PICS: New cast join Kinky Boots

Kinky Boots has released some production photos featuring its new West End cast in action. The musical recently extended its booking period at the Adelphi Theatre to Saturday 6 May 2017. Check out the pictures below (click image to enlarge).

Elena Skye (Lauren), David Hunter (Charlie), Cordelia Farnworth (Nicola) and Alan Mehdizadeh (Don) recently joined Matt Henry as Lola. New cast members also include, James Ballanger, Jemal Felix, George Grayson, Melissa Jacques, Charlotte Jeffery, Suzie McAdam, Jane Milligan, Robin Mills, Jon Reynolds, Simon-Anthony Rhoden, Ben Sell, Craig Thomas, and Jason Winter.

Continuing with the show, which is directed and choreographed by Jerry Mitchell, are Michael Hobbs (George), Paul Ayres, Emma Crossley, Robert Grose, Chlöe Hart, Robert Jones, Adam Lake, Catherine Millsom, Sean Needham, Dominic Tribuzio, Alan Vicary and Michael Vinsen.

Kinky Boots announces new Broadway cast

Aaron C. Finley and Shannon O’Boyle are joining the Broadway production of Kinky Boots this summer at New York's Al Hirschfeld Theatre.

On 8th August Finley will take over as Charlie Price from Andy Kelso whilst O’Boyle is taking over as Nicola from Cortney Wolfson on 25th July. 

Haven Burton is returning to the musical on 15th August, taking over from Jeanna de Waal. They join Alan Mingo Jr. as Lola, Daniel Stewart Sherman as Don and Marcus Neville as George.

New casting announced for Kinky Boots

Elena Skye and David Hunter are joining the West End production of Kinky Boots to star as Lauren and Charlie from 15th August 2016. Matt Henry will continue to lead the cast as Lola with Cordelia Farnworth and Alan Mehdizadeh also set to join the cast as Nicola and Don.

New cast members also include, James Ballanger, Jemal Felix, George Grayson, Melissa Jacques, Charlotte Jeffery, Suzie McAdam, Jane Milligan, Robin Mills, Jon Reynolds, Simon-Anthony Rhoden, Ben Sell, Craig Thomas, and Jason Winter.

Kinky Boots extends West End booking to January 2017

Kinky Boots has once again extended its West End booking period! The show is now booking at the Adelphi Theatre to Saturday 14th January 2017. 

Since winning the 2016 Olivier Award for Best New Musical, Kinky Boots is now the winner of every major Best Musical award. 

Kinky Boots also won Olivier Awards for Best Costume Design and Best Actor in a Musical for Matt Henry who plays Lola. 

In addition, Kinky Boots won the London Evening Standard BBC Radio 2 Audience Award for Best Musical as well as three What’s On Stage Awards for Best Actor in a Musical, Best New Musical and Best Choreography.

VIDEO: Chlöe Hart sings 'She Used To Be Mine' from Waitress

Alongside starring in Kinky Boots at the Adelphi Theatre, West End actress Chlöe Hart runs Voicebox Productions with her partner, engineer/producer Simon Small. As the company soars from strength to strength, they have launched a new online 'Live From The Studio' video series.

The first video sees Hart perform ‘She Used To Be Mine’ from Sara Bareilles’ debut musical Waitress which recently began performances on Broadway. You can exclusively watch the video below! The band features guitar & bass by Small, piano & organ by Jessie Maryon Davies and drums & percussion by Joe Watson. 

Big Interview: Chlöe Hart

Chlöe Hart is currently playing Pat in the original West End cast of Kinky Boots whilst also running Voicebox Productions with her partner, engineer/producer Simon Small.

Chlöe’s theatre credits include: Dorcas in A Damsel in Distress (Chichester), Tracy Turnblad in Hairspray (Shaftesbury), Wicked (Apollo Victoria) and Les Misérables (Queens). 

Chlöe and Simon founded Voicebox Productions to provide unique recording and music education services to the musical theatre industry. Their recording studio is based in Hackney where they work on vocal showreels as well as larger projects such as the recent Cool Rider cast album. 

As Voicebox soars from strength to strength, Chlöe and Simon have decided to launch an online ‘Live From The Studio’ series. The first video, which has been exclusively released through West End Frame, sees Chlöe perform ‘She Used To Be Mine’ from Sara Bareilles’ debut musical Waitress which recently began performances on Broadway.

