Broadway NewsWatch Billy Porter, Annaleigh Ashford, Todrick Hall, and More Sing at TDF Honors Kinky BootsThe evening at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre featured current and former cast members of the Tony-winning musical.
By
Andrew Gans
March 30, 2017
A highlights reel has been released from TDF Honors Kinky Boots, a fundraising concert to support Theatre Development Fund’s education and access programs that was held March 20 at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre, where the show plays.
The evening, including a welcome from Tony-winning composer Cyndi Lauper, featured four of the actors who have portrayed Lola in the Tony-winning musical: Tony winner Billy Porter, J. Harrison Ghee, Alan Mingo, Jr., and Todrick Hall. The fundraiser also boasted other past and present cast members of Kinky Boots, including Tony winner Annaleigh Ashford, Stark Sands, Killian Donnelly, Andy Kelso, Taylor Louderman, Jeanna De Waal, Paul Canaan, Nathan Peck, Charlie Sutton, and Joey Tartano. The finale featured TDF Stage Doors students from New York City’s Harvey Milk High School. Watch highlights from the event above.
Kinky Boots director/choreographer Jerry Mitchell and musical director Will Van Dyke helmed the concert. The chair for the event was TDF Trustee Betsy Miller. The funds raised provide support for TDF’s education and access programs, which make theatre accessible to more than 15,000 theatregoers each year.
Check out photos from the evening below:
0
of
Cyndi Lauper and 4 Lolas at TDF Honors Kinky Boots Concert
“When choosing this year’s TDF honoree we realized that every TDF program has participated in Kinky Boots. We’re thrilled to honor the show’s lead producers Daryl Roth and Hal Luftig, the entire cast, company, producing team, management team and house staff who have been wonderful and supportive partners,” said TDF executive director Victoria Bailey in an earlier statement. “Over the years at Kinky Boots, we’ve introduced the theatre to thousands of NYC public school students through all of our education programs—Stage Doors, Open Doors and Residency Program, provided access for adults and children with low vision and hearing loss with open captioning sign language interpretation and audio description, and on May 7 our Autism Theatre Initiative will present the first autism-friendly performance of the show. Everyone involved in the production has supported our mission of making theatre accessible.”
TDF was created in the conviction that “the live theatrical arts afford a unique expression of the human condition that must be sustained and nurtured.” For more information go to tdf.org.
With a score by Cyndi Lauper and a book by four-time Tony Award winner Harvey Fierstein,Kinky Boots opened April 4, 2013. The show recouped its costs in October 2013, after 30 weeks on Broadway. KinkyBoots took home six 2013 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Score (Lauper), Best Choreography (Mitchell), Best Actor (Porter), Best Orchestrations (Stephen Oremus), and Best Sound Design (John Shivers). The show also received the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theatre Album.
Bryan Batt, Andrea Martin, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Judy Kuhn, Melissa Errico, and Alice Ripley were among the many stars sailing on the Caribbean adventure.
Over a dozen Broadway stars sailed to the Italian Riviera with Playbill’s Broadway on the High Seas. Take a look at the show-stopping Broadway performances.
The award-winning playwright and iconic performer shares the unforgettable moments with Chita Rivera, Faith Prince, Seth Rudetsky, Adam Pascal and more sailing with Playbill’s cruise to Italy.