Blake Du Bois and the Power of Authenticity
There’s something magical about stories of acceptance, authenticity, and finding your own way, which is what makes Kinky Boots so powerful. At Chicago’s Nederlander Theatre, I sat down with Blake Du Bois, who’s touring with the Tony and Grammy award‑winning musical Kinky Boots. His journey, like the show’s own arc, has been built behind the scenes, fueled by persistence, guided by a deep love for the craft, and ready to take its place in the spotlight.
Blake grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and joined his local children’s theatre at ten years old. That spark led him to pursue a BFA in Musical Theater at The Boston Conservatory at Berklee. Today he’s traveling across North America with Kinky Boots, where he plays the fun‑loving Harry and steps into the role of Charlie once a week.
He described Harry as the pub‑loving best friend who belts out “Take What You Got” and lifts Charlie’s spirits. Being both Harry and Charlie allows him to see two sides of the same story. He told me the show is about more than flashy shoes: it’s about celebrating personal identity and letting people see who you really are. The musical’s plot follows factory heir Charlie Price and drag performer Lola as they discover that “you change the world when you change your mind”. That message resonates with Blake on a deeply personal level.
Blake was diagnosed with Tourette's syndrome at eight. Tourette's syndrome is a nervous‑system condition that causes people to make sudden, repeated movements or sounds called tics. There are two types of tics, motor and vocal, and they often begin in childhood. Blake likens his tics to involuntary sneezes; they’re not something he can turn off. Growing up, he felt self-conscious because of them. When he discovered theatre, he finally felt like he could move and vocalize without judgement. In rehearsal rooms full of facial warm‑ups and silly noises, his tics blended in. On stage, he hardly notices them because he’s so immersed in his character and the world of the story.
That freedom he feels under the lights didn’t come from nowhere; it was nurtured by the people cheering him on. When asked about his biggest supporter, Blake didn’t hesitate: “My mom,” he said with a grin, “she let me dress as a Power Ranger and encouraged everything I loved.” As a child with Tourette’s syndrome, having someone celebrate his individuality instead of urging him to conceal it made all the difference.
Full interview coming soon to The Whitney Reynolds Show.
