Did you catch a glimpse of the full moon last night? A Harvest Moon! And tomorrow is the first day of Fall! Autumn is officially here and there is a harvest of good will in Paramount’s reopening with it’s knockout production of Kinky Boots! Directed by Trent Stork starring Michael Wordly (Lola), Devin DeSantis (Charlie) and Sarah Reinekie (Lauren) leading a powerhouse of supporting players, the phenomenal Angels and a triple-threat Ensemble, audiences can’t get enough and return again and again!
Through our emails I have befriended a mother and her son who came out recently as transgender, still in high school. All I could think of is this courageous young person sitting there watching the show’s big finale, Raise You Up/Just Be. The lyrics:
“Never let them tell you who you ought to be
Just be
With dignity
Celebrate yourself triumphantly”
How much these words must mean to him!
Choking back tears standing with everyone on their feet clapping, rocking out, feeling so good about raising each other up in celebration of our differences and all we have in common!
And may I encourage you, if you’re attending tomorrow evening’s performance, there is a “Kinky Boots Pre-Show Talk” featuring the production’s director, Trent Stork. Get the backstory on what it was like putting together this world class regional premiere from Trent themself.
Love & thanks,
Jim
he/him