As the Tony-winning Broadway production of Kinky Boots prepares to close April 7, we’re taking a look back at the musical’s original Broadway cast. When the show opened at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre on April 4, 2013, the cast featured Stark Sands, Annaleigh Ashford, and Billy Porter, who went on to win the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for his performance as the fierce, fabulous drag queen Lola.
The musical, which centers on the unlikely partnership between a young man who inherits his father’s down-on-its-luck shoe factory and a London drag queen in need of some stronger stillettos, also took home the Tony Award for Best Musical, as well as Tonys for Cyndi Lauper’s score, Jerry Mitchell’s choreography, and John Shivers‘ sound design.
The show has gone on to enjoy a successful six year run and has had productions in London, Australia, and Canada, a national tour, and an international tour that played Japan, Korea, and more.
Flip through photos of the original Broadway cast below: