PhotosPHOTO EXCLUSIVE: America Kicks Up Its High Heels! On the Road With Blair Goldberg and the Cast of Kinky BootsThe Tony-winning musical Kinky Boots launched its national tour in style, with Western stops in Las Vegas, Tempe, San Diego and Portland. Blair Goldberg, who plays the role of Maggie and understudies Nicola, invites Playbill to follow her backstage and on the road with these exclusive photos from the launch cities. Everybody say yeah!
By
Matthew Blank
October 08, 2014
"Welcome to a peak inside my KINKY journey! From Vegas, to Tempe, to San Diego, to Portland, it's been a wild ride so far," says Goldberg. "I'm honored to be part of this incredible company and hope you come and check out our phenomenal show soon! Follow me on Twitter @blairdgoldberg or check out my website, www.Blair-Goldberg.com for more fun and games! Enjoy!"
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PHOTO EXCLUSIVE: America Kicks Up Its High Heels! On the Road With Blair Goldberg and the Cast of Kinky Boots
PHOTO EXCLUSIVE: America Kicks Up Its High Heels! On the Road With Blair Goldberg and the Cast of Kinky Boots
The Tony-winning musical Kinky Boots launched its national tour in style, with Western stops in Las Vegas, Tempe, San Diego and Portland. Blair Goldberg, who plays the role of Maggie and understudies Nicola, invites Playbill to follow her backstage and on the road with these exclusive photos from the launch cities. Everybody say yeah!
83 PHOTOS
Our first flight! Vegas, here we come! Here I am with my flying buddy, Bonnie Milligan. Oh, hey there, Ricky Schroeder!
Blair Goldberg
First things first. Put bags down in the hotel room and head STRAIGHT to the casino. Spoiler alert: I lost.
Blair Goldberg
We've arrived at our new home for the next 3 weeks, the beautiful Smith Center in Las Vegas!
This is our wig-call time sheet. My name is not Blair Goldstone, but I suppose it's close enough.
Blair Goldberg
To celebrate our first full day of tech, the lovely and talented Kyle Taylor Parker (Lola) threw us a champagne toast in our hospitality suite!
Blair Goldberg
Crystal Demure (AKA J. Harrison Ghee) has arrived!
Blair Goldberg
Now it's time for some of the ladies to hit the town, starting with a classic elevator pose. Can Vegas handle us? Likely.
Blair Goldberg
Love, love, LOVE my finale costume!!!
Blair Goldberg
Our amazing team- Jerry Mitchell, DB Bonds and Rusty Mowery, giving us notes at the end of tech day 2. You couldn't ask for a more supportive, smart and kind team to work with. #fullout
Blair Goldberg
Boots, boots, and nothin' but boots!
Blair Goldberg
Our hardworking and fabulous crew- ranging from stage management to costumes, hair, electricians, stagehands, carpenters, etc. Some locals, some permanent members of our team. These people are amazing!
Blair Goldberg
Performing "Everybody Say Yeah," in wandelprobe. That's the first time the performers hear the full band- we perform the musical numbers in mics and start to learn the sound balance of the show.
Blair Goldberg
No fair- I wanna look like Ricky Schroeder!
Blair Goldberg
A great shot captured during tech! Check out those Kinky Boots! Nick McGough is also giving me life!
Blair Goldberg
Celebrating Lauren Chapman's birthday in Vegas with the beautiful ladies of the company!
Blair Goldberg
We rode the High Roller ferris wheel in Vegas! Crazy fun and great views of the city.
Blair Goldberg
Myself and the beautiful and talented Anne Tolpegin. This is our second show together- our first one being Carrie! Feels great to be reunited!
Blair Goldberg
Lindsay Nicole Chambers and I had breakfast at the Sugar Factory in Vegas with our lovely agent, Diane Riley, who came to visit for our opening!
Blair Goldberg
First performance! Here we go! The Full Company is IN!!
Blair Goldberg
Lots of flowers from my agents, husband and friends! And various presents from our KINKY family!
Blair Goldberg
The Broadway company was so kind to send us best wishes on Opening Night! #family
Blair Goldberg
Yes, I know my smile is stretching from NYC all the way to Vegas, but that's because I'm so happy to finally get a picture with the one and only, Cyndi Lauper, our brilliant composer/lyricist!
Blair Goldberg
A quick photo with our director, Jerry Mitchell, right before opening night! Truly such a wonderful, generous, wise and inspiring person. It's a true honor to work with him!
Blair Goldberg
Cupcakes for opening!
Blair Goldberg
My husband, Adam, and me on the stage after Opening Night!
Blair Goldberg
One of my very best friends, Chris Brick came to visit me in Vegas and see our opening night performance.
Blair Goldberg
At the opening night party with the lovely Rachel Hoffman from Telsey + Co and my awesome agent, Diane Riley!
Blair Goldberg
Me and the incomparable Justin Huff from Telsey + Co!
Blair Goldberg
Yay!!!
Blair Goldberg
The stars of our show, Steven Booth and Kyle Taylor Parker with our amazing company management team, Maia Sutton and Matthew Sherr.
Blair Goldberg
I adore the young boys of Kinky Boots! They are so fun, talented, and ALWAYS crack me up.
Blair Goldberg
Angels:)
Blair Goldberg
Our phenomenal Music Supervisor/Arranger/Orchestrator, Stephen Oremus!
Blair Goldberg
We received the sweetest note on the call board from Jerry Lewis, who happens to have been my director on a previous show I was a part of, The Nutty Professor! Worlds collide!
Blair Goldberg
My mom (right) and family friends Lew and Meryl came to visit me in Vegas. It was my mom's first time, so we walked her down the strip. Here we are at the Wynn!
Blair Goldberg
My husband and I visited The Heart Attack Grill in Vegas with friends and family. We lived to tell the tale.
Blair Goldberg
You drink wine out of an IV bag at this establishment...that's all I'm saying. Oh, and that's my mom again on the left, shocked by this entire experience.
Blair Goldberg
A bunch of the cast went to Yellowtail at the Bellagio before seeing the Cirque show O for our last evening in town. Such an incredible night! Bye-bye, Vegas!
Blair Goldberg
Welcome to Tempe!! Here I am in front of the wonderful ASU Gammage Center!
Blair Goldberg
Every night, Joe Coots and I have a ritual. He picks me up and I help him crack his back. It's nice to feel needed.
Blair Goldberg
We all wore name tags to the awesome opening night party that the Gammage Center threw for us, so we stuck them all on the back of DB Bonds because we think we are comedians.
Blair Goldberg
Trying on my Nicola understudy wig for the first time! Ain't she posh?
Blair Goldberg
We were graciously thrown an after show dinner party by David Horowitz, a patron of the ASU Gammage Center, at his home in Phoenix. Check out that beautiful spread!
Blair Goldberg
All of us at David and Damon's (center) home. Thanks for having us!
Blair Goldberg
Every night we put our hands in at the top of the show and chant, "OI, OI, OI, SHOES!" The Broadway company began this tradition and we love to do it as well!
Blair Goldberg
Maggie and a mullet- AKA, Lauren Chapman!
Blair Goldberg
I was so glad to get to see the parents of my childhood friend, Kim Sweet, in AZ! It's always nice to see familiar faces from home on the road. We had an extraordinary dinner at House of Tricks before they saw the show.
Blair Goldberg
In Tempe, it was swing Jeff Kuhr's debut as a factory worker! Next up: San Diego!
Blair Goldberg
The first thing we did upon arrival to San Diego was celebrate Tommy Martinez's birthday. Check out that gorgeous cake!
Blair Goldberg
We had a tacky gift exchange ceremony and chaos ensued.
Blair Goldberg
Me and my initial gift: A piece of bread mousepad. Tacky.
Blair Goldberg
Two beautiful angels, Juan Torres-Falcon and Darius Harper!
Blair Goldberg
We went snorkeling in La Jolla Cove! Simply stunning. I think I'm gonna like it here!
Blair Goldberg
Getting ready to snorkel with Crystal Kellogg, Bonnie Milligan and Lauren Chapman!
Blair Goldberg
Next, we visited the San Diego Zoo!! YAY!
Blair Goldberg
We saw lots of cool animals, and took necessary photos, like this one.
Blair Goldberg
Sound check in San Diego before opening night, led by our wonderful Music Director, Adam Souza!
Blair Goldberg
One of our Stage Managers, Jack McLeod, made his debut calling the show in San Diego. Troi Gaines made his debut as Young Lola! They are both rockstars.
Blair Goldberg
Look what I found on the walls of the San Diego Civic Theatre! Photos of my former cast mates from my last tour, Sister Act. I miss my sisters!
Blair Goldberg
Kinky Boots has some of the best fans ever! A sweet young lady named Ginny handed me this handmade card at the stage door after one of our shows in San Diego. #letloveshine
Blair Goldberg
Grace Stockdale and I had a ladies day brunch in San Diego at Cafe 21. Phenomenal. Plus, it involved a mimosa flight, so what could possibly be more perfect?
Blair Goldberg
Coronado Beach in San Diego- a gal can get used to this.
Blair Goldberg
It's Crystal Kellogg's debut! She is going on for a factory worker today! Go swings!
Blair Goldberg
A wonderful blast from the past indeed- Kelli Maly (a former cast mate from when I was a child in Annie Get Your Gun on Broadway) visited me at the show with a bunch of her friends in San Diego!
Blair Goldberg
Getting rowdy at Lucky Bastard Saloon in San Diego to celebrate our closing night. Up next- Portland!
Blair Goldberg
We were told a must-try in Portland was Voodoo Doughnuts, so we threw our bags down at the hotel and ran straight out to sample some treats, which did not disappoint.
Blair Goldberg
It's ladies day, again! The beautiful Grace Stockdale and I explore Portland and pose while doing it.
