Arturo Hilario
El Observador
A pair of high boots, the queen of 80s music Cyndi Lauper, and a true story come together to create one of the most entertaining musicals, Kinky Boots.
This acclaimed musical arrives to dazzle audiences in San José from 28 to 30 November at the San José Performing Arts Centre, presenting a fabulous true story that shows that you can change the world when you change your mindset.
Winner of Tony, Grammy and Olivier Awards for Best Musical, Kinky Boots tells the true story of two people with nothing in common who come together to save a struggling family shoe business with the power of community, drag queens and music.
Although the musical is based on a 2005 film, the film itself is based on a true story taken from the BBC2 television program Trouble at the Top, which focused on businesses in crisis and disputes between people in that field. The specific episode, broadcasted in 1999, was a documentary about a shoe factory in Northamptonshire that finds an unexpected saviour in Sue Sheppard, owner of Lacies, a lingerie and adult goods shop focused on the drag and transgender community, who was struggling to find quality footwear in large sizes.
From there, the moving story took off, and the rest is history.
We recently had the opportunity to speak with cast member Felipe Cristancho-Rodríguez, a Colombian-American artist who is joining Kinky Boots on its first national tour, which will begin on November 19th and run until June 2026. Find out why Cristancho-Rodríguez is excited about the show, the culinary experiences he will have across the country, and the impact his participation as a Latino artist could have on other Latinos.
For more information and tickets for Kinky Boots, visit broadwaysanjose.com.
How did you get into the performing arts and how did you end up in this career?
Felipe Cristancho-Rodríguez
So, since I was little, I’ve been drawn to the world of art. And I was always singing, dancing, performing everywhere. My parents noticed this and supported me from the beginning, deciding to enroll me in dance, singing and acting classes. I trained from nursery school through to secondary school, and then decided to go to New York to study at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy to get my certificate in Musical Theatre.
And from there, living in New York, going to all the auditions, training there and putting all my effort into getting a job and getting into Kinky Boots. But since I was little, I’ve always been in this world of art. Whenever shows came on tour, my parents always took me to see them. In fact, the most important thing for me about being part of Kinky Boots right now is that many years ago, when they did their first tour, I went to see Kinky Boots and it was my first show, the first musical that I ever saw, which inspired me to be an artist and say, “Oh, I want to do that.”
So, for me, it’s like a full circle moment. Like, “Oh my gosh, this was my first musical, and now I’m part of Kinky Boots.” I mean, it’s almost like a dream come true to be part of Kinky Boots. Now, instead of as an audience member, as a performer. So, I’m super proud, and just thinking about it makes me want to cry a little, I’m so excited.
I went to see Kinky Boots and it was my first show, the first musical that I ever saw, that inspired me to be an artist and say, ‘Oh, I want to do that.’ So, for me, it’s like a full circle moment.
-Felipe Cristancho-Rodríguez
So, is it something very special for you to be part of this play for your first national tour?
Felipe
Yes, because I’ve done, of course, some shows, some musicals, some professional plays, but this is my first tour. So, yes, it feels a little bigger, more impactful for me, for my career. The debut of my artistic career and being part of Kinky Boots.
Can you talk a little bit about your role as Angel and being part of the cast of Kinky Boots? Also, could you explain a little about the story that is happening in the show?
Felipe
Well, Kinky Boots has an owner named Charlie, who owns a shoe shop that is at risk of going out of business. And then, suddenly, he meets a drag queen named Lola. And Lola gives Charlie a new perspective, some new ideas on how he can save his business. And so, the show is all about the process of how Lola and Charlie rescue the shoe business.
In my role, I am one of the Angels, and the Angels are like Lola’s drag queen friends, who help the shoe shop workers learn about the world of drag. And how to add a little more sparkle and glamour to the whole process of how they are going to rescue the shoe shop.
But yes, it’s a story about acceptance and what it’s like when you encounter a problem, what it’s like to accept help from other people, to receive ideas and perspectives from them, to realize, “I’m not the only one, it’s my problem, but I’m not alone in having to solve what I’m trying to fix.”
So, what have you enjoyed most about this experience so far?
Felipe
That’s a difficult question, because honestly, I love everything, everything we’re doing, from the make-up to the costumes, the dancing, the songs, the story, everything. I love it all. Every single thing, every part of this show, whether it’s on stage, off stage, the process, I’ve loved it all. I can’t give you a single answer of specifically what I like. It’s everything.
Hopefully, the audience will say that too, that it’s so difficult to choose one thing in particular because everything is spectacular, everything is perfect.
Now that you’re getting ready to go on tour across the United States, what excites you most about this opportunity, being able to go out and see many different places in the country?
Felipe
Yes, definitely, because obviously professionally, as an artist, I want to get to know all the theatres and everything, and get to know all the communities throughout the United States and North America. But I’m also personally excited to get to know different places to eat.
Yes, of course. You need energy to act.
Felipe
Yes, indeed! Look, I’m going to be hungry after all these shows. So, I want to know all the places to eat and everything. And I’m glad, very happy to have the opportunity to visit many places throughout the United States, as well as North America and all the communities.
And yes, you can also see how each place is different, how I will receive each audience, how the audience will receive us. I am very excited, but this opportunity is a huge achievement for me, a huge achievement.
On another note, what is it like to be part of the performing arts, to be Latino, and to be part of a diversity that did not exist 30 or 40 years ago in that world?
Felipe
No, yes. That’s a great question. Well, I’ll start by saying that the current situation with the LGBTQ community in the United States Government is delicate. And so, I think that this show, in history, the message of this show, is very important to share with all parts of North America, of the United States, because it is a show about acceptance and it sends a very important message about community.
And I feel that I have a unique Latin influence, and I am incredibly proud of that. And I feel that I am representing a generation, personally, a generation of Americans with Latin parents, and showing the story of my parents. They are from Colombia, from Bogotá, they came here to the United States 25 years ago, and I was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. I believe that I am representing that generation, the Latin community and everything, but also, specifically, those who were born here with Spanish-speaking Latin American parents, demonstrating the strength and pride of being Latin and in the art of bringing that to the work, to my character, and having confidence.
It’s like having that feeling of pride, of culture, of homeland, and representing the generation whose parents arrived and are now the generation that was born here, which is now representing all that effort.
The first generation, yes, all that effort, all that pride, the passion. And I think I’m integrating that into my character during the show to show my moments of being Latino, and yes, there are moments there.
What an excellent answer. There will be many people sitting there watching you, perhaps some Latino children, and they will see that theatre is a possibility, that it is something you can do in life.
Felipe
Yes, yes, thank you. That’s exactly what I meant, because honestly, when I was little, it was really rare to see people like me, artists, Latinos, and as a first-generation immigrant, it was sometimes difficult.
So, I want to take on that role in my personal life, to represent that for young people. So that those who also want to, perhaps, enter the world of theatre, can say, “Oh, I remember. I remember that feeling of performing, of being Latino, of being an artist, of seeing what it’s like to do all that in a play.”
