Video by Ang Li and Kyra Gurney
At seven years old, Bronx native Devin Trey Campbell is juggling a schedule that would overwhelm most adults. Devin goes to school, takes jazz and ballet classes, and plays the role of “Young Lola” in the Broadway musical “Kinky Boots.” To make sure he stays on track, Devin often has to do homework in his dressing room during breaks from the show. But for Devin performing on Broadway is a dream come true.
“We took him to see his first Broadway show [at age three], which was “The Lion King,” and he was just captivated,” said Alvin Campbell, Devin’s dad. “At the theater, he’s like ‘I want to be on Broadway.’”
Devin’s parents thought his dreams of performing were a passing phase and tried to get him interested in sports, which is what they like to do. But Devin wouldn’t stop watching a DVD about the Broadway production of “The Lion King,” so his parents signed him up for dance classes and community theater. His fledgling career took off after his parents helped him find a manager, who got Devin an audition for “Kinky Boots.”
“I like when everyone cheers for me,” Devin said in an interview at his home. “It’s just weird because it’s like ‘Am I really doing this? Is it a dream? Someone pinch me.’” Devin does not have any concrete plans for the future, but he hopes to continue on Broadway. “I’d just like to keep on doing my career and hopefully, hopefully, I stay in the business.”
Devin usually performs six days a week, so on the rare day he has off of both school and Broadway, he says he likes to “relax, eat some pancakes, just lay back and watch some T.V.”
