Friday, November 20, 2015
Billy Porter Leaves the Land of Lola After 1,000 Performances in Broadway's Kinky Boots
Playbill.com: Billy Porter, who earned the Tony Award for his portrayal of unstoppable drag performer Lola in the Tony-winning hit musical Kinky Boots, ends his acclaimed run in the Broadway production Nov. 20 after more than 1,000 performances in the role.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
6 comments:
1000 performances yay! I still remembered when he came to school two years ago and how inspiring he was. I really like listening to his stories about his life and all his ups and downs and how we managed to come back and what he learned from being a student at CMU. it's very honest an very inspiring.
Speaking of which, one thousand performances sounds really insane to me. This is one thing I have been thinking about and knows that I cannot deal with and thus I may not be a perfect fit for broad way or long run performances. I really can’t stand 6 week run performances let alone 1,000 shows. I love being in a fast pace life and 2 weeks run is a maximum for me, a month run if I have to. I really wonder and admire actors that they can perform the same thing over and over for so many times before they move on. I wonder how it feels. I also wonder how it feels when leaving the show behind and move on and knows that someone is replacing him.
I think it will be very sad for Billy Porter to leave Kinky Boots because he is the first person you think about when you hear that show. He made this role his own and created this amazing character inside. It is crazy to think that he was in this show so long because most people do not stay in one show that long, especially if it is such a demanding role because their bodies and voices cannot take the stress. Lola is a very high energy and difficult character to do every night, but Billy has stuck with it for over 2 and a half years. I saw Billy Porter in Kinky Boots with the original cast and it was amazing. The story is very inspirational because it is all about following your dreams and being true to yourself. Billy Porter has made that his motto over the years and I think that is very important for young people who admire him because of his courage.
Hooray for 1000 performances! I remember when I first saw Kinky Boots in previews on Broadway, I enjoyed the show. However, even then I could tell that Billy Porter made the show. Porter completely melts into the role, feeding off the energy of the audience and his fellow cast mates. Now that Porter is leaving the show, I wonder how much longer the show will last. It's certainly had a very good run, and I think it already lasted much longer than anyone expected it to. Though Wayne Brady will certainly be able to pull some crowds for a short period of time with his limited star power, I feel that Porter's exit from the show this weekend marks the end of the show in a way.
First off, Congratulations Billy Porter! I never had the chance to see you perform the role of Lola, but I am sure you were fantastic. I want to take this opportunity to comment on the idea of someone leaving a company, and saying goodbye. Goodbyes are never easy, especially with a long running successful show like this one. However, this is where we go back to that old phrase, “as one door closes another opens.” This is so true. As sad as it is that Billy Porter is leaving Kinky Boots he will be happily moving on to bigger and better projects. This has also opened up a door for a new person to take on the role of Lola, and have their big break. Can you see how the circle is created? To quote an amazing movie about animated lions, “It’s the Circle of Life, and it moves us all!”
When I went to see Kinky Boots one of the things that stood out to me the most was Billy Porter's performance as Lola. Overall I thought the show was a little over the top and glitzy, but the way he portrayed Lola always brought me back in the story. The dedication that he shows to his role and the show overall is something that's really admirable. It's also crazy to think that he's performed in this show 1000 times. These days with Broadway shows closing left and right it's amazing that he's been able to create a show with such a lasting impact. Like Jason said, now that's made it so big he'll definitely be moving on to even bigger things. I'm so excited to see what he works on next, and how Kinky Boots will adapt with him gone. The legacy that he's left behind has changed the way Broadway views drag, and has set the bar high for the next Lola.
I remember seeing Kinky Boots and how inspiring the play was. Congratulations to Billy Porter for 1000+ performances – his presence in the cast and what he brought to the character of Lola will definitely be missed. I admire how humble Porter is when describing himself in the role of Lola and how he looks up to her and how courageous she is. It is definitely a difficult role by any standards which requires great strength but also a notable openness to the character, especially in the more personal moments of the play. It is also admirable how Porter has allowed Lola’s character to guide him as a person in finding more strength and courage in himself, while bringing those same things to thousands of audience members. I think it is very impressive that Porter continued in the role for so long, especially with such a demanding character. I think Billy Porter’s success story with this production offers lessons to us all, performers and not, to apply to our own future endeavors. It will be interesting to see what Wayne Brady (who many of us may know from “Whose Line…”) brings to the next Lola!
Post a Comment