Todrick Hall has big shoes to fill in “Kinky Boots,” his first leading role on Broadway — a pair of bright red, sparkling lace-up over-the-knee stompers.
The YouTube star joined the production in November to portray Lola, a drag queen who rescues a failing London shoe factory by producing a line of high-heeled boots. “All the people there — who haven’t been exposed to a drag queen — I flip their world,” Hall told Footwear News about his spitfire character.
We asked the singer-dancer-TV personality about how he struts around onstage in the musical’s namesake boots while spreading the message of acceptance — and fabulous shoes.
Footwear News: How long does it take you to get into the signature boots?
Todrick Hall: “Gregg Barnes, who designed the costumes, he’s legendary, so he knows that you have to get into them fast. With the zipper, I can get into them in 20 or 30 seconds.”
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FN: What are kinky boots, exactly?
TH: “These boots represent a different style of fashion and a different lifestyle. I know the word ‘kinky’ can deter people, but the show is for everyone, including children. My fans that are typically younger are coming to the show.”
FN: What shoe styles do we see in the show?
TH: “They get 100 percent of the shoes custom designed; your calf and thigh are measured so that they fit perfectly. The team does maintenance on the shoes every day because the dancing is so complicated. With the red boot, I have two pairs. One has rhinestones for the finale, and the other doesn’t. I wrote it into my contract to keep the boot: I collect costumes from every show I’ve been in.”
FN: How did you get the starring role?
TH: “It’s funny to me that I always identified with the story of ‘The Wizard of Oz,’ and growing up all my favorite stories had to do with shoes. I loved ‘The Wiz,’ I loved ‘Cinderella’ and always wanted glass shoes. The reason they found me was that I did my ‘Straight Outta Oz’ tour and I wore Swarovski red Timberland boots. I felt like it was a sign: You were supposed to go from this to that.”
FN: What was your first time like in costume?
TH: “It was cool because with this costume and the boots, specifically, there’s a nostalgic and epic feeling because it’s an iconic Broadway piece. A lot of people before me wouldn’t have been able to play this role. It didn’t feel real to me until I put the boots on.”
FN: What’s your shoe closet like?
TH: I have so many. Jeremy Scott is my favorite, and I love Dsquared2. I love shoes that look like they are one of a kind: the silver and gold ones from Adidas, the teddy bear with wings, Giuseppe and Loubutin. On an everyday basis, I wear Adidas, and Nikes when I go to the gym. If I go somewhere really nice, I have Rick Owens boots because they aren’t so distracting.
FN: What’s your biggest shoe splurge?
TH: “I bought two of the same shoes and I haven’t worn them. They are Dsquared2, and they have silver and black with rhinestones and diamonds, and a pair of Rick Owens that were $3,000 for winter.”
FN: What was it like having Taylor Swift watch your performance?
TH: “Most of the celebrities who’ve come since I’ve been in the show were personal friends. I talked to her about my problems when I was nervous about the show. It’s nice to have her in my life because she’s experienced so much. She was like, ‘What were you ever nervous about?’ She’s been my rock throughout the whole thing.”
Hall’s “Kinky Boots” run continues into early March.
