CRANBERRY TWP — For Josh Tolle, performing at the Benedum Center is a special homecoming.

Tolle, 25, a former township resident and a Seneca Valley High School graduate, is performing there this week as part of the national tour for the Tony Award-winning musical “Kinky Boots.”

“It’s an amazing homecoming,” said Tolle, who grew up as Josh Smith. “Most of my family hasn’t been able to see it yet. This is the chance for everyone to come out and see what I’ve been working on for the past year.”

He will play Harry, who has a featured role near the beginning of the show where he sings a duet with one of the main characters, Charlie.

Tolle also is an understudy for the role of Charlie and has played the role in some shows of the tour.

Tolle, his stage name, also is his middle name, as well as his mother’s maiden name.

He originally chose the name to avoid a duplicate name when he joined an actors union.

“I just assumed Josh Smith was already taken,” Tolle said. “But to my surprise, it wasn’t. It makes sense though and it honors my grandfather.”

Tolle’s passion for acting and singing began at Connoquenessing Elementary School in the third grade when he was encouraged by his music teacher to sing in the Children’s Festival Chorus in Pittsburgh, now named the Pittsburgh Youth Chorus.

“All I noticed was that he could carry a tune,” said Peg Smith, Tolle’s mother.

A tape was submitted to the chorus with Tolle singing “My Country ‘Tis of Thee” and “Happy Birthday.” He was one of 40 children selected for the chorus.

“Within six months, he had this voice that was unbelievable,” Smith said.

From there, Tolle sang throughout his middle and high school years.

However, he was at a crossroads during his junior year at Seneca Valley High School.

“I thought about being a doctor,” he said. “I was very invested in school and academics.”

Smith said Tolle graduated with a 4.5 grade-point-average and was sixth in his class.

Tolle however attended the Pennsylvania Governor’s School for the Arts for five weeks and immersed himself in musical theater and then received more acting lessons.

“When you have a gift, you have to pursue it,” he said. “It’s a scary dream to go for, but it’s definitely an interesting life and it’s been rewarding so far.”

After graduating in 2009, Tolle attended Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music where he received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in musical theater. From there, he began seeking opportunities in New York.

Before landing his role as Harry in “Kinky Boots” and being an ensemble member, Tolle had roles as Jack Robertson in the “Duck Dynasty” musical in Las Vegas and Gabriel “Gabe” Goodman in “Next to Normal” in Los Angeles.

He also has performed in cabarets in New York.

He said he saw “Kinky Boots” for the first time last summer. The musical is based on a true story and a 2005 movie of the same name about a nearly bankrupt shoe factory that revamps its business by making thigh-high boots popular for drag artists.

“A lot of people have heard about it, but don’t know what it is,” Tolle said. “A lot of people assume it’s a big, glittery Broadway musical, which it is, but a lot of people underestimate the kind of heart and message it has.

“I was crying at the end of the second half. I had no idea it was a