I recently sat down with Chlöe to discuss how Voicebox began, balancing the company with performing eight shows a week and her cover of ‘She Used To Be Mine’. We also spoke about how much fun she’s having in Kinky Boots, memories from Hairspray, Wicked & Les Mis plus why she wants Lin-Manuel Miranda to teach her to rap...

When was Voicebox born? How did it all begin?

I set it up with my partner Simon who I met when I was asked to sing on the album, A Very West End Christmas. He recorded a lot of the vocals for that; we were in the studio, hit it off and got talking. As we were chatting we decided to do some music together – he’s a guitarist too. We started doing a few acoustic gigs as a duo and then did some recording in the studio together. I was like, ‘this is cool’!

Olivier Awards 2016: Full Winners List

Last night (Sunday 3 April 2016) the 2016 Olivier Awards were held at the Royal Opera House hosted by Michael Ball.

The ceremony featured performances by Cyndi Lauper, Michael Feinstein, Joe Stilgoe and Jack Savoretti. For the finale, the awards welcomed back 15 past Olivier Award winners including Maria Friedman, Ruthie Henshall and Jill Halfpenny who performed What I Did For Love from A Chorus Line - winner of Best New Musical at the 1976 awards.

There were also special performances from all the nominated productions in both the Best New Musical and Best Musical Revival categories. The ceremony was opened by Imelda Staunton who performed Everything's Coming Up Roses from Gypsy. Staunton went on to win Best Actress in a Musical.

Matt Henry confirms details for album launch concert

Olivier nominated West End star Matt Henry has confirmed details for his upcoming album launch concert.

Henry is taking time off from his starring role as Lola in Kinky Boots to perform at the Century Club on Shaftesbury Avenue on Monday 25th April. Click here for further information and tickets.

The star will perform material from his debut album Red Flare which was released last October. The album features a diverse range of collaborations including Ben Earle (The Shires), Connor Reeves and Drew McConnell (Babyshambles). Red Flare was recorded live at the studio of Dan Gillespie Sells (The Feeling) and produced by Mr Hudson.

Big Interview: Matt Henry, starring as Lola in Kinky Boots

Matt Henry is currently giving the performance of a lifetime, originating the role of Lola in the West End production of Kinky Boots.

Kinky Boots opened at the Adelphi Theatre in September 2015 to tremendous acclaim. With book by Harvey Fierstein plus music and lyrics by Cyndi Lauper, the show – which is directed and choreographed by Jerry Mitchell – was recently nominated for an impressive seven Olivier Awards. 

Matt is nominated for Best Actor in a Musical at this year’s Olivier’s, having recently won the same award at the 2016 WhatsOnStage Awards.

Playing Lola marks Matt’s return to theatre. His previous stage credits include: Avenue Q (Noël Coward/UK tour), The Lion King (Lyceum), Miss Saigon (UK tour), Saturday Night Fever (Apollo Victoria), Hair (UK tour), The Rat Pack Live from Vegas (Adelphi/UK tour), The Harder They Come (Stratford East/UK tour), The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe (Royal & Derngate) and The Frontline (Globe).

Matt was a finalist on the second series of BBC1's The Voice, where he was mentored by Will.i.am and Jessie J. His first performance, a rendition of Ray La Montagne's 'Trouble', received over six million hits on YouTube whilst the original version re-entered the singles chart. 

As a singer-songwriter, Matt has toured the UK and Germany, performed alongside Jessie J at the Cheltenham Music Festival and supported Mr Hudson at London's 100 Club. Last October Matt released his debut album Red Flare. The album features a diverse range of collaborations including Ben Earle (The Shires), Connor Reeves and Drew McConnell (Babyshambles). Red Flare was recorded live at the studio of Dan Gillespie Sells (The Feeling) and produced by Mr Hudson.

Yesterday I sat down with Matt in his beautiful dressing room at the Adelphi Theatre to discuss how he gets through eight performances a week as Lola, his favourite parts of the show and what it has been like to work alongside Jerry Mitchell and Cyndi Lauper. We also spoke about why he decided to take a break from theatre in 2012, Red Flare and exciting plans for his upcoming album launch party + solo tour…

Since it was announced that you would be playing Lola in Kinky Boots everything has been non-stop! The hype for the first preview was immense, your press night was huge and the show is already winning award after award. Have you had a chance to take everything in or are you living in a crazy Kinky Boots world? 

