Six Young Stars Shine In SA Premiere Of KINKY BOOTS

Six young stars will have the chance to shine in the South African premiere of hit Tony Award-winning musical KINKY BOOTS. Presented by Eric Abraham and The Fugard Theatre, a brand new, original production of this huge-hearted musical will run at The Fugard Theatre from 11 June 2019.

Three rising talents will each play the role of Young Charlie and Young Lola, who grow up to be shoe factory owner Charlie Price and drag queen Lola, played by Darren Craig (Grease, High School Musical) and Earl Gregory (Into the Woods, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat) respectively.

The role of Young Charlie will be shared by Alexander Wallace (13), Daniel Wolson (12) and Finn Newham Blake (11) while Young Lola will performed alternately by Seth Ellis (13), Oswald Pieterse (12) and Travis Turner (9).

Alexander Wallace trains at the Waterfront Theatre School and has performed in big musicals such as Priscilla Queen of the Desert and Tiger Bay, both at Artscape. Daniel Wolson is no stranger to the stage having performed in productions such as Evita and The Sound of Music, also both at Artscape, and Blueberry Toast at Theatre at the Foundry. Finn Newham-Blake is a learner at Kronendal Primary and is excitingly making his stage debut in KINKY BOOTS.

Seth Ellis studies at the Waterfront Theatre School and has already appeared in numerous adverts in print and on TV, as well as in TV series and a movie. He attended an international arts talent showcase in Orlando, Florida in 2016. Oswald Pieterse has been dancing in Hip Hop competitions since the age of six, achieving numerous top-level placings. He attends Blouberg International School where he studies vocal training and received top honours at the Eisteddfod in 2017. Oswald has performed in the school's productions of The Lion King as Young Simba and in Little Shop of Horrors. Travis Turner is a learner at Bishops Prep, where he made his stage debut in 2017 as Mr Tumnus in their production of Narnia.

Inspired by true events, KINKY BOOTS was first brought to life on the big screen in 2005 before being transformed into a hit musical, winning six Tony and three Olivier Awards.

KINKY BOOTS features a Tony-winning score by Cyndi Lauper and a book by four-time Tony winner, Harvey Fierstein. Winner of the Tony Award for Best Musical, Tony Award for Best Original Score, Tony Award for Best Choreography and Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Musical, KINKY BOOTS has played to sold out houses on Broadway and in the West End since 2013. This mega-hit is a must see for all Musical Theatre fans.

"KINKY BOOTS is a big-hearted musical that is a beautiful story of love and friendship," says Daniel Galloway, Managing Director of The Fugard Theatre. "Its themes such as acceptance of one another, loving who you are and celebrating your individual identity are important positive messages for our teen audiences. We are delighted to have six such fantastically talented young South African performers joining the cast as Young Charlie and Young Lola, and to have partnered with the Musical Theatre Workshop led by Anton Luitingh and Duane Alexander, as well as the Resident Director on Kinky Boots, Shelley Lothian, who led the search to find these six young talents."

The story: Charlie Price has reluctantly inherited his father's shoe factory, Price & Son, which is on the verge of bankruptcy. Trying to live up to his father's legacy and save his family business, Charlie finds inspiration in the form of Lola, a fabulous entertainer in need of some sturdy stilettos. As they work to turn the factory around, this unlikely pair finds that they have more in common than they ever dreamed possible, and discover that when you change your mind about someone, you can change your whole world.

The Fugard Theatre's KINKY BOOTS is brought to you by the same creative team behind the Fugard Theatre productions of The Rocky Horror Show, Cabaret, Funny Girl and West Side Story. Direction is by Matthew Wild, Musical Direction by Charl-Johan Lingenfelder and Choreography by Louisa Talbot. Costume design is by Birrie Le Roux, Set Design by Paul Wills and Lighting Design by Tim Mitchell. Sound Design is by Mark Malherbe.

This production has a recommended age restriction of no under 10 year olds.

KINKY BOOTS will be performed at The Fugard Theatre from 11 June 2019 on Tuesdays to Saturdays at 8pm with a matinee performance on Saturdays at 3pm. Sunday Matinees at 3pm will become available from Sunday 30 June 2019. Tickets starting from R160can be booked directly through The Fugard Theatre box office on 021 461 4554 or through The Fugard Theatre's website at www.thefugard.com

There is a 20% discount available for all Friends of The Fugard members (on certain performance days); a 15% discount for pensioners and 10% discount for students and block bookings. These discounts do not apply for performances between 11 to 25 June 2019. These discounted tickets can be booked through the Fugard Theatre box office only and are available for performances from 27 June 2019 onwards.