Interview With “Kinky Boots” Ricky Schroeder, One Of Lola’s Naughty/Sexy Angels

Actor/dancer Ricky Schroeder stars as one of Lola’s Drag Angels in “Kinky Boots”. Photo: Ric Ide Photography

Actor/dancer Ricky Schroeder gets all dolled up as one of Lola’s Angels in Kinky Boots. in the 1st national tour of the Tony Award winning musical now onstage at Seattle’s 5th Avenue Theater now through October 26 (grab tickets HERE!) “Lola’s Angels” are the sextet of sexy actor/dancer drag queens who serve as the show’s principal dance chorus. Mr. Schroeder spills all the beans in our juicy interview.

ED: Tell me about your part in Kinky Boots.

RS: I play an angel. The angels are Lola’s Greek choir. We start out as her backup singers at a club called The Blue Angel. We follow her around and help her get the workers at the shoe factory on board with manufacturing these kinky boots. Basically, we have a good time and fool around while making the audience laugh.

ED: What is your favorite part of Kinky Boots?

RS: My favorite part would have to be the finale. That is when we can really look out and see the effect that the show is having on the audience. We can see people crying or laughing while jumping to their feet at the end. Some people are clapping and dancing along. That energy is really infectious to us on stage as well. The finale is definitely the most fulfilling part of the show for me.

ED: What has been your favorite city so far?

RS: I think it may be Portland. Of course, we haven’t made it to Seattle yet. We had a good time in Las Vegas and Tempe, as well. It was really hot though. It is nice to be in a place where it feels like Fall. Every city is so different. There is really something to like about each of them.

ED: What would be your dream part to play in a musical?

RS: Oh my goodness! I would love to create my own musical, one day. Of the established musicals, I have always had a dream of playing Mark in Rent. I have always sort of identified with that character. It is also one of the musicals that pulled me into musical theater and solidified my love for it. I would love to play that part sometime on my life.

The cast of the First National Tour of Kinky Boots, coming to The 5th Avenue Theatre.
​Credit Matthew Murphy

ED: Have you worked on writing your musical?

RS: No, not really. I don’t think I am a writer. I don’t think I could write a musical. I would love to be a part of a new musical and be an original cast member of that original role. You never know what could happen though. I might have some extra time on tour and start writing. But, so far I think I will leave that to Harvey and Cyndi (laughter).

ED: What has been your favorite role to perform so far in your career?

RS: Definitely this! This is the biggest thing I have been a part of so far. We get paid to have fun on stage. We get to dress up, put on heels and wigs and have fun.

ED: Kinky Boots already had a certain momentum and fan base; do you think that the tour is attracting new people to musical theater?

RS: I definitely think so. I have been around during the original Broadway performance. So being a part of it now, I find it very interesting hearing how the audiences are reacting to the different scenes, songs and characters. There is a character Don in the show. He is sort of the bigot that Lola and Charlie have to overcome. He is not sure about drag queens or making the kinky boots. He always gets a great response in New York. The response he gets on tour really shows you the audience. I feel that a lot of people really relate to Don. They seem themselves in him. Members of the audience don’t necessarily see drag queens all the time. New Yorkers don’t really think anything about seeing a drag queen walking down the street in Hell’s Kitchen. Some of the audience members may be seeing drag queens for the first time. So, I think they really relate to the Don character. It feels really special to be a part of that. I also think that Harvey Fierstein and Cyndi Lauper’s names attract different people to the show. I think a lot of people also think that Cyndi is in the show even though she is not. She is kind of there in her music though. Her music is just so Cyndi.