Kinky Boots

Music & Lyrics by Cyndi Lauper, Book by Harvey Fierstein, Based on the 2005 British film written by Geoff Deane and Tim Firth

When Charlie Price inherits his father’s shoe factory, he’s faced with a dilemma – file for bankruptcy or find a way to save the family business. Charlie finds inspiration in Lola, a fabulous drag queen, who is in need of some sturdy boots. As Charlie and Lola work to save the business, they find they are not so different after all. With dedication and fortitude, Lola conquers Milan with their new line of boots. And with success assured, Charlie finally realizes his love for Lauren, the factory’s forewoman.  

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Listen or watch Riverside Theatre's behind-the-scenes podcast 'Backstage Chat', featuring some of the actors, directors, and talented artisans who work on creating our shows for the Theatre’s stages.

A chat with our KINKY BOOTS Director: LISTEN or WATCH

A chat with our KINKY BOOTS Cast: LISTEN or WATCH

Dane Agostinis* (Don) is delighted to return to Riverside after performing in Chicago as Amos Hart in 2017! Most recently: eleven characters in A Tuna Christmas at Cape May Stage. Third time with Kinky Boots, having played George aboard NCL's Encore and Mutt/understudy Don previously. Some favorites: Beast in Beauty and the Beast (Nat'l Tour, Original Disney Cruise Line), Dave in The Full Monty (Theatre Aspen [Henry Award Nomination] CFRT), Miss Trunchbull in Matilda (Engeman), Bill in Mamma Mia! (Theatre Aspen, Ivoryton), Jud in Oklahoma (TriArts), and Rick in Debbie Does Dallas The Musical, replacing American Idol's Adam Lambert (Anita Mann Productions).  

Kaelee Albritton* (Gemma Louise, Ensemble, u/s Lauren, u/s Nicola) Regional theatre debut! National Tours: Hairspray (Amber Von Tussle), Legally Blonde (Brooke Wyndham). Endless thanks to Michele & the Take 3 Talent team, Wojcik Casting and the Kinky Boots cast & creative team for welcoming me into this beautiful world. To my friends, family, Gabriel, Jason, Crissy and the LGBTQIA+ community, thank you for being the red patent leather boots that have carried me to where I want to be and serving as the foundation of confidence and joy in my life. All glory to God! @kaealbrittonnn 

Ashley Alexandra* (Pat, Ensemble) is thrilled to be working with Riverside Theatre for the first time and in such a fun show nonetheless! Thank you to my parents both in person and in spirit, Troy, and everyone at Avalon for their continued support. Credits include: Margot (Relapse-Off Broadway), Julie (Tootsie- Broadway 1st National Tour), Florinda (Into the Woods), Crystal (Little Shop), Celebrity Cruises.

Emily Bacino Althaus (Lauren) could not be more excited to be making her Riverside Theatre debut! Originally from the cornfields of central Illinois, Emily is now based in New York City. Select regional: Mamma Mia! (Sophie), 9 to 5 (Judy), She Loves Me (Ilona), Clue (Yvette), Shrek (Gingy). Millikin University Musical Theatre graduate. Many thanks to Wojcik Casting and the entire creative team for this dream come true, as well as Lexie and Jesse at Sharp Studios for their continuous guidance and support. For the world’s best mom, always! www.emilybacinoalthaus.com @emilybacino 

Anthony Avino* (Angel) is so excited to be back at The Riverside Theatre! Anthony was last seen as an Angel/Dance Cpt. in the Midwest Premiere of Kinky Boots at the Paramount Theatre in Aurora, IL! Regional credits include: Newsies (Paramount Theatre), Legally Blonde (Riverside/Walnut Street), Beauty and the Beast (Drury Lane), Joseph...Dreamcoat (Drury Lane), Saturday Night Fever (WBT and Riverside/Walnut Street), Mamma Mia (Riverside/Walnut Street).Other Credits: Lysistrata Jones, The Rocky Horror Show (Dr.Frank’N’Furter). BFA Roosevelt University CCPA. Dedicating this show to all the Beautiful Trans, Queer, LGBTQIA+ youth in the world. All the Love to my hubby! Proud Member of AEA!

