IM CRYING. for multiple years i thought that the last line from History of Wrong Guys (which is “I’ve been executized!”) was “I’m being circumcised.” i’m SOBBING
People will say they hate when movies are adapted into musicals but then go on to say that Newsies or Waitress or Beetlejuice or Groundhog Day or Heathers or Kinky Boots or Legally Blonde or Moulin Rogue or Hunchback of Notre Dame is their favorite musical.
Kelly Marie Tran performing in the Hollywood Bowl’s production of Tony-winning musical Kinky Boots on July 9, 2022, with Wayne Brady and Jake Shears.
“The real surprise, though, is Kelly Marie Tran, best known as Rose Tico in the Star Wars franchise. Tran channels the can-do attitude of Rose into Lauren, a factory worker, with aplomb. But she also lends her an infectious, bubbly goofiness. Her impossible-to-contain thirst earns well-deserved laughs, and her power ballad, “The History of Wrong Guys,” is Boots’ standout number. Tran is still a fresh face in the industry, but her work here makes the case for casting her in many more musicals and comedies. (And her British accent is the strongest in the cast!)” — Entertainment Weekly
“But the most pleasant, smile-inducing surprise of this production of KINKY BOOTS has to be Kelly Marie Tran who plays Lauren, a factory worker who has a massive crush on Charlie despite him having a girlfriend. Tran—whose recent work includes starring in the final two films of the Star Wars sequel trilogy and providing the voice of the first Southeast Asian Disney princess in Raya and the Last Dragon—is a superb comic and an even better musical theater actress, with a great command of a working-class British accent. Her rendition of Lauren's big solo “History of Wrong Guys” is a memorable highlight, and stands as evidence for Broadway producers to start casting her in a lead role, stat.” — Broadway World
Photos by Greg Grudt/Mathew Imaging, via Entertainment Weekly and Broadway World.
Enter a glittering world where everyone has a song in their heart. Each book in the Hearts of Broadway series follows a Broadway star on the journey of falling in love. And when these artists fall, they fall hard.
A national tour, a brand-new musical, a co-star who makes life miserable, and one too many rejections: navigating a challenging career is already a complicated dance. So when they meet the people who tug on their heartstrings, managing the choreography of their lives gets more difficult... and exciting.
Showtune references abound and each book comes with it’s own playlist, which you can find on your favorite streaming app. Read together or stand-alone, the characters in the Hearts of Broadway series will sweep you off your feet.