The 'Kinky Boots' cast is pictured in this submitted photo.

Image Credit: SUBMITTED/Matthew Murphy

KELOWNA - Ashley North is getting used to falling asleep seeing bare fields and waking up surrounded by snow. It's a weather yo-yo, one she's had to adapt to as a performer on the road.

"There's a lot of adjusting," she said.

North is a cast member in Kinky Boots, the hit Broadway musical that is touring across North America over the next few months. It's set to land in Kelowna on March 21 at Prospera Place.

She's been preparing for the show since January 2018. Their version of the award-winning musical went on tour last December and is expected to run until June with the possibility of extensions.

North, who's been performing professionally since age nine, said Kinky Boots is one of the highest profile shows she's ever been a part of. She plays Nicola, fiancee to main character Charlie Price, a man who starts selling high-heeled boots at his father's shoe factory.

The cast, crew and musicians travel in two tour buses. North said the cast piles into their bus early in the morning and tries to fall back asleep as they travel to a new town. When they arrive, they have a bit of time to explore the city and stretch their legs before they have to head into the theatre for a sound check. Once the curtain falls, they file back to a hotel for a few winks before the process starts all over again the next day.

"It's not for the faint of heart," North said. "The crew is really busting their butts."

While the entire team is run through the wringer hopping from town to town, North thinks the tour provides invaluable experience.

"It's making me a better performer because I have to adjust," she said.

The play has plenty of highlights, but North's favourite moment is when the cast sings Everybody Say Yeah. She's not in that scene, but she usually stands offstage and sings along with the performers.

"It's really high energy," she said.

North said she's heard of people being put off by the title of the musical, but she points out the play is set in England and the word 'kinky' has a different connotation across the pond.

"It's definitely a family show," she said.

Tickets for Kinky Boots are still available here.

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