Lena Hall on Kinky Boots, Hedwig & Winning a Tony Award

2026-02-23

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What’s a childhood moment that quietly shaped who you became?For this week’s guest, Lena Hall, it was sending out invitations to her eighth birthday party and no one showed up.In this episode of Love, Take Two, Lena reflects on how her early experiences with performance, rejection, and identity influenced the trajectory of her career — both the drive that fueled her and the pressure that followed. That once self-described theater kid went on to become a Broadway powerhouse, appearing in major productions including 42nd Street, Tarzan, Dracula, and Kinky Boots...

What’s a childhood moment that quietly shaped who you became?

For this week’s guest, Lena Hall, it was sending out invitations to her eighth birthday party and no one showed up.

In this episode of Love, Take Two, Lena reflects on how her early experiences with performance, rejection, and identity influenced the trajectory of her career — both the drive that fueled her and the pressure that followed. That once self-described theater kid went on to become a Broadway powerhouse, appearing in major productions including 42nd Street, Tarzan, Dracula, and Kinky Boots, and later taking home a Tony Award. She’s also appeared in television series like Snowpiercer and Your Friends & Neighbors.

But success didn’t come without cost.

Lena opens up about the unexpected unhappiness she felt at the height of her Broadway career, her pivot into rock music, and how she has processed grief and personal loss through her work.

Key Takeaways