5 Things To Know About The Flamboyant Musical Kinky Boots

Before you catch Kinky Boots at Marina Bay Sands, here's a primer: The world-renowned musical, with music penned by Cyndi Lauper, is set in England, and is about Charlie Price, who inherits a fledgling shoe factory that is on the brink of shutting down. But when he encounters drag performer Lola and his entourage, and begins making shoes for them, things take on a new life. We spoke to Derek Brazeau and Philip Stock, who play characters who are part of Lola's flamboyant and lively entourage of Angels. Here are six things to know about the celebrated musical.

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#1: The drag costumes consist of boots, and they go through tons of them.

"We go through about five pairs per show. At the very end of the show during the finale, everyone including the factory workers, angels and all the dancers will be wearing heels. With a cast of around 25 people, that's a lot of shoes (laughs)," says Derek. Oh, by the way, make-up takes two hours, according to Derek and Philip. "We spend at least an hour and fifteen minutes just getting make-up on. And then we have to get our wigs on before getting dressed in our tights and boots."
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#2: The boots are cool, but can be rough.

"Wearing the boots definitely help us get into character. It changes the way you walk. The boots are all custom-made. We put insoles in them to make them more comfortable. I bought my first pair of heels hours before going to the audition of Kinky Boots, so I've never worn them before. We rehearsed for about three weeks for eight hours a day, and our director told us to wear heels the entire time. Which is painful. Extremely painful. But eventually you get used to it. Your feet go numb and after months of touring you get used to the pain. There'll of course be blisters. I even hurt my ankle a few times." Derek, though, has a different experience. "I don't get that (laughs). It definitely hurts sometimes but I don't get blisters or numbness. It does get taxing on our feet."
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#3: Wardrobe malfunctions happen.

Philip shared this experience: "Once, a button on my costume kept coming off on stage. That was fun. It was like part of a suspender, something like an overall romper. The strap just kept flying off on stage. But it was good, we made it work. Sometimes the shoelaces come off and the boots become loose. In live theater you'll never know what's going to happen, and that's the exciting part about it. It's always so fresh. Every day is going to be different. "
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#4: Here's what thespians look out for when they arrive in a new place.

"Every time we get to a new space like this, we have to get used to it. Sometimes the way the theater is set up might be different. For example, the light might be shining from a really high angle and we have to adjust accordingly. [We notice the new] audience as well. If the audience is very lively, we live on that energy. If not, we do our best and work a little harder (laughs).," says Philip.
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#5: Here’s their warm up — Beyonce is involved.

"Doing our make-up for an hour-and-a-half is definitely some kind of a ritual. It gets you into a particular mindset and focuses your energy. I drink a lot of water throughout the day, and I actually stretch after the first act (laughs). The first act is not as taxing on our bodies, and [the Angels] just try to look good rather than do a lot of dancing. Whenever we're in the dressing room, we listen to a lot of the music that helps us get into the mood. We listen to Beyonce, Jessie J, and others (chuckles). The Angels share a dressing room and our song choices depends on our mood. Sometimes after doing eight shows in a row, we just want to listen to something to relax. We both go to gym to make sure we're both physically fit for the show as well," says Derek.