Cornelius Jones Jr., seen on Broadway in Thou Shalt Not and The Lion King, stars as Lola in 3-D Theatricals’ West Coast regional premiere of the Tony-winning musical Kinky Boots beginning February 14. The actor replaced the previously announced Broadway, YouTube, and RuPaul’s Drag Race star Todrick Hall, who withdrew from the limited engagement due to scheduling conflicts.
Performances of the musical, which features a book by four-time Tony winner Harvey Fierstein and a score by Tony winner Cyndi Lauper, continue through March 1 at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, in Cerritos, California. Tony nominee John Tartaglia (Avenue Q) directs, with choreography by Linda Love Simmons and musical direction by Benet Braun, who also conducts.
The company also includes Lukas Poost as Charlie Price, Emily Goglia as Lauren, Eric Stanton Betts as Angel, Candice Rochelle Berge as Pat, Myles A. Carr as Young Lola, Jake DuPree as Angel/Dance Captain, Zach Fogel as Richard Bailey, Javier Garcia as Don, Matthew Garcia as Young Charlie, Cameron Gilliam as Harry, Callum Gugger as Angel, Ceron Jones as Simon Sr., Gerry Kenneth as Angel, Candi Milo as Trish, Christopher Mosley as Angel, Guy Noland as Mr. Price, Dayna Sauble as Nicola, Jeff Skowron as George, and Rodrigo Varandas as Announcer/Angel with ensemble members Sia Arvinger, Chris Bey, Chris Bona, Linda Love Simmons, and Molly Stilliens.
Looking to Cast or Be Cast in a Show Yourself? Try Playbill Jobs Now
Kinky Boots tells the tale of Charlie Price, who is struggling to save his family factory from closure, and Lola, the entertainer who tries to help him with wild ideas. The unlikely pair create a snazzy line of stilettos that lights the world on fire, and in the course of it all both learn valuable lessons about compassion and accepting each other’s differences.
The production also features the original Broadway set design by David Rockwell and costume design by Gregg Barnes, with lighting design by Jean Yves Tessier and sound design by Jack Hayback.
Kinky Boots originally opened on Broadway in 2013 at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre, where it ran for 2,505 performances. The original cast featured Billy Porter and Stark Sands. The musical was nominated for 13 Tony Awards and won six, including Best Musical, Best Score (Cyndi Lauper), Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical (Billy Porter), and Best Choreography (Jerry Mitchell).
