Toronto KINKY BOOTS Star Alan Mingo Jr. to Succeed Wayne Brady as 'Lola' on Broadway

Producers Daryl Roth and Hal Luftig announced today that Alan Mingo Jr. will play 'Lola' in the Tony Award-winning musical Kinky Boots at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre (302 West 45th Street), beginning March 29, 2016. Mingo, who comes to Broadway straight from the Toronto production of Kinky Boots, succeeds Emmy Award-winner Wayne Brady in the role. Brady, who took over the coveted part of 'Lola' from Tony Award-winner (and original star) Billy Porter in November 2015, plays his final performance on March 27, 2016.

"Alan Mingo Jr. led the way with his indomitable performance as Lola, with a heart of gold and legs of sheer titanium. Dispensing equal amounts of sass and class, he seemed to be channeling Gregory Hines and Diana Ross simultaneously," the Toronto Star wrote about his performance. The Toronto Sun said "Mingo is absolutely electrifying at all times. Whether camping it up in women's gear or breaking your heart with a song like 'Not My Father's Son,' Mingo is never less than riveting."

Original Broadway cast member Kyle Taylor Parker, who has played 'Lola' on Broadway and on tour, will take over the role in Toronto, where the show, originally scheduled to play a 12-week run, opened in June 2015 and has just been extended a fifth time through May 15, 2016.

Mingo's Broadway credits include Sebastian in Disney's The Little Mermaid (Original Broadway cast member) and Tom Collins in Rent. Other U.S. First National Tours: Donkey in Dreamworks' Shrek the Musical, Seaweed in Hairspray and Simba in Disney's The Lion King.

Kinky Boots tells the uplifting and heartwarming tale of Charlie Price, a young man reluctantly taking over his family's struggling business. Charlie meets and finds inspiration in Lola and together, the unlikely pair finds that they have more in common than they ever dreamed possible... and discovers that when you change your mind about someone, you can change your whole world. The winner of six 2013 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Kinky Boots features a Tony Award-winning score by Cyndi Lauper, a book by Tony Award-winner Harvey Fierstein, and direction and choreography by Tony Award-winner Jerry Mitchell. The Grammy Award-winning Original Broadway Cast Recording of Kinky Boots is available on Sony Masterworks Broadway.

In addition to the Broadway production of Kinky Boots, which is about to celebrate three years on Broadway, the show is currently touring the country on its First National Tour, playing an extended run in Toronto at the Royal Alexandra Theatre, and playing an award-winning run in the West End on September 15, 2015 at London's Adelphi Theatre. An Australian production is set to open in October 2016 at Her Majesty's Theatre in Melbourne.

The current Broadway cast of Kinky Boots includes Emmy Award-winner Wayne Brady, Andy Kelso, Jeanna de Waal, Daniel Stewart Sherman, Cortney Wolfson, Marcus Neville, Nick Rashad Burroughs, Pierce Cassedy, Sean Patrick Doyle, Kevin Smith Kirkwood, Fred Odgaard, Hernando Umana, Eugene Barry-Hill, Stephen Berger, Devin Trey Campbell, Mia Gentile, Gaelen Gilliland, Blair Goldberg, Natalie Joy Johnson, Jake Katzman, Ross Lekites, Eric Leviton, Ellyn Marie Marsh, John Jeffrey Martin, Graham Montgomery, Nathan Peck, Robert Pendilla, Jennifer Perry, Patricia Phillips, Stephen Tewksbury, Jeremy T. Villas, and Timothy Ware.

The design team for Kinky Boots includes Tony Award nominee David Rockwell (Scenic Design), Tony Award-winner Gregg Barnes (Costume Design), Tony Award-winner Kenneth Posner (Lighting Design), Tony Award-winner John Shivers (Sound Design), Josh Marquette (Hair Design), Randy Houston Mercer (Make-up Design), Telsey + Company, Justin Huff, CSA (Casting), Brian Usifer (Musical Direction), with Musical Supervision, Arrangements and Orchestrations by Tony and Grammy Award-winner Stephen Oremus.