Billy Porter says goodbye to role that 'taught me to dream'

There comes a time in every man's life when he must hang up his flaming red, knee-high stiletto boots. That time is fast approaching for Billy Porter. The Tony Award-winning actor will leave Broadway's "Kinky Boots" in November, but saying goodbye has left him "anxiety-ridden." It's been no ordinary job. "This show and this character has represented something that's so far beyond anything that I could have ever imagined," he said. Porter has seen the world change while playing the cross-dressing Lola — he calls her Miss Lola — in the Tony Award-winning musical about a British shoe factory that retrofits itself into a maker of drag queen footwear. The show recently reached its 1,000th performance, and Porter estimates he's played Miss Lola 900 times. Wayne Brady will take over the role. Jerry Mitchell, who directed and choreographed "Kinky Boots," has been a friend of Porter's for years and invited him to audition for Miss Lola.