I’m in a crazy Kinky Boots world where I can’t let those things have an effect because I’m such a workaholic. All I know is that I’ve got a job to do and I can’t let external things that are happening to me affect that because it’s such a hard role anyway. I’m just so focused on getting out there and doing eight shows a week.

Kinky Boots London live cast album to be released 1st April 2016

As previously reported by West End Frame, Kinky Boots is releasing a live London cast recording!

Released on Sony Masterworks, the album was recorded live with the current West End cast at the Adelphi Theatre and is available to buy from Friday 1st April 2016 and pre-order on Friday 11th March 2016.

It has also been announced that the cast of Kinky Boots will perform a late-night cabaret on Thursday 10th March 2016 at the London Hippodrome in aid of the Make A Difference Trust.

Kinky Boots opened at the Adelphi Theatre in September 2015 to tremendous acclaim. With a book by Harvey Fierstein plus music and lyrics by Cyndi Lauper, Kinky Boots won the 2013 Tony Award for Best Musical, and the 2014 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theatre Album. 

Olivier Awards 2016: Nominations list

This afternoon (29th February), Michael Ball and Imelda Staunton announced nominations for the 2016 Olivier Awards at Rosewood London. 

Ball will host this year's ceremony which takes place on Sunday 3rd April at the Royal Opera House. Chichester's Gypsy and Kinky Boots dominate in the musical categories with eight and seven nominations respectively. 

Imelda Staunton receives her 11th nomination for her performance as Mama Rose with her co-stars Dan Burton and Peter Davison being nominated as Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical and Lara Pulver nominated as Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical. 

PICS: WhatsOnStage Awards 2016 winners

The 2016 WhatsOnStage Awards took place last night (21st February) at the Prince of Wales Theatre. Click here to find out who won what. Check out some of the winners with their awards below (click picture to enlarge).

Kinky Boots' Matt Henry & Amy Lennox 

WhatsOnStage Awards 2016: Full winners list

The 2016 WhatsOnStage Awards took place last night (21st February) at the Prince of Wales Theatre.

Hamlet and Gypsy led the awards this year with four victories each – Hamlet won for Benedict Cumberbatch in the Best Actor in a Play category, Best Play Revival, Best Set Design and Best Lighting Design with Gypsy picking up Best Actress in a Musical for Imelda Staunton, Best Supporting Actress in a Musical for Lara Pulver, Best Musical Revival and Best Direction for Jonathan Kent.

Just behind Hamlet and Gypsy is Kinky Boots which received awards for Best New Musical, Best Actor in a Musical for Matt Henry, who also performed 'Hold Me in Your Heart', and Best Choreography for Jerry Mitchell.

Kinky Boots announces new Broadway Lola

It has been announced that Alan Mingo Jr. will star as Lola in the Broadway production of Kinky Boots!

Mingo - who originated the role in the musical's Toronto production - takes over from Wayne Brady at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre on 29th March 2016. As previously announced, Brady will play his final performance on 27th March.

Original Broadway ensemble member Kyle Taylor Parker, who went on to star as Lola in Kinky Boots' U.S. tour and on Broadway, will take over as Lola in the Toronto production.

Kinky Boots extends West End booking to September 2016

Change the world when you change your mind! Kinky Boots - the West End's hottest new musical - has extended its booking period to 24th September 2016. Tickets for the new booking period are on sale from 1st February 2016.

The musical opened at the Adelphi Theatre in September 2015 to tremendous acclaim. With a book by Harvey Fierstein plus music and lyrics by Cyndi Lauper, Kinky Boots won the 2013 Tony Award for Best Musical, and the 2014 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theatre Album. 

Directed and choreographed by Jerry Mitchell, the cast includes Killian Donnelly as Charlie Price, Matt Henry as Lola and Amy Lennox as Lauren as well as Amy Ross as Nicola, Michael Hobbs as George and Jamie Baughan as Don.

