[On Stage] A 20-Month-Old Daughter Imitates the Performance... I Am Happy

Musical Kinky Boots 'Lola' Role Kang Hong-seok

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Byung-hee] "My 20-month-old daughter imitates me, and it makes me so happy."

The Kang Hong-seok his daughter imitates is 'Lola,' the drag queen character in the musical Kinky Boots. He wears heavy makeup, long blonde hair, and bright red boots that reach above the knees with 15 cm heels.

"I recorded a video during the stage rehearsal. I connected it to the TV at home to monitor my acting, and my daughter kept asking to watch it. When I occasionally showed it to her, she imitated it like that. That moment made me feel so good and happy. Before every performance, we always have a video call where she says, 'Daddy, go have fun today,' so she thinks Lola is her dad."

Kinky Boots tells the story of Charlie, who inherits a shoe factory after his father's sudden death and, with Lola's help, works to revive the factory. The sexy red boots for drag queens, proposed by Lola?namely the 'Kinky Boots'?become a major source of profit for the factory.

Kang Hong-seok [Photo by C-JeS Entertainment]

Based on a true story, Kinky Boots premiered in Chicago, Illinois, USA, in 2012. It was first performed in Korea in 2014 and has been staged four times domestically so far. Kang Hong-seok has participated in three performances, including the premiere.

"Kinky Boots was a turning point in my musical acting career. Thanks to Kinky Boots, I won an award (Best Actor at the 9th The Musical Awards in 2015) and met a great company. It also became a foundation for me to do the works I want. It is a grateful production that allowed me to experience many things."

Because of his passion, Kinky Boots became Kang Hong-seok's life work. When a senior said it was such a great piece, he searched for the American performance videos before the audition. "I couldn't take my eyes off it. I kept replaying the video for an hour. Moreover, the actor who played Lola was Billy Porter, whom I was once deeply fascinated by. He lost a lot of weight and performed in drag, but it was never off-putting. I strongly felt that I had to do it."

At that time, he weighed 100 kg at age 29. Although he had reduced his weight from as much as 134 kg during college, he lost an additional 10 kg to take on the role of Lola.

On the day of the third audition, Kang Hong-seok dressed as Lola in front of Sungkyunkwan University. After finishing his makeup, wearing a wig, skirt, black stockings, and high heels, he walked to Marronnier Park. People’s eyes were focused on him. "Until then, I had never thought about dressing in drag. I didn’t know how to express it, so I decided to feel it myself. After realizing what that feeling was like, I immediately took a taxi to the audition venue and acted with that feeling intact."

At the audition, he also memorized and sang the English lyrics of the musical numbers. "I prepared really hard for the audition. I think I put everything on the line at that time."

Kang Hong-seok [Photo by C-JeS Entertainment]

Kang Hong-seok explained that Lola is not someone who is outwardly pretty but rather a person with a healthy and beautiful attitude and mindset. That is why he, who is physically far from feminine, was able to challenge the role of Lola.

"I thought something else was more important than outward beauty. Of course, it would be great to be pretty, but even if you’re not, I was confident that you could fill that with something else. Lola has a variety of charms. She is sexy, very humorous, and sociable, able to make anyone her own person. Lola is also a great person who knows how to yield for someone else. She puts a lot of effort into looking pretty on the outside, but the hardest part is finding Lola’s inner beauty and conveying it to the audience."

Lola’s optimistic personality resembles Kang Hong-seok’s. He enjoyed music as a child and learned pansori and Bongsan mask dance during his school days, absorbing the excitement physically. The enthusiasm he learned then greatly helps him enjoy the stage.

"I have an optimistic personality and try to live happily. As I get older, I think more about the need to strive to live happily."