Resilience, Acceptance, and Change: The Healing Lessons in KINKY BOOTS

"Lola gains her strength from her resilience," says Stephane Duret, who plays the drag queen star of MSMT's KINKY BOOTS. "Sometimes she feels like an island, alone in this world she has created. But she survives. She's got her Angels for support, her chosen family, and even when she gets a little slap in the face from Charlie, she comes back to their partnership. That's her resilience."

"And Lola challenges others to be accepting and to change their perspective," continues MSMT Artistic Director Curt Dale Clark. "I consider it important for MSMT to present something that can cause change in a community, and this show with Stephane's and the entire cast's unbelievable performances is doing just that!"

His remarks draw applause from the capacity audience at MSMT's final Peek Behind the Curtain panel discussion, moderated by Carla Maria Verdino-Süllwold, BWW's Maine editor, on August 17 at Curtis Memorial Library in Brunswick.

"Lola consistently takes the high road," Duret explains. She is used to fighting her own battles because she's been doing it for many years. With Charlie, she demonstrates that resilience and forgiveness, no matter how much he has offended her. His [emotionally apologetic] phone call says all the things Lola has always wanted to hear - that she is 'the greatest man Charlie has ever met' - and it is the validation she never got from her father."

Duret continues, explaining that he strongly identifies with the message of forgiveness. "Optimism, hope, and acceptance are the pillars on which I live my life. Sometimes it's an uphill battle, and the underdog doesn't always win, but then there will be a 'yes,' and that 'yes' will be transformative." He shares a bit of his own personal history: "I am a gay man, married to another man, and my coming out of the closet as a child was difficult for my father. For two years we didn't speak, and then we rekindled the relationship, and now he is my number one supporter. Every time we talk, he says, 'Do not forget your craft.'"

Duret believes that the unlikely and beautiful friendship which grows between Charlie Price and Lola, despite their different backgrounds, has roots in "the inner turmoil they both experience in their childhood in their relationships with their fathers. They can identify with each other because there are through lines that connect their stories. When you take a moment to experience someone else's story, you may realize you are more alike than different. In those moments, such as in the bathroom scene [in KINKY BOOTS], for Charlie and Lola, there is self-recognition in the other, and from that point on their bond is everlasting."

The mention of the pivotal bathroom scene of Act One causes Clark to chime in: "We have talked about the beauty of silence. There is nothing more powerful than watching Stephane and Matt in the bathroom scene. You can hear a pin drop for the entire nine minutes."

Duret thinks the scene is so poignant for his character because at that moment the audience gets to see another part of Lola. But, the vulnerable Lola in this scene is really "inside the Lola of the other scenes. As human beings we all contain little bits of lots of things. We are conglomerates of experiences that live within us at all times. An impetus may trigger something that shifts our path."

So, what was the process of mounting this production of KINKY BOOTS and how did Duret, who played the role in the original Broadway production find this second experience with the show? "After two dark years, to be given this opportunity was like soaring through the wind - a reminder of where I've always wanted to be," he says. "To work with [Director] Marc Robin and [Choreographer] Kenny Ingram has been a goal of mine for many years, especially coming up in Chicago and studying with a lot of people who had worked with them. Marc and Kenny wanted to lean into my strengths. I come from the Chicago School of acting which is a bit gritty and unapologetic. In my style, when you bring yourself to a role, you have to go deep; you have to experience what the character is going through and find the places where you and that character link. As actors we are like recycling centers. We take information in, but then, in order for the dream to land [effectively], something has to happen to that information before we release it back to the public. Our rehearsal process was very quick, yet thorough and beautifully accepting and collaborative."

And the special task of playing Lola/Simon? Duret continues: "Once you get gender out of the way and fall in love with the human being in front of you, it becomes all about the human experience. Lola is richer for living in a woman's shoes and gaining understanding."

And that understanding from another person's perspective is the challenge Lola poses to Don and KINKY BOOTS posits to its audience. Clark sums up the significance of the show. "The message, 'Accept someone for who they are,' resonates the same way anywhere - in a big city or a small town. The beautiful thing about theatre is that what we do causes introspection and retrospection. Sometimes, it affirms a choice we made or at others, makes us check ourselves at the door." He uses the example of the nursing home scene in which Lola and her dying father have a moment of reconciliation. "That scene - and the way Stephane and Ron [King] play it so beautifully - is going to help someone here in this community."

Clark feels that KINKY BOOTS and the show that preceded it, THE COLOR PURPLE, were important commitments for MSMT to make. Addressing the event's supportive audience he says, "This room is filled with thinking people who have a thirst for knowledge and are interested in coming to see these shows. You know why we chose to do them in this community, and in reality, it has worked. In any community there will be a certain amount of ugliness," he concedes, tacitly referencing the racism and homophobia that can accompany productions of these musicals. "Did we get a certain amount of that ugliness? You bet we did, but 99% of the response was overwhelmingly positive to both these shows. We feel we have made real progress; we have taken a step into the future by admitting that we have responsibility in these issues in this state. We are one of the few companies that can participate meaningfully in this realm and make a real difference."

KINKY BOOTS continues at MSMT"s Pickard theater on the Bowdoin College campus, 1 Bath Road, Brunswick, ME until August 27, 2022. www.msmt.org 207-725-8769

Photo Credit: MSMT, Andrew Masland