Brendon Urie's Kinky Boots Debut - 5 Facts You May Not Know
Panic! At The Disco frontman Brendon Urie is headed for Broadway. The singer has been tapped to take on a role in Kinky Boots. But just what can we expect from the pop-punk star? And what should we know about the mega-hit musical? Find out below.
What's Kinky Boots about?
Let's start with the basics: the plot of Kinky Boots. The musical, which was written by Harvey Fierstein and features music by Cyndi Lauper, tells the story of a young man who inherits a shoe factory from his father. In an effort to save the business from going under, he starts a line of high-heeled boots for men with a drag queen named Lola.
The Broadway musical is based off of a 2005 British film of the same name and was inspired by true events.
Who will Urie play, and what actors have come before him?
Urie will play the role of Charlie Price. He'll be taking over the character from theatre actor Killian Donnelly, who made his Broadway debut as the character in Dec. 2016. Actor Wayne Brady and Youtuber Todrick Hall have previously performed in Kinky Boots. However, both men played Lola—not Charlie—in 2015 and 2016, respectively.
When will Urie make his Broadway debut?
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Urie will make his Broadway debut on May 26, 2017 at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre. He'll be joined onstage with J. Harrison Ghee as Lola and Taylor Louderman as Lauren. Urie's run on Kinky Boots will continue until Aug. 6, 2017.
"I'm thrilled to be making my Broadway debut with this fantastic company," Urie told the website in a statement. "I'm a huge fan of Kinky Boots and musical theatre, and am honored to be joining the cast."
Has Urie acted before?
No, not exactly. While he's had a small part in the show Good Cops, Urie has mostly stuck to a career in music. That said, his music videos often show him dressed in costume and even, at times, taking on a new persona. For instance, in "Emperor's New Clothes," Urie plays a man transforming into a demon, while in "Death of a Bachelor," the 30-year-old takes on a Frank Sinatra-esque character. So dressing up and playing pretend in Kinky Boots won't be anything out of the ordinary for him.
Urie's expressed excitement for his new gig on social media. "This has been on my bucket list for the longest time and it really is a dream come true," Urie said in a video on Twitter. "I'm just so incredibly excited to be joining Kinky Boots on Broadway—that's wild."
"Plus," he added, "you guys get to see me in those heels now."
Will he still perform with Panic! At The Disco?
With his new gig on Broadway, you may be wondering about the fate of Urie's band. But fear not: the "LA Devotee" singer isn't giving up on his music career. According to Rolling Stone, he's actually finishing up his tour for the band's latest record, Death of a Bachelor. The tour ends on April 15, 2017 at the BB&T Center in Sunrise, Fla., so Urie will likely have to shift gears quickly to prepare for his Kinky Boots role.
After his stint on Broadway, who knows? Maybe Urie will try to strike a balance between making music and acting professionally.