Topher J. Babb* (Lola/Simon) is so grateful to be making their Riverside Theatre debut, and overjoyed to be telling the beautiful and increasingly timely story of Kinky Boots once again! Favorite credits include: Jelly's Last Jam (New York City Center), Kinky Boots (Off-Broadway), Pretty Woman (1st National Tour), Hairspray, On Your Feet!, The Wedding Singer, Holiday Inn (Regional) and "Encore!" (Streaming on Disney+). Many thanks to our wonderful creative team, Dave at Daniel Hoff, and to friends and family for their continued support. Dream your life, live your dream! xx instagram: @topherjfabb

John Anker Bow (George) Tour: CATS (Gus/Bustopher), Kinky Boots (George), Ragtime (Henry Ford), A Christmas Carol (Jacob Marley), Disney Cruise Line. Regional: Noises Off! (Lloyd), Beau Jest (Joel), Spring Awakening (Adult Male), Drowsy Chaperone (Man in Chair), Les Mis (Thénardier), Damn Yankees (Applegate), Hairspray (Wilbur), Peter Pan (Hook), Spamalot (Arthur). John has directed TYA productions for Pennsylvania Youth Theatre, Surflight Theatre, Ocean City Theatre Company & The Broadway Workshop in Manhattan and is co-host of the Broadway flop podcast Flop of the Heap available on iTunes. Rider University Class of ‘03. Hudson Artists Agency.

Josh Canfield* (Charlie Price) is thrilled to be making his debut at Riverside Theatre in Kinky Boots! Broadway: The Great Comet (u/s Anatole), Doctor Zhivago (Liberius). TV: CBS' Survivor: San Juan Del Sur. National Tour: Falsettos (Standby Marvin, Whizzer). Select Regional: Billy in Anything Goes (Ogunquit Playhouse), Huey in Memphis (Gateway Playhouse), Rocky in The Rocky Horror Picture Show (Theatre Raleigh), Sam in Million Dollar Quartet (Alabama Shakespeare), and Claude in Hair (The English Theatre Frankfurt, Germany). Josh received his MFA from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Thanks to my agents Dustin and Marc at Daniel Hoff, and to DJ Salisbury. @itsjoshcanfield 

Joe Caskey (Richard Bailey, Ensemble, u/s Harry) is thrilled to be making his Riverside debut. He was recently featured as the Beast in Beauty and the Beast at the John W. Engeman Theater as well as Righteous Brother in Beautiful. He has also been seen as Billy Bigelow in Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma’s Carousel, as well as King Arthur in OCU’s production of Spamalot. Other recent shows have been Grease! in OKC and Bright Star in Dallas.  Joe is originally from Fort Worth, and went to Oklahoma City University.  He would like to thank his family and friends for their continued support. Joecaskey.com, @caskeyj5. 

Terrence Clowe* (Simon Sr., Ensemble) is thrilled to be making his Riverside Theatre debut. Notable roles include: Saracen - “She Hulk, Attorney at Law” (Disney+); James - “The Harder They Fall” (Netflix); and Guidry- “Five Days at Memorial” (Apple+). Favorite theatre credits include: Chicago (First National Tour), Miss Saigon (Holland), Fosse (Europe), Joseph (National Tour), Dreamgirls (w/ Jennifer Holiday), and Rent (Asia Tour). He can also be heard on the award winning podcast Wolverine, The Lost Trail as Flamingeaux starring Richard Armitage as well as several audiobooks.  Spread Love! IG: @TerrenceClowe 

Arianne Davidow* (Nicola) is delighted to make her Riverside Theatre debut in Kinky Boots! Buffalo-born and NYC-based, notable credits include: The Scarlet Pimpernel (Marguerite), The Wild Party (Queenie), The Producers (Ulla), Nine (Claudia), Million Dollar Quartet (Dyanne), Mamma Mia! (Sophie), Lady Windermere’s Fan (Lady Windermere), and Henry V (Princess Katharine). TV Credits: "Inventing Anna" (Netflix), "Succession" (HBO), "Boss" (HBO). All my thanks to Jim Keith at MTA and the wonderful Wojcik Casting team, and all my love to Dan. Go Bills! IG: @ariannedee 

Ellie Frances* (Trish) is a queer, genderfluid, lesbian storyteller rooted in activism through art based in NY. Past works include: Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, Shoulda Been You, Great American Trailer Park Musical and Evita - Mason Street Wharehouse, Pricilla Queen of the Dessert - Piper Theatre, Head Over Heels - Playhouse Stages, Rock The Line -TOSOS and Sparks Fly Upward -Playwrights Horizon (Dir. Danya Taymor). As a director/choreographer recent credits include: Little Shop of Horrors and RENT. Thank you to Tristan and to my wife Tracey, whose spirit is at the center of my inspiration. Only Us. elliefrances.net 

Jack Wesley Gerhard* (Harry, Ensemble) is excited as heck to be performing Kinky Boots down in Vero Beach, Florida. He misses the snow but likes beach volleyball so, call it even! Previous credits include: Guy in Once (National Tour), Smoke and Mirrors (Florida Studio Theater) and Almost Heaven (The Rev). He’d like to thank all his friends and family, especially his brother’s cat Percy (huge fan). Cheers!  

