CASTING NEWS FOR KINKY BOOTS AT THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL
LOS ANGELES (June 6, 2022) – Additional casting has been announced for the Hollywood Bowl’s upcoming production of Kinky Boots July 8–10,2022, featuring previously announced Wayne Brady in the role of Lola, Jake Shears as Charlie, and Kelly Marie Tran as Lauren.
The new cast members include: Mark Ballas of Dancing With The Stars in the role of “Harry”; Hairspray Tony® Award winner Marissa Jaret Winokur in the role of “Pat”; Hayley Orrantia, joining the production as “Nicola” on the heels of her appearance on The Masked Singer and a season 10 renewal of The Goldbergs; actor/singer/songwriter Drew Seeley of Another Cinderella Story and High School Musical fame as a member of the Male Ensemble; television favorite Jim J. Bullock reprising the role of “George” from the Kinky Boots’ first national tour; original Kinky Boots Broadway cast member Daniel Stewart Sherman reprising his role of “Don”; original Kinky Boots Broadway cast member Jennifer Perry reprising her role of “Trish”; Patrick Scott McDermott, fresh from the Lincoln Center production of Flying Over Sunset, as “Young Charlie”; Walter Russell lll, who comes to the Hollywood Bowl direct from Broadway’s MJ where he is appearing as “Young Michael Jackson,” as “Young Lola”; James Olivas as “Richard Bailey”; Brian Cali as “Mr. Price”; and Terron Brooks as “Simon Sr.”
The Hollywood Bowl’s upcoming production of Kinky Boots will also feature Ernest T. Williams, Tyler Keller, Matthew Varvar, Eric Stanton Betts, Tommy Martinez, Juan Torres-Falcón, Yurel Echezarreta and Jake Dupree as “The Angels”; Jon Robert Hall and Desmond Newson as the Male Ensemble; and Kim Steele, Ashley Moniz, Joanne Javien, Morgan Anita Wood and Mia Gerachis as the Female Ensemble.
Kinky Boots, the winner of six 2013 Tony® Awards including Best Musical, is the exhilarating Broadway hit that lifts spirits to new high-heeled heights with its Tony-winning music and lyrics by Cyndi Lauper, uplifting book by four-time Tony winner Harvey Fierstein, and direction and Tony-winning choreography by original director-choreographer Jerry Mitchell. The conductor and musical director is two-time Tony and Grammy® winner Stephen Oremus, the original music supervisor, arranger and orchestrator of Kinky Boots, for which he won the Tony for Best Orchestrations. Kinky Boots also won the Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album.
Kinky Boots, inspired by a true story, will be the 21st annual LA Phil/Hollywood Bowl-produced, fully staged Broadway musical to be presented at the historic venue. It tells the story of an unlikely friendship built around some very unlikely shoes. Factory owner Charlie is struggling to save his business, and the fabulous Lola has a wildly exciting idea that just might do the trick. Kinky Boots is the huge-hearted story of two people with nothing in common—or so they think.
Kinky Boots will be performed three times at the Hollywood Bowl this summer: Friday, July 8, at 8 p.m.; Saturday, July 9, at 8 p.m.; and Sunday, July 10, at 7:30 p.m. Subscriptions for the Hollywood Bowl’s 2022 summer season are available at hollywoodbowl.com or via phone order at 323 850 2000; single tickets are available in person and online at the Hollywood Bowl Box Office and at hollywoodbowl.com. For further details or questions, call 323 850 2000 or visit hollywoodbowl.com.
Jerry Mitchell received the Tony Award for Best Choreography twice—for the Tony Award-winning Best Musical Kinky Boots, for which he was also nominated as Best Director, and previously for the revival of La Cage aux Folles. Jerry was most recently represented on Broadway as director/choreographer of Pretty Woman, now playing on the West End. He directed the Gloria Estefan Broadway musical On Your Feet! and its international tour, recently presented in London’s Coliseum Theatre. He was nominated for an Olivier Award for his choreography in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, which he also directed and co-produced in London.
Over 35 years, Jerry has been involved with more than 50 Broadway, West End and touring productions, starting as a dancer for Agnes de Mille in Brigadoon and thereafter assisting Michael Bennett and Jerome Robbins. His Broadway debut as choreographer, for You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, was followed by The Full Monty (for which he received a Tony nomination); The Rocky Horror Show; Hairspray (Tony nomination and the NBC live television broadcast as well); Gypsy; Never Gonna Dance (Tony nomination); Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (Tony nomination); La Cage aux Folles (Tony Award); Imaginary Friends; Legally Blonde (Tony nomination), which he directed on Broadway and in London; Catch Me If You Can; and Kinky Boots. He is currently developing a new musical entitled Becoming Nancy. Mitchell also choreographed both the Off-Broadway productions and films of Hedwig & The Angry Inch and Jeffrey. Thirty or so years ago, Jerry conceived and created Broadway Bares, a comedy burlesque show performed annually for the charity Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, for which he continues to serve as Executive Producer, as well as inspiring West End Bares, which celebrated its 10th year raising money and AIDS awareness benefiting Terrence Higgins Trust.
Stephen Oremus is the recipient of two Tony awards (Best Orchestrations) and two Grammy awards (Best Musical Theater Album) for his work on The Book of Mormon and Kinky Boots. For Kinky Boots, Stephen served as music supervisor, orchestrator, and arranger for Broadway, National Tour, and worldwide productions. For The Book of Mormon, he co-orchestrated the score, wrote the vocal arrangements and serves as music supervisor for the Broadway, National Tour, and worldwide productions. Stephen is the music supervisor and arranger of the original Broadway production of Wicked, and of the subsequent productions of this hugely popular musical playing around the world, and of Disney’s Frozen, including the Broadway, National Tour and worldwide productions. He was the music supervisor, vocal arranger, and orchestrator of Avenue Q for the Broadway, off-Broadway, London, and the National Tour productions. He was the music supervisor, vocal arranger and orchestrator of the Broadway musical adaptation of 9 to 5, with a score by Dolly Parton, and co-produced the Grammy-nominated cast recording. His other Broadway credits include All Shook Up, as music supervisor/vocal arranger/co-orchestrator, and High Fidelity, as vocal arranger.
Beyond Broadway, Stephen has arranged/conducted for various artists for television, film, and concert performances including Lady Gaga, Ariana Grande, Rufus Wainwright, Dolly Parton, Cyndi Lauper, Jake Shears, Chaka Khan, and many more.
Stephen’s television credits include music director for the 87th Annual Academy Awards (Emmy nomination), Annie Live (NBC), The Wiz Live (NBC), RENT Live (FOX), A Very WICKED Halloween Special (NBC), and Into the Unknown: The Making of Frozen 2 (Disney Plus). His film credits include arranging/conducting songs for: Disney’s Frozen, Frozen 2, Sing 2, A Star Is Born, The Hunting Ground, and Shame. Stephen is a graduate of Berklee College of Music, Boston.