The RuPaul’s Drag Race season 17 winner will play Lola in the touring production of Kinky Boots starting this fall…
Reigning Drag Race champion Onya Nurve will take centre stage as Lola in the upcoming tour of Kinky Boots. Starting this fall, the tour will visit over 35 cities across North America. It will stop in London, Ontario at Canada Life Place (former Budweiser Gardens) on June 23 and 24, 2026. Nurve will be joined by theatre star Noah Silverman who will play Charlie Price.
“Before RuPaul’s Drag Race, I wanted to be Lola, and now I get to live out both of my dreams at the same damn time. Truly a full circle moment,” the queen said in part on Instagram. “So excited to continue to learn, grow, and take in every single thing this new chapter has to offer me. EVERYBODY SAY YEEEAAAAHHHHH! 😭💃🏾”
After the casting announcement, fellow Drag Race queens like Sasha Colby, Jewels Sparkles, Shea Couleé, Suzie Toot and more congratulated Nurve on the role.
What is Kinky Boots about?
The high-energy musical, based on the 2005 film, follows Charlie Price who reluctantly inherits his father’s failing shoe factory. As he tries to save his family business, he finds inspiration in a fabulous entertainer named Lola, who is in need of some sturdy stilettos. Charlie and Lola work together to turn the factory around, while learning they have more in common than they think.
The musical adaptation comes from the mind of Harvey Fierstein with music and lyrics by Grammy winner Cyndi Lauper. The Broadway production won six Tony Awards including Best Musical, Best Original Score for Lauper and Best Actor in a Musical for Billy Porter’s portrayal of Lola. Others who have played Lola include Wayne Brady and Todrick Hall.
Nurve has her sight set on Broadway
In an interview with Ohio-based outlet Ideastream Public Media after her Drag Race win, Nurve spoke about her theatre dreams. “I would love to play Motormouth Maybelle from Hairspray,” she said. “If Shrek got back on Broadway. The way I would love to play Donkey would be amazing.”
The queen spoke about how Broadway would allow fans to get to know every part of her. “I’m also excited for the world to get to know Justin [her name out of drag],” she shared. “I feel like a lot of people think that drag artists want to only play a drag queen or a woman on Broadway, but I’m excited to… really branch out and show the world… all the facets of me.”
Nurve dominated season 17 of Drag Race
The world met Nurve earlier this year when she competed on season 17 of RuPaul’s Drag Race. The 31-year-old queen from Ohio, dominated the competition winning four maxi-challenges and two mini-challenges. She landed in the bottom once alongside runner-up Jewels Sparkles. Their performance received the only double shantay of the season. Nurve was also the first queen in recent memory to win the final lip sync for the crown without any sort of Ruveal.
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