Interview: KINKY BOOTS Star Adam Kaplan Talks Broadway Tours, Atlanta Connections and Fox Theatre Memories

Adam Kaplan is currently traveling the country, performing as British shoe factory owner Charlie in the national tour of Tony-winning KINKY BOOTS. He's belting out pop numbers penned by 1980s icon Cyndi Lauper and exploring cities on the tour lineup. It's not Kaplan's first turn in an award-winning musical: he understudied the lead in NEWSIES, prepping him for headlining his own song and dance show.

We caught up with Kaplan during one of his rare quiet moments (actually, the actor was soaking up some sun in Florida - one of the perks of constantly bouncing around the country) to talk about his Broadway tour debut, fan reactions to the show, and his history with the Fox Theatre.

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Have you been to Atlanta before?

I have family in Marietta so I've been to Atlanta many times. We actually went to see a tour together when I was in college. One of my best friends from college was in the WEST SIDE STORY tour so we went to the Fox, which is a gorgeous theater.

Ever since I stepped foot in there, I thought, well I would love to perform there one day. So it's really cool to be coming back. It's going to be a big family affair in Atlanta; a lot of people are coming to visit.

You're doing the show all over the country. How do you keep your performance as Charlie fresh each night?

It's such a fun cast; it's a really wonderful group of people they've assembled. So much of my training in acting is being in the moment and reacting to what is given to you so I do have my different moments where I play with different people onstage. As an actor, you do have your moments that you've developed that you're proud of every night. And sure, we play little jokes on each other every now and then.

Does the cast have any preshow rituals?

Every show, at places, we put our hands in a huddle and say "Oy-oy-oy, shoes!" Sounds weird but they started that on Broadway and our company does it and I think the companies in London and Toronto do too.

It does feel like it's a big extended family. Everyone who's been a part of the show would say that everyone who's been in KINKY BOOTS is kind of tied together.

This show has so much heart. What about the message resonates with people?

I think that everyone can find something they can learn from the show, whether it is the message of love and tolerance or the story of fathers and sons. So maybe it's not the drag queen thing, maybe it's the self-discovery part and not judging a book by its cover.

What is the audience response to the show?

The audience responses have been amazing. It differs from market to market, from conservative audiences to completely liberal, glitter-glittified audiences (to use that wonderful made up word). Something that Atlanta might find funny might not land at all in Arkansas.

So we go to these conservative markets where we think they might not embrace the show but it turns out that they're the ones who need to hear the message the most. They're the ones who are the most affected by it. At the end of the show, they're standing and cheering.

How are you affected by this reaction?

I've gotten letters from grown men saying these are issues I've been dealing with forever and I wish I'd had a show like KINKY BOOTS when I was a kid. It's those kind of messages that make the touring life so worthwhile.

KINKY BOOTS is your first Broadway tour. How have you been settling in to being on the road?

I'm a big traveler. I was bitten early on by the travel bug; I love to travel. It's all about balancing the eight-show-a-week lifestyle with going out to the beach or going to see museums. It's definitely a learning curve about how much your body can take and what it takes to do eight shows a week.

You'll sometimes hear us on the road talk about how tough it is. You know, we do eight shows and then on Monday we travel and then we do eight shows. Sometimes it can feel like Groundhog Day but at the end of the day, we're traveling and seeing the country and doing what we love to do, all the hard parts seem petty.

So what comes next? What's your dream musical theater role?

You know, for forever it has been Tony in WEST SIDE STORY because that's the show that made me want to be an actor. But recently, I've kind of been saying I want to do something that's never been done and originate a role. So that's been my dream recently.

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ADAM KAPLAN (Charlie Price). Let's get Kinky, America! Broadway: Newsies, Show Boat (NY Philharmonic). Select regional: Flat Rock Playhouse and MTWichita. Numerous concerts across the country, including a recent performance at the White House. BFA Music Theatre, Elon University. Endless thanks to the Kinky team, Innovative, Telsey, Justin, Goobz, and the amazingly supportive Kaplan clan. Carpe diem, baby! Follow me: @AdamSKaplan. More at www.AdamKaplanOnline.com

For more information about the KINKY BOOTS tour, visit http://kinkybootsthemusical.com.

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