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.