West End Frame Awards 2015: Full Winners List

Readers of West End Frame were invited to vote for four awards throughout 2015. The West End Frame Awards recognise brand new and long-running plays and musicals, combining male and female actors into the same categories. Voting opens for one award at a time. Take a look at the full list of winners below:

Publicly Voted Awards

	Best West End Debut Matt Cardle for playing Huey Calhoun in Memphis Runners Up Danny Horn for Sunny Afternoon Marcquelle Ward for Cats Click here for full result / Photo Credit: Helen Maybanks
	Best Performance of a Song in a Musical John Dagleish for his rendition of 'Waterloo Sunset' in Sunny Afternoon Runners Up Jon Jon Briones for ‘American Dream’ in Miss Saigon Kerry Ellis for ‘Memory’ in Cats Click here for full result / Photo Credit: Kevin Cummins
	Understudy of the Year Jacqueline Hughes for standing by as Elphaba in Wicked (UK Tour) Runners Up Zoë Birkett for The Bodyguard Ryan O'Donnell for Sunny Afternoon Click here for full result
	Most Inspiring West End Show Sunny Afternoon at the Harold Pinter Theatre Runners Up Memphis at the Shaftesbury Theatre Miss Saigon at the Prince Edward Theatre Click here for full result / Photo Credit: Kevin Cummins

Editor's Blog: Top 10 Shows of 2015

10

The Ruling Class

directed by Jamie Lloyd at Trafalgar Studios

Photo by Simon Annand

Wild and unpredictable, The Ruling Class is probably the most bonkers play I saw all year. James McAvoy gave a stellar performance as a paranoid schizophrenic in Peter Barnes' play. Jamie Lloyd's production had absolutely no boundaries, it seemed nothing was off limits. I still can't decide whether I was moved or disturbed by Lloyd's top notch, thought-provokingly enthralling production.

Read our 4* review of The Ruling Class

9

Carrie

directed by Gary Lloyd at the Southwark Playhouse

Photo by Claire Bilyard

Known as the most expensive flop in Broadway history, 2015 saw Carrie The Musical finally make its long-awaited London premiere. As expected there was plenty of death and blood, but - thanks to a strong performance from the perfectly cast Evelyn Hoskins - the production also had a great deal of heart. I have no idea why it took so long to bring Carrie to London; Gary Lloyd's production certainly has potential for future life. Behind the blood and beyond the darkness is a touching story of self-discovery, and I loved every second.

Read our 5* review of Carrie

Check out our interview with Evelyn Hoskins

8

Hangmen

directed by Matthew Dunster at the Royal Court & Wyndham's Theatre

Photo by Helen Maybanks

GOSSIP: Kinky Boots to release London cast album!

The London cast of Kinky Boots have seemingly recorded a live cast album. 

Over the past few days posters have reportedly been displayed in the auditorium to tell audiences about the album being recorded, whilst cast members Matt Henry and Amy Ross both tweeted about the album once recording had been completed.

A release date and further information is yet to be confirmed. The original Broadway cast recording won the 2014 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theatre Album.

Editor's Blog: Top 10 Performances of 2015

Check out my top ten favourite performances of 2015 below! Please note that as I saw Gypsy in Chichester in 2014, Imelda Staunton was included in last year's list.

10

Andrew Scott

for The Dazzle at Found111

Photo by Marc Brenner

I usually start drafting my ‘top ten’ lists in November, but earlier this month - during my final week of reviewing - Andrew Scott reminded my why these lists shouldn’t be finalised until the year is actually through. A temporary theatre on the site of the old Central St Martins School of Art on Charing Cross Road, Scott embraced the intimacy of Found111 where he starred in The Dazzle, performing with such intricate detail and giving a performance to remember!

Read our 4* review of The Dazzle

Andrew Scott is in "advanced discussions" to play Hamlet

9

Amy Lennox

for Kinky Boots at the Adelphi Theatre

Photo by Matt Crockett

Amy Lennox is an absolute revelation as Lauren in Kinky Boots. As her character develops a crush on her new boss Charlie, Lennox brings the house down with her rendition of 'The History of Wrong Guys' - I have never witnessed so many mid-song applauses during a musical number. She is silly, weird and wacky and the audience couldn't get enough of her impeccably delivered one-liners. 

Read our 5* review of Kinky Boots

Check out our previous interview with Amy Lennox

8

Michael Urie

for Buyer and Cellar at the Menier Chocolate Factory

Photo by Joan Marcus

Brian May & Anita Dobson get KINKY!

Yesterday (23rd December) rock god Brian May and his wife, actress Anita Dobson, made a special visit to the West End production of KINKY BOOTS at the Adelphi Theatre. 

May and Dobson dressed as Mr and Mrs Claus to hand out the company's secret santa presents, watched the show and even posed with the cast in a pair of kinky boots, proving that the sex really is in the heel! Check out some images and tweets from the day below: