KINKY BOOTS to Open at Adrian's Croswell Opera House Tonight

A chance meeting between the owner of a struggling shoe factory and a London drag queen leads to an unlikely and life-changing alliance in KINKY BOOTS, the Tony Award-winning musical that opens Friday at Adrian's Croswell Opera House.

KINKY BOOTS, which features music by Cyndi Lauper, is the story of two men from very different walks of life brought together by shoes. Charlie Price inherits his family's shoe factory after his father's unexpected death, but shoes bore him; at the beginning of the show he plans instead to move to London with his fiancee and go into real estate. Simon, on the other hand, has been fascinated by shoes since he was a boy - specifically the red women's heels that he wears in his cabaret act, where he is known as Lola.

The shoe factory is in financial trouble, and Charlie fears he will have no choice but to lay off all of the employees and close up shop. But after a chance encounter lands him at the club where Lola is performing in a pair of cheaply made heels, he hits upon the solution to his problems: Price & Son will market to drag queens by making high-quality women's boots that are strong enough to support the weight of a man.

Dan Clair of Canton, previously seen at the Croswell in ROCK OF AGES, LEAP OF FAITH and MEMPHIS, plays Charlie. Leonard Harris of Indianapolis plays Lola.

Lauren Goyer of Northville plays Charlie's status-conscious fiancee, Nicola. Dara Pardon of Newport plays Lauren, a factory employee who helps Charlie realize that finding an "underserved niche market" might be the way to save the business. Other employees include Ron Baumanis of Ann Arbor as manager George; Thomas J. Koch II of Ypsilanti as the gruff and initially closed-minded Don; Taylor Goodin of Petersburg as Trish; and Rachel Ogger of Jackson as Pat.

Wesley Grudzien of Toledo plays Charlie's friend and fellow shoe salesman Harry. The Angels, four dancers who perform with Lola, are played by Jarrod Alexander, Mikey Del Vecchio and Domonique Glover, all of Toledo, and Skye Rodriguez of Petersburg. Phil Skeldon of Sylvania plays Charlie's father, Byron Taulton of Adrian plays Lola's father, and Alex Coumoundouros and Trae Wesson, both of Adrian, play the younger versions of Charlie and Lola.

Rounding out the 30-person cast are Marley Jacobson, Alexandra June, Abby Knight, Lori MacDonald and Nik Owen, all of Adrian; Luke Barden of Clinton; Jordan Marquez of Dundee; Luke Gorsuch of Jackson; Oden Berthelsen and Abby Reeder of Tecumseh; Anjalie-Nicole Coates and Chloe Parks of Bowling Green, Ohio; and Ashley Crawford of Toledo.

The show is directed and choreographed by Deb Calabrese, whose previous Croswell directing credits include A CHRISTMAS STORY, ELF and RAGTIME. Adam P. Miller leads an 11-piece orchestra. The costume designer is Tallie Carter.

KINKY BOOTS is based on a true story and on the 2005 British film of the same name. It premiered in Chicago in 2012 and opened on Broadway the following year, winning six Tony Awards including Best Musical and Best Original Score. It was originally slated to be part of the Croswell's 2020 season before it was canceled by the pandemic.

Performances run the weekends of Sept. 16-18 and Sept. 22-25. Dates and times can be found at croswell.org.

Tickets range from $20 to $40. The Croswell is reminding patrons that third-party ticket resellers often try to get people to buy tickets at drastic markups, and that the Croswell itself never sells tickets for more than the advertised price.

The Croswell, a 640-seat historic theater, is at 129 E. Maumee St. in downtown Adrian.

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