Shane Hall* (Associate Choreographer, Angel, Dance Captain) is thrilled to return to Riverside Theatre to make BOOTS! Based in NYC, Shane wears many hats in this exciting industry and has been a Director/Choreographer for both Regional and Off-Broadway productions for over a decade. Favorite performing credits include: Kinky Boots (Angel/Dance Capt), CATS (Mistoffelees) Singin’ in the Rain (Don Lockwood), Shrek The Musical (Pinocchio) La Cage Aux Folles (Phaedra) and Anything Goes (Ensemble/Dance Capt). Shane is celebrating 16 exciting years as the Owner, CEO/ Founder of Prodigy Dance Centre, located in Columbus, Georgia. Thank you to DJ Salisbury for having me at your side! IG: Shanehallcreates

Kelsey McCollaum* (Maggie, Ensemble) is beyond thrilled to be making her Riverside Theatre debut in Kinky Boots! Kelsey was last seen in Mary Poppins at the Argyle Theatre.  Some of Kelsey’s favorite credits include: “Law and Order”’s episode Black and Blue, Merrily We Roll Along (Mary Flynn), Beehive (Judy), 42nd Street (Maggie Jones) in which she was a BroadwayWorld Award Winner. Kelsey would like to thank the wonderful cast, crew, especially DJ, Shane and Jeffrey for giving her the opportunity to do a dream show, her amazing agent Brian, and of course her parents for their constant love and support and always encouraging her to chase her dreams 

Val Moranto (Marge, Milan Stage Manager, Ensemble) is thrilled to be returning to Riverside Theatre after a fantastic run of Les Misérables in 2013! Highlights: “America’s Got Talent” Season 16, Josh Groban’s Harmony Tour 2022, Smokey Joe’s Café, The Secret Garden, Sunset Blvd (ACT of CT), Sweeney Todd (Madison Lyric Stage), Mary Poppins (Arts Center Coastal Carolina), The Who’s Tommy (Intl. Tour), Priscilla Queen of the Desert (Boston Premiere), Fiddler on the Roof (Fulton Theatre & Ogunquit Playhouse) & Les Misérables (Ogunquit Playhouse). She thanks DJ Salisbury, Jeffrey Campos, Allen Cornell & Wojcik Casting for this opportunity and her husband TJ for his love & support!

Andrew Norlen* (Angel)  is honored to “put the boots back on” once again. TV: “Marvelous Miss Maisel.” TOUR: Kinky Boots, THEATER: Kristin Chenoweth’s Christmas @ The Met, Goodspeed, Ogunquit Playhouse, North Shore MT, The Rev, Theater By The Sea, Westchester Broadway. Originally from Oregon, & with his BFA from The Boston Conservatory of Music, Andrew is also a published author and the executive director of the nonprofit, Braving the Business. He wants to thank his agents, his friends & family, and his boyfriend Kellen—for their unending support! “Accept someone for who they are,” you might just change the world. Follow for more: @Anorlen  

Caleb Quezon (Angel, Ensemble) [any/all pronouns] graduated from the University of Michigan c/o 2023 with a BFA in Musical Theatre, and is super excited to be making his Riverside Theatre debut. His most recent credit is playing Angel Dumott Schunard in Theatre Aspen’s production of RENT. Caleb is originally from Tampa, FL, which also happens to be her drag name! Caleb would like to thank Ricky Rollins, their amazing team at DGRW, and the whole Quezon family. I’m so grateful to continue my journey here at Vero, and I can’t wait to see where we go next! Instagram: @starquezon 

Sam Rohloff* (Angel, Ensemble) Riverside debut! NY based actor, originally from Michigan. BFA Oakland University. Thrilled to be back in the factory! National Tour: Kinky Boots, West Side Story. Regional: Damn Yankees, Oklahoma!, La Cage Aux Folles, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, South Pacific, and Fiddler on the Roof. Much love to my supportive and loving family and friends. “Accept yourself and you’ll accept others too!” IG:samrohloff4

Nathan Quay Thomas (Hooch, Ensemble, u/s Charlie) is so excited to be back in Florida in some Kinky Boots! Regional credits include: Violet with Nashville Rep, the world premier of May We All with Lively McCabe Entertainment, The Sound of Music with Northern Stage, and Devotion with the Goodspeed Festival of New Musicals. Nathan sends all the love to his family and friends and to the Hartt School for their love and support. @nathan_quay

James Young* (Mr. Price, Ensemble)  Highlights of a 40 year career include: Broadway: Crazy For You, My Fair Lady, Me and My Girl, The Tap Dance Kid, A Chorus Line. Tours/Regional: Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Oliver, Once, Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner?, Will Rogers Follies, Follies, The Fantasticks, Annie, White Christmas, Fiddler On The Roof, High School Musical, 42nd Street, Beauty and the Beast, The Wizard of Oz, Singin’ In The Rain, Arsenic And Old Lace, Seven Brides For Seven Brothers. Film/Television: Search Party, Annie, Ricki and the Flash. The production for which Mr. Young is most proud are his daughters Kristina and Alessandra. Thanks DL.