Kyle Taylor Parker's Road to Broadway, From Selling In the Heights Merch to Headlining Kinky Boots

Age: 25

Hometown: “Wisconsin, by way of the world.”

Current Role: A three-month stint in Broadway's Kinky Boots, filling in for Billy Porter as the fierce and fabulous Lola, an outspoken drag performer who becomes a specialty boot designer.

Stage & Screen Cred: After appearing in the national tour of In the Heights, Parker made his Broadway debut as an Angel in Kinky Boots. After kicking off the musical's national tour as Lola, he’s returned to Broadway to reprise his role.

“My mom works in public health for prevention and awareness of HIV and AIDS, so when I was nine years old, we started moving around a lot. I lived in East Africa, West Africa, Paris and Zurich, then ended up in Wisconsin from middle to high school.”

“I’m the biggest theater nerd I know, and I’ve always been obsessed with Broadway. I had a big playroom as a kid, so I would put together shows and charge my grandmother and mom admission. I’d play all the characters, so it was a very long evening.”

“When I started selling merchandise for In the Heights on Broadway, I thought, ‘I’m gonna be in this show someday.’ [Choreographer] Andy Blankenbuehler would give notes in the lobby, so I’d hang around with my notebook. Years later, he was giving me notes on tour! It was a full-circle moment.”

“Oprah is my spirit animal! She taught me that you can shape your whole life just by thinking positively. She said, ‘Be yourself and make the best of it.’ I try to say at least one positive thing like that to myself before I take the stage.”

“Until now, I’d never been in drag or danced in heels. I’ve never done makeup. I’ve never had to think about how your hair can throw off your balance, just while walking! I have so much respect for women.”

“I lost my father when I had first joined the Broadway company, so it’s interesting being back in the Al Hirschfeld Theatre. Parts of my performance are a tribute to that relationship, which was a bit unfinished between the two of us. It’s been a time to reflect and to celebrate how much I’ve grown.”