Johannes Radebe will star in the UK and Ireland tour of Kinky Boots alongside Dan Partridge.
Kinky Boots tells the story of Charlie Price, who is trying to save his family’s failing shoe factory. The task seems to be impossible until he meets drag queen Lola, who helps him to save the business.
The role of Charlie Price will be played by Partridge, while Radebe will play Lola.
Radebe is best known for being a professional dancer on Strictly Come Dancing, and performed the show’s first same-sex routine with Graziano Di Prima. He was also the choreographer for Pretty Red Dress, and is currently performing in his third UK tour House of Jojo.
Partridge has previously played Magaldi in Leicester Curve’s production of Evita, the Rum Tum Tugger in the European tour and South Korea tour of CATS, and Link Larkin in the UK tour of Hairspray. He has also appeared in Archie, Casualty and Doctors, and won Best Actor at the ‘This Is England’ film festival in France.
Kinky Boots is directed by Nikolai Foster, and features choreography by Leah Hill, set and costume design by Robert Jones, lighting design by Ben Cracknell, and sound design by Adam Fisher.
Foster and Chris Stafford, chief executive at the Curve said: “We all know Johannes for his extraordinary artistry on the dance floor, but seeing him inhabit the astonishing world of Lola in Harvey Fierstein and Cyndi Lauper’s proud, punchy and passionate Kinky Boots has been an electrifying and profoundly moving experience”.
The UK tour of Kinky Boots will begin at Leicester’s Curve on 17 January, and will visit 23 cities across the UK and Ireland, before finishing at Oxford New Theatre on 26 July. A full list of dates can be found on ATG’s website.
Words by Ellen Leslie
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