City Lights Theatre Company to Present KINKY BOOTS in July

Charlie Price has reluctantly inherited his father's shoe factory, which is on the verge of bankruptcy. Trying to live up to his legacy, Charlie finds inspiration in Lola, a fabulous entertainer in need of sturdy stilettos.

As they work to turn the factory around, this unlikely pair find that they have more in common than they realized … and discover that when you change your mind, you can change your whole world.

That's the story behind Kinky Boots, the perfect -- and perfectly uplifting -- summer musical. City Lights Theater Company brings the show to San Jose this summer at 529 S. Second St.

Preview performances are July 13 and 14, and opening night is Saturday, July 15. The show runs through Aug. 20: Thursday-Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m., with 8 p.m. Wednesday shows on Aug. 2, 9 and 16. (No show on July 16.) Tickets are at cltc.org. Lisa Mallette and Mark Anderson Phillips direct, with vocal direction by Samuel Cisneros and choreography by Lysander Abadia.

"Besides being a great night out, Kinky Boots is also incredibly timely in so many ways. It's the right show for the right time and place," Mallette said. "As we rehearse scenes about factory workers on the brink of losing their jobs, we see the parallels with local layoffs in the tech industry.

"We're also feeling the pain of all the current hate being thrown at the LGBTQ+ and drag communities, and Kinky Boots is a celebration of the beauty and vibrancy of these communities. As the closing song says, it's all about raising each other up."

With a book by Harvey Fierstein and music & lyrics by Cyndi Lauper, Kinky Boots had its original Broadway production directed and choreographed by Jerry Mitchell. It's based on the Miramax motion picture by Geoff Deane & Tim Firth.

The hit 2005 British film Kinky Boots, starring Chiwetel Ejiofor as Lola, was inspired by a BBC documentary about a man saving his family's shoe factory. The musical adaptation premiered on Broadway in 2013 and won six Tony Awards, including Best Musical and Best Score.

At City Lights, co-director Lisa Mallette has been at the helm of CLTC since 2001. Under her leadership, the company has enjoyed two decades of artistic and administrative development. Lisa has overseen the staging of nearly 100 productions, and directed or appeared in three dozen -- including Blithe Spirit (2023), which was helmed by her Kinky Boots co-director, Mark Anderson Phillips. Mark has been acting professionally for over 30 years, with credits from American Conservatory Theatre to Berkeley Rep to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Kinky Boots cast includes Matt Locke (he/him) as Charlie, Matteo Cecchi, Callum Soares as Young Charlie, Barton "Bart" Perry (he/him) as Lola/Simon, Amber Smith (she/her) as Nicola, Lauren Berling (she/her) as Lauren, Quinn Demecki (he/him) as Don / Hooligan 1, Karen Dehart (she/her) as Pat, Molly Thornton-Olivas (she/her) as Trish, Dane Lentz (he/him) as George, Anthony Castillo (he/him), Ricardo Cortés (he/him), David Kautz (he/him), and Andrew Mo (he/him) as the Angels, Doug Brook (he/him) as Mr. Price, Dwight Boyd (he/him) as Simon Sr., AJ Jaffari (he/him) as Harry, and Ethan Gasman (he/him) as Richard.

The ensemble includes Arturo Montes (he/him), Rachelle Schaum (she/her), Naomi Evans (she/her), and Jennifer Noel Medeiros (she/her)

Designers include Ron Gasparinetti, he/him (Scenic); Spenser Matubang, they/them (Lighting); Kailyn Erb, she/her (Costumes); Miranda Whipple, she/her, and Christina Sturken, she/her (Props); George Psarras, he/him (Sound).

CLTC's new season starts this fall with Toxic, a new drama about gun violence. Later shows: Ken Ludwig's The Game's Afoot; Nora: A Doll's House; King Liz; Clyde's; and Richard O'Brien's The Rocky Horror Show. Details: cltc.org/current-events.

Photo by Christian Pizzirani

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