Freddie with chemistry fans after a performance of Kinky Boots at the ADC Theatre in Cambridge.
Stage debut
Frederico Chefel, who is a Receptionist and Secretary in the department, made an unforgettable stage debut in Kinky Boots at the ADC Theatre in June.
For Frederico, who goes by the name of Freddie, it was the dream of a lifetime to appear in the musical, which is inspired by the tale of a real Northamptonshire shoemaker who turned around his failing family shoe business by making stilettos and thigh-high boots for male cross dressers.
Freddie, whose personal pronouns are they/them, grew up in Brazil and has lived in the UK for ten years. Freddie always aspired to be an actor and dancer, and their dreams were realised when they were cast as one of the Angels who dance with lead singer Lola. But being in Kinky Boots means much more to Freddie than simply being the first step in a stage career. “I wanted to be in this musical because it is all about accepting who others are, and accepting yourself,” Freddie says.
On the surface, Kinky Boots features flamboyant drag queens with glitter, wigs, make-up and amazing shoes, but as Freddie point out, the underlying message about diversity, acceptance and discovering your passion is serious.
Serious message
The story follows Lola, who grew up as “Simon from Clacton” and has been rejected by her family for following her passion to become a drag queen. Meanwhile, co-lead Charlie turns away from his family’s failing shoe factory in favour of a more exciting life in London, but gradually understands and embraces his passion for shoe-making. As Charlie and his factory hands learn to accept Lola and the Angels for who they are, they develop a successful partnership designing outlandish and desirable footwear.
As the character “Nicky With-a-Y”, Freddie and their fellow Angels perform in a number of dazzling dance routines wearing stunning costumes accessorized by gorgeous make-up, wigs (Freddie was a red head) and, of course, stunning shoes. Freddie had all the right dance moves, at one point even executing a perfect cartwheel on centre stage.
Amazingly, when Freddie auditioned in February, they were sure they didn’t get the part. “At the end of my audition they said ‘don’t call us, we’ll call you’,” Freddie recalls. “The next day they called me and told me I got the part – I was so emotional, tears were streaming down my face.”
Unmissable
The show, which was put on by the Cambridge Festival Players, ran for a total of ten performances over the first two weeks of June. This required an immense amount of stamina, but Freddie seemed to take it all in their stride. Freddie was certainly running high on adrenaline when, having changed into a slinky, silver mini dress, they greeted several department members after the show in the convivial atmosphere of the ADC bar one Tuesday night.
“We all thought he was fabulous,” says Jo Lockhart, the Research Administrator for Shankar Balasubramanian’s group. “He was by far the best Angel,” agrees Steven Ley’s PA Jacqui Worster. “We couldn’t take our eyes off him – we especially loved the Beefeater costume he wore in the final number, which was priceless.” Other department members who came to support Freddie included Alex Forse, Rachael Jefferies, Lisa Masters, Cristina Misuraca and this writer: We all thought that Freddie had a certain star quality that made him unmissable.
Future plans
As for the future, Freddie is thinking about improving their skills by taking a foundation course in singing and acting. Freddie says: "Now that I've been bitten by the acting bug, I'm planning to do other auditions. I wouldn't mind doing plays as well -- but musical theatre is my passion."
The Angels