Blair Goldberg
A beautiful walk down to the marina in Portland.
Blair Goldberg
In each city, there are usually lots of posters for us to sign. One of these days I should probably hang one up and get it signed for my own archives......
Blair Goldberg
On tour, the company travels trunks for us. This is so we can store extra things, such as seasonal clothes, extra shoes, miscellaneous items, toiletries, etc. Here are all of our trunks lined up backstage in Portland.
Blair Goldberg
Juan Torres-Falcon giving me life at sound check. But, really, what else is new?
Blair Goldberg
In the show, I play a nurse for about 10 seconds. This week, on the chair where I change, instead of the character title, "Nurse," it says the following. Foreshadowing, indeed.....
Blair Goldberg
Caught ya! I pass Steven Booth picking up Domino's after the show.
Blair Goldberg
In Portland we had a put in rehearsal for Darius Harper, Ross Lekites and Lauren Chapman. They were amazing! Lauren will be going on for the role of Lauren this week!
Blair Goldberg
Ryan Fielding Garrett, our awesome Associate Music Director has decided to don a wig for this put in rehearsal. This is what we get to look at in the monitors, people.
Blair Goldberg
Another blast from the past! Jenny Spencer was another Annie Get Your Gun castmate of mine back in the day. It was so wonderful to see her in Portland and meet her husband, Bobby.
Blair Goldberg
My sweet and talented high school friend Brian Strumwasser (makeup designer for Gentleman's Guide) was in town the same week as us so we caught a drink after the show and got to catch up!
Blair Goldberg
The gals celebrating Lauren Chapman going on as Lauren and Crystal swinging on as a factory worker!
Blair Goldberg
The crowds after the shows in Portland were so kind and supportive! We head to Seattle in the morning. Thanks for following along my journey! Hope you enjoyed!
Based on the 2005 film of the same title, the Northampton, U.K.-set musical has a new book by Tony winner Harvey Fierstein (Torch Song Trilogy, La Cage aux Folles, Newsies) and a score by Grammy and Tony Award-winning "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" hit-maker and "True Colors" songwriter Cyndi Lauper.
Tony Award winner Jerry Mitchell (2004's La Cage aux Folles, Legally Blonde, Catch Me If You Can), who created the high-energy dances that sent audiences and cast members into a frenzy during Hairspray, directs and choreographs Kinky Boots, which is bedazzled with a series of show-stopping numbers by the character of Lola and a bevy of drag performers.
Kinky Boots premiered on Broadway March 3, 2013, following an out-of-town engagement at the Bank of America Theatre in Chicago. It opened to acclaim April 4 at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre.
In addition to taking Best Musical and Tony wins for Lauper (Best Score), Mitchell (Best Choreography) and Porter (Best Actor), Kinky Boots also saw awards to go Stephen Oremus (Orchestrations) and John Shivers (Sound Design).
Kyle Taylor Parker, one of the Angels in the original Broadway company of Kinky Boots, leads the cast as Lola with Steven Booth as shoe-factory owner Charlie Price. They are joined by Lindsay Nicole Chambers as Lauren, Joe Coots as Don, Craig Waletzko as George and Grace Stockdale as Nicola.
The complete cast also features Damien Brett, Stephen Carrasco, Lauren Nicole Chapman, Amelia Cormack, Troi Gaines, J. Harrison Ghee, Blair Goldberg, Darius Harper, Andrew Theo Johnson, Crystal Kellogg, Jeffrey Kishinevskiy, Jeff Kuhr, Ross Lekites, Patty Lohr, Mike Longo, Tommy Martinez, David McDonald, Nick McGough, Bonnie Milligan, Anthony Picarello, Horace V. Rogers, Ricky Schroeder, Anne Tolpegin, Juan Torres-Falcon, Hernando Umana and Sam Zeller.
The musical will play West Coast stops in Seattle, Denver, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Costa Mesa before heading east in 2015.
Designing the production are Tony nominee David Rockwell (scenic design), Tony Award winner Gregg Barnes (costume design), Tony Award winner Kenneth Posner (lighting design), John Shivers (sound design), Josh Marquette (hair design) and Randy Houston Mercer (make-up design). Casting is by Telsey + Company, Justin Huff, CSA.
Kinky Boots is produced on Broadway by Daryl Roth and Hal Luftig, James L. Nederlander, Terry Allen Kramer, Independent Presenters Network, CJ E&M, Jayne Baron Sherman, Just for Laughs Theatricals/Judith Ann Abrams, Yasuhiro Kawana, Jane Bergère, Allan S. Gordon & Adam S. Gordon, Ken Davenport, Hunter Arnold, Lucy and Phil Suarez, Bryan Bantry, Ron Fierstein and Dorsey Regal, Jim Kierstead/Gregory Rae, BB Group/Christina Papagjika, Michael DeSantis/Patrick Baugh, Brian Smith/Tom and Connie Walsh, Warren Trepp, and Jujamcyn Theaters.
