two-minute spiel, but no—Mother Porter did the most epic recap, complete with choreo and renditions of the songs that went on for a good 15 minutes. It was truly one of those amazing ‘this can only happen in live theatre’ moments and by the end, the restless audience was even more energized and alive than if the incident had never happened!”

Kevin Smith Kirkwood (Angel)
“I will never forget this letter we got from a mom who’d brought her 11-year-old son. She said that afterward, on the corner, he told her, ‘Mom, I’m gay.’ And she responded, ‘I know, and I love you!’ She brought him to the show because she knew he would love it and wanted him to know that she accepted and loved him no matter what! It was a beautiful reminder of the power of what we do and the power of the beautiful story we have had the pleasure of telling for six years.”

Joey Taranto (Angel)
“The Kinky Boots family is truly just that: a family. We love, we play, we console, we fight, we make up, we love even harder. I’m surprised the roof hasn’t blown off the Hirschfeld from the amount of compassion and camaraderie in that building. I will be forever grateful to have been a part of this life-changing and world-changing experience. And just in case you were wondering—yes, I will miss the show and no, I will not miss the make-up.”