David Cook Reveals He Would Return to Broadway ‘in a Heartbeat’ Following ‘Kinky Boots’ Run (Exclusive)

It might be a little more than two years ago that singer-songwriter David Cook made his Broadway debut with a limited-run playing Charlie Price in the Tony-award winning musical, Kinky Boots, but the former American Idol winner admits to PopCulture.com exclusively he would return to the stage “in a heartbeat” if given the opportunity. During an episode for our series PopCulture @ Home, Cook revealed most humbly how he was just blown away by the esteemed theatrical process and would love to return if Broadway ever comes knocking again.

“I cannot say enough good things about that process and about that show, Kinky Boots, and the people associated with that show,” Cook said about the musical based off the 2005 movie of the same name, featuring music and lyrics by Cyndi Lauper. “It was such a breath of fresh air to share a stage and tell the story, and be a cog in the wheel, really. To not feel like, that was my burden alone, I guess — to tell a story and especially in this climate, to be able to tell a story of inclusion and acceptance and love, that was huge. I would welcome that opportunity again. Absolutely.”

While it was a short stint for Cook — who completed two runs in 2018 from April 3 to May 5, and returned for another July 17 to Sept. 9 — he admits Broadway is a whole “different beast” to tackle when it comes to the comparison of his usual gig of singing and performing with a band. “I think the biggest challenge for me was getting over the mental hurdle of, ‘I’ve got to do eight shows a week.’ Because, for me on the road, playing my own stuff? Three, maybe four shows, max and I’m kind of burnt, and I need a day off.”

Cook goes on to share how he could remember saying to himself, “If I can just get to another Monday,” which he admits was their “dark” day. “‘Maybe I can make it through another week,’ and it’s just such a grueling schedule. But fun at the same time. Which is, again, without fun, I don’t want to do this. [But] yeah, man — in a heartbeat, I would do that.”

The 37-year-old who has been at the forefront of mainstream music since winning American Idol in 2008, reveals how Kinky Boots played a big role with a pivotal moment in his life where he began to acknowledge a different rhythm to his personal drive. “I just had a different definition of success,” he said when asked if his motivations altered over the years. “I think now, for me — I’ve been asked quite a bit, recently actually, what else do I want to do? And really, it just comes down to the creative process. Anything that I can do that will pay the bills, and allow me to live in a creative space, I’ll consider.”

Adding how Kinky Boots was “completely different,” he discloses it was a creative opportunity that spoke to him on a greater purposeful level. “I think at that point I absolutely needed [it] because the music was burning me out, a little bit. I think that’s the goal for me, now is to just double down on the creative process, do whatever you got to do to, to make it work and let everything fall, where it’s going to fall.”

With Cook currently quarantining in Nashville with his wife of five years, he has been keeping busy creatively through songwriting, returning to his roots with the track “Reds Turn Blue” that he told PopCulture is an intimate letter from his anxiety. “It’s just a therapeutic exercise,” he said of the song written last fall. “I had been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder about a decade ago, and I guess back in October, I just felt like — as another step in the process of figuring all this out — I would love to just write a song that probably nobody else will hear. So, I just attacked it.”

Cook’s single, “Reds Turn Blue” is now available at all digital retailers, including iTunes and Amazon, and is available to stream via Spotify. For more information on Cook and the latest on his upcoming tour dates, check out his official website. Keep it locked to PopCulture.com for more with David Cook and all your favorite musicians!