Chiwetel Ejiofor's 'Kinky Boots' Heading To Broadway
I never saw Kinky Boots actually. I knew about it when it was in release. I was curious, if only because Chiwetel Ejiofor starred in it, and as a drag queen - thankfully not in a fat suit as his fellow thespians, Martin Lawrence, Eddie Murphy and Tyler Perry have done repeatedly - but still in stilettos, makeup, wigs, dresses, etc... Wesley Snipes did the same thing as well in To Wong Foo Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar, although I didn't see that film either. Wesley Snipes in drag looked scary, just from the trailers I saw of the film. I didn't want to subject myself to 2 hours of eyesores.Although both films (Kinky Boots and To Wond Foo) were nominated for several awards, including Golden Globes, and Ejiofor's performance was widely praised.
And now, Broadway wants a piece of the 'kinky' action. No word on whether the character Ejiofor played in the film will be portrayed also by a black man (since, I don't believe the role was written specifically for a black man). It would be interesting if Ejiofor assumes the role on Broadway as well.
From IMDB:
- British comedy Kinky Boots is heading for Broadway - the 2005 film is to be made into a stage musical. The movie, which stars Talk To Me actor Chiwetel Ejiofor, is about a drag queen who is brought in to help revive a man's shoe company.
The rights for the project, which was not a musical, have been bought by veteran producers Daryl Roth and Hal Luftig and they plan to turn the film into a song and dance affair for their New York audience.
Jerry Mitchell, the director of Broadway's Legally Blonde, is reportedly in talks to take the helm of the Kinky Boots production.
SOURCE: KINKY ON BROADWAY
SOURCE: KINKY ON BROADWAY
Possibly Chiwetel Ejiofor's "break-out" role? I use the term "break-out" loosely, since his face and name are (or should be) familiar to more than the average film enthusiast. He's certainly been around, and even starred in a few successful indie flicks (
and 
immediately come to mind); although one can't really zero in on that one specific role of his that really made audiences sit up and take notice. 
, 
, 
, and of course, 
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