Broadway's KINKY BOOTS Headed Down Under

Those signature, red high heels are headed down under! BroadwayWorld has learned that the Tony-winning musical Kinky Boots will make its Australian premiere at Her Majesty's Theatre, Melbourne, from October 2016.

Kinky Boots features a book by four-time Tony Award-winner Harvey Fierstein, music and lyrics by pop icon Cyndi Lauper, and direction and choreography by two-time Tony Award-winner Jerry Mitchell.

The ticket waitlist is now open at www.kinkybootsthemusical.com.au. Sign up to be first in line for tickets.

In statements today, Victorian Premier, Daniel Andrews said: "I'm thrilled to announce that the Australian premiere season of Kinky Boots will be hosted in Melbourne, the theatre and arts capital of the country. It tells a powerful story and speaks to equality, to fairness, to dignity and to all of those things that Victorians hold dear."

Producers Daryl Roth and Hal Luftig said: "We are very proud of the show, and we cannot wait for Australian audiences of all ages to experience the joyful and heartwarming production that has been embraced around the world."

Australian Producer, Michael Cassel said: "I am very excited to partner with Daryl, Hal and Cameron Mackintosh to bring this phenomenal, Tony Award-winning production to Australia. I am looking forward to our auditions commencing later this year as we begin the search for our Australian cast."

Composer and Lyricist, Cyndi Lauper said: "People's reactions to Kinky Boots have been amazing from the very beginning. By the end of the show, the audiences are on their feet clapping and dancing and cheering - what more could you possibly ask for? And the show has a tonne of heart. It feels like such an honour to be part of something that makes people so happy."

The blockbuster Broadway hit scooped six Tony Awards in 2013, including Best Musical and Best Original Score Written for the Theatre - the first time a solo female composer has ever won the award. The production also took home the 2014 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theatre Album.

Inspired by a true story and based on the Miramax film by Geoff Deane and Tim Firth starring Joel Edgerton, Kinky Boots tells the story of Charlie Price who has reluctantly inherited his father's Northampton shoe factory. Trying to live up to his father's legacy and save the family business from bankruptcy, Charlie finds inspiration in the form of Lola, a fabulous entertainer in need of some sturdy stilettos. Lola turns out to be the one person who can help Charlie become the man he's meant to be. As they work to turn the factory around, this unlikely pair finds that they have more in common than they ever dreamed possible - and that when you change your mind, you can change the world.

Now in its third smash year, KINKY BOOTS is also currently touring the country on its First National Tour, and recently opened a production in Toronto in June, as well as a show in Seoul in November 2014. The show is schedule to open in London in September 2015. The Grammy Award-winning Original Broadway Cast Recording of Kinky Boots is available on Sony Masterworks Broadway.

KINKY BOOTS has book by Harvey Fierstein and music & lyrics by Cyndi Lauper. The show is directed and choreographed by Jerry Mitchell, with musical supervision, arrangements & orchestration by Stephen Oremus, scenic design by David Rockwell, costumes by Gregg Barnes, lighting by Kenneth Posner, sound by John Shivers, hair design by Josh Marquette and make-up design by Randy Houston Mercer.

The current Broadway cast of Kinky Boots includes Tony Award-winner Billy Porter, Andy Kelso, Haven Burton, Daniel Stewart Sherman, Cortney Wolfson, Marcus Neville, Nick Rashad Burroughs, Paul Canaan, Sean Patrick Doyle, Kevin Smith Kirkwood, Kyle Post, Joey Taranto, Adinah Alexander, Douglas Baldeo, Eugene Barry-Hill, Stephen Berger, Alfred DalPino, Anna Eilinsfeld, Mia Gentile, Gaelen Gilliland, Natalie Joy Johnson, Jake Katzman, Eric Leviton, Ellyn Marie Marsh, John Jeffrey Martin, Graham Montgomery, Jake Odmark, Nathan Peck, Robert Pendilla, Jennifer Perry, Stephen Tewksbury, Jeremy T. Villas, and Timothy Ware.

Kinky Boots is produced by Daryl Roth, Hal Luftig and Michael Cassel, James L. Nederlander, Terry Allen Kramer, Independent Presenters Network, CJ E&M, Jayne Baron Sherman, Just for Laughs Theatricals/Judith Ann Abrams, Yasuhiro Kawana, Jane Bergere, Allan S. Gordon & Adam S. Gordon, Ken Davenport, Hunter Arnold, Lucy and Phil Suarez, Bryan Bantry, Ron Fierstein and Dorsey Regal, Jim Kierstead/Gregory Rae, BB Group/Christina Papagjika, Michael DeSantis/Patrick Baugh, Brian Smith/Tom and Connie Walsh, Warren Trepp, and Jujamcyn Theaters, in association with Cameron Mackintosh.

MELBOURNE SEASON:

Kinky Boots

Her Majesty's Theatre, Melbourne
219 Exhibition Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
From October 2016
Ticket waitlist now open at: www.kinkybootsthemusical.com.au

Follow Kinky Boots @KinkyBootsOz | #kinkybootsoz.