Over the past week, pictures have been surfacing of WBKR morning show co-host Chad Benefield in popular and iconic Owensboro places strutting his stuff — in red stiletto boots. If you were one of the lucky ones to see him live, posing for Kenny King of Dream Copy Photography, a smile — and even a snicker may have escaped. And that is what Benefield hoped for.
“The boots did what they were supposed to do,” Benefield said. “People were laughing.”
“Kinky Boots” just celebrated six years on Broadway and will close on April 7. Benefield saw the musical on Broadway a couple of years ago in New York City with Wayne Brady as Lola, part of the boots’design team and the first to put her feet in the famed boots in the storyline.
Benefield said that JAM theatricals, the Chicago-based company that presents and produces the shows that stop in Owensboro, contacted Faith Holley the Director of Development and Marketing at the RiverPark Center about a fun way to promote the musical that will be at the RiverPark Center on April 3 at 7 p.m.
Holley knew just the local guy to fill the $2,000 boots.
“The message of the musical is working together to reach a common goal, and it is just magical,” Benefield said. “We decided to add #justbeOBKY to the campaign.”
Inspired by true events, “Kinky Boots” takes the audience from a gentleman’s shoe factory in Northampton to the glamorous catwalks of Milan. Charlie Price is struggling to live up to his father’s expectations and continue the family business of Price & Son. Charlie meets Lola, a fabulous entertainer with an idea for the struggling factory. The pair learn to embrace their differences and creates a line of sturdy stilettos all the while building on their friendship.
With songs by Grammy and Tony winner Cyndi Lauper, book by four-time Tony Award winner and theatre legend Harvey Fierstein and direction and choreography by two-time Tony Award winner Jerry Mitchell, “Kinky Boots” celebrates friendship and the belief that “You can change the world if you change your mind.”
Ending the performance with a mashup of “Raise You Up and Just Be,” the cast reminds the audience of friendships to raise others up while celebrating yourself triumphantly.
The musical won six Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Score and Best Choreography and was the premier Broadway play in the RiverPark subscription series offered this season.
Holley said that, although the performance is during spring break, ticket sales have been tracking as well as other Broadway shows. Although RiverPark Center employees were aware of the scheduling conflict for the show, they really wanted the show in Owensboro, so they offered subscribers the option of purchasing four of the five shows in the series.
“We always try to avoid school breaks and holidays, but it has to do with timing, the tour and its availability,” Holley said.
The 2019-2020 show season will be announced in April, before the last show, Holley said.
Tickets are available by calling the RiverPark box office at 270-687-2770 or visiting their website.
