Photos courtesy of CAPA
One of Columbus’ own will be stepping onto the Ohio Theatre stage this October for the national touring production of Kinky Boots, the Broadway hit that took home a Tony Award for Best Musical in 2013.
Lindsay Nicole Chambers, who grew up in Worthington and studied musical theater at Otterbein University (known as Otterbein College at the time), plays factory employee Lauren. Her character unintentionally inspires Charlie Price (Steven Booth) to turn his struggling shoe factory around by crafting heeled boots suitable for drag queens.
Chambers gave CityScene some insight on the production, which will arrive in Columbus on Oct. 6.
CityScene Magazine: Tell me how you got your start in musical theater.
Lindsay Nicole Chambers: I always did musical theater – my family has pictures of me even before I knew what musical theater was, in diapers, dancing around in front of strangers on a boardwalk in Florida. It’s definitely in my blood. I did my school plays, I was a gymnast. I was always in the choir and in plays at my church. It wasn’t until high school that I realized it was really a job. I went to Otterbein College for musical theater. I moved to New York right after.
CS: You tackled some understudy and swing roles in two popular Broadway productions of Hairspray and Legally Blonde, and you also have several Off-Broadway credits. Was there a particular show that you felt really prepared you for this role?
LNC: It’s an interesting story – Jerry Mitchell is the choreographer of Hairspray and Legally Blonde. He really keeps it in the family – obviously we still have to audition, but he finds people he likes and uses them over and over if he can. Character wise, I feel like this character is one of the closest characters to me that I’ve ever played. She tells it like she sees it and is completely awkward around her crush. She’s dated a lot of wrong guys, and has a lot of self doubt. She wants to make everything work out – she’s a hard worker.
CS: As an actor is it important for you to find ways in which you can relate to the
character you’re playing, or is it a complete disassociation?
LNC: It helps if there are ways that character can be you. But I also think your job as an actor is you try – even if you play a dinosaur in Jurassic Park – you have to think, ‘how am I supposed to understand this character? Why do they do what they do?’ You have to tap into parts of yourself that are not in the forefront of your personality. You have to connect with some crazy characters sometimes.
CS: The characters have a Northampton dialect. How do you learn this accent – is it difficult to sing in an accent that’s not your own?
LNC: We’ve talked about this so much – you listen to the Beatles and the Rolling Stones and they sound American. The accent, because it’s pulled out in long stretches when you’re singing, it sort of goes away. What’s really kind of tricky is you’re speaking in this accent and, when you sing, you go back to your American accent. You switch back and forth to British, American, British, American. For me, it’s being used more singing-wise. We had some dialect coaching during the rehearsal. Every time there were new cast members, they had sessions with our dialect coach in New York before they come out to the tour. We’re also not doing an authentic dialect because, with an American audience, it’s harder to understand.
CS: Do you have a favorite number from the show, be it your solo or a group number?
LNC: My solo number (“The History of Wrong Guys”) – that really is just so much fun. I’ve never done a number with so many props and prop choreography. It was super stressful to learn! People love it so much, and people connect to that song so much. But in the whole show – I’m not even in this number – it’s “Not My Father’s Son.” Our guys (Steven Booth and Kyle Taylor Parker) are so good and such great actors. They’re so connected to each other, they have great voices and they’re great actors. They’re also great comedians.
CS: There’s really no love duet between Lauren and Charlie; do you find that challenging when trying to tell a love story in a musical, or is that more of a secondary concern?
LNC: That’s not as important of an arc as the two guys and the factory. I think after my song everyone’s aware I’m pining after Charlie from now on. I actually think it’s more important to play the action of what we’re going to do about the factory.
CS: You’re leaving the show in November – what’s next for you?
LNC: I’m going to go back (to New York) and start hustling again. I’d like a holiday season where I can go see my family. What would be ideal is a job that starts in January!
How to Go:
Kinky Boots opens at the Ohio Theatre Oct. 6-11.
Ticket prices start at $33 and can be purchased at the CAPA Ticket Center (39 E. State St.), all Ticketmaster outlets, and online at www.ticketmaster.com. To purchase by phone, call (800) 745-3000. Orders for groups of 20 or more may be placed by calling (614) 719-6900.
The performance schedule is as follows:
Tuesday, Oct. 6, 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Oct. 7, 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, Oct. 8, 7:30 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 9, 8 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 10, 2 p.m. & 8 p.m.
Sunday, October 11, 1 p.m. & 6:30 p.m.
