Discover the actors who have played Lola in 'Kinky Boots'

Johannes Radebe stars as fabulous diva Lola — wearing those iconic red boots — at the London Coliseum in spring 2026.

Welcome to the land of Lola! Like many a drag queen, she embodies a world of glamour and fantasy and can boast she’s “Got Ginger Rogers' savoir faire / With the moves of Fred Astaire / I'm Black Jesus, I'm Black Mary / But this Mary's legs are hairy”. When Charlie Price inherits a struggling shoe factory in Northampton from his father, he and Lola team up to address a gap in the market – the production of a line of high-heeled boots designed specifically for drag performers.

Inspired by an episode of the BBC 1999 Trouble at the Top documentary series, Kinky Boots originated as a 2005 film written by Geoff Deane and Tim Firth, which starred Chiwetel Ejiofor as Lola and Joel Edgerton as Charlie. Lola and Charlie meet when Charlie attempts to help a woman who is being harassed and wakes up in the dressing room of drag queen Lola and an unlikely business partnership is formed. Lola appears uninhibited but is secretly scarred by rejection. Ultimately, it’s a joyous story of friendship, fathers and sons, and fabulous footwear.

The show boasts music and lyrics by singer songwriter Cyndi Lauper and a book by Harvey Fierstein (both know a thing or two about the power of self-expression). It is funny that such a quintessentially British story originated on Broadway and was penned by American writers, who kept the original East Midlands setting intact. A fresh production directed by Nikolai Foster (A Chorus Line, The Wizard of Oz) is set to strut into the London Coliseum in spring 2026, starring Strictly Come Dancing professional dancer Johannes Radebe as Lola. Read on to learn about the brilliant performers who have previously played the role.

Book Kinky Boots tickets on LondonTheatre.co.uk.

Billy Porter

Billy Porter won the Tony Award for 2013 Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical for creating the role of Lola on Broadway. This success led to three seasons in the ballroom culture-set series Pose, for which he won 2019 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, making him the first gay Black man to win an acting Emmy. Porter recently starred as the Emcee in Cabaret in the West End and directed the play This Bitter Earth at Soho Theatre. He is currently leading Cabaret on Broadway, opposite Marisha Wallace’s Sally Bowles (they previously played the roles together in London). They will close the show on 19 October.

J Harrison Ghee

J Harrison Ghee made their Broadway debut as Lola and subsequently became one of the first two nonbinary actors to win a Tony in 2023 for their performance as Jerry/Daphne in Some Like it Hot (Alex Newell was the other winner for Shucked). They also originated the role of Andre in Mrs Doubtfire and were most recently seen as the Jester in Once Upon a Mattress at New York City Center alongside Sutton Foster.

Todrick Hall

Kinky Boots provided Todrick Hall with his first Broadway lead role. Hall first came to prominence on American Idol and he does it all as an actor, singer, songwriter, choreographer, rapper YouTuber, and showbiz personality. Hall currently directs, choreographs, and co-stars in Burlesque, as well as contributing several songs to the score. LondonTheatre.co.uk’s reviewer gave the show a 5-star rave review.

Matt Henry

As the first British actor to play Lola, Matt Henry won an Olivier Award for the role in 2016 (the following year, he was made Member of the British Empire). He currently plays creative director Nigel in The Devil Wears Prada. Henry was succeeded as Lola by his understudy Simon-Anthony Rhoden (Simon is in fact Lola’s other name), who went on to play Aaron Burr in Hamilton.

Callum Francis

For the Australian run in 2016, British actor Callum Francis played Lola and received a Helpmann Award for his performance. He then played Lola on the UK tour before playing the role Off Broadway in 2023 at Stage 42. Francis was nominated for a Lucille Lortel Award, a Outer Critics Circle Award, and a Theatre World Award.

Johannes Radebe

South African dancer Johannes Radebe became an instant audience favourite with his charm and warmth when he made his debut as a professional dancer on Strictly Come Dancing in 2019. He was runner up with John Waite in 2021 and placed fourth with Annabel Croft in 2023. Radebe made his musical theatre debut as Lola in Nikolai Foster’s touring production of Kinky Boots earlier this year and transfers with the production to the London Coliseum in spring 2026. You’ll be dancing on air!

Also, let's not forget the wonderful actors who have played Charlie, including Stark Sands (original Broadway cast), Killian Donnelly (original London cast), David Hunter, Oliver Tompsett, and Joel Harper-Jackson. Further casting is to be announced for the London run.

Book Kinky Boots tickets on LondonTheatre.co.uk.