On Sunday, May 28, 2017, I saw Brendon Urie play Charlie Price in Kinky Boots on Broadway in New York City (aka my second home away from home). That day was easily one of the best days of my life, because not only did I see a spectacular Broadway show that took my breath away, but I was also able to see the lead singer of my favorite band (Panic! At The Disco) perform live. As a huge fan of Panic! At The Disco, seeing Brendon Urie live made all of my fangirl dreams finally come true. I literally can't even form English words to describe how incredible Brendon Urie's performance was.
Even though there were multiple fangirls in the audience who would cheer every time Brendon said or sang one word or lyric onstage, Brendon Urie is the type of celebrity whose charismatic personality can really resonate with everyone. His music can easily cheer me up on any crappy day (Panic! At The Disco literally got me through my first year of college). So despite how talented Brendon is (he sings and he also plays multiple instruments including the accordion, bass, cello, drums, guitar, keyboard, organ, piano, and trumpet), he is not the type of celebrity who brags about how talented he is. Brendon Urie reaches out to all of his fans (and even to all of his non-fans) to let them know that he invites them with an open heart to listen to his music. I did not think that Brendon Urie would stagedoor at the end of the performance, but he did. Even though I did not get the chance to meet him in person, I am beyond thankful that I got to see him live as his godly and unique voice moved me to tears. I am beyond thankful to know that the crazy fangirls who did get the chance to meet him know how genuine and sweet he is for dealing with a bunch of hormonal teenage girls. He was not only interacting with these hormonal teenage girls, but he was also signing Playbills and taking pictures with them.
That being said, Brendon Urie's performance as Charlie Price was an overall eleven out of ten. No, I am not being biased or anything. I am honestly speaking from the perspectives of crazy fangirls, non-fans, and even the people who have never heard of Brendon Urie or Panic! At The Disco. Brendon Urie's outstanding character development from a confused and lost shoe salesman to a successful business man, his bone-chilling voice that probably no other man on this Earth has, and his socially awkward dancing as a shoe salesman and a drag queen makes the entire show. Brendon's ability to pull off both an innocent little boy who just lost his father and a bad boy who has taken over the entire shoe operation of his store "Price and Son" is absolutely remarkable. What he was able to pull off onstage in two hours and twenty minutes was not easy. The multitasking of saving his energy for the incredibly high notes that he hits, moving around the set after each and every scene and song, and maintaining his focus no matter how many crazy fangirls were screaming and crying (including myself) was not easy.
Brendon Urie has stayed true to himself while embracing the personalities of Charlie Price as an actor. Charlie Price is an overall socially awkward man (in a cut way) who is now the boss of a company that his father used to run. He knows that he cannot let his fellow employees down by not following his father's legacy, so he gets really tense and nervous because of that constant thought being at the back of his head. Brendon Urie's personality in real life is the complete opposite of that. He is very confident, outgoing, determined, yet kind-hearted in real life. So his transition of going from confident to insecure (personality wise) was absolutely brilliant. Even though Brendon Urie's dancing was not as good as any other lead actor on Broadway, his cute and socially awkward ways of attempting to dance as well as walk down the runway (he purposely fell on his face when he first wore the really long red high-heeled boots) like a drag queen made up for it, as well as his top-notch acting and singing.
Whether you are a fan of Brendon Urie and his work or not, GO SEE HIM IN KINKY BOOTS! Brendon will only be Charlie Price in this unforgettable experience until August 16th, so buy your tickets now! This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and it will make you cry at least three times (because that's what I did). Especially when Brendon Urie sings his solo called, "Soul of A Man." This is in the second act when Charlie has become too demanding over his employees ever since Lola (the drag queen who he met) took over as Charlie's designer. Charlie is at his lowest point because he has lost faith in his workers and he does not know where to go from there. Charlie had no intention of taking over his father's shoe business since this is not what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. Charlie is still trying to figure out who he is, so this song is like his climax where he ultimately figures out what to do next as his business is in jeopardy (no, not like the gameshow).
Here is a clip of Brendon Urie singing "Soul Of A Man" below, so hopefully this will inspire you to go see him! This is a show that you will not regret seeing because it's "the most beautiful thing in the world" (also a title of a song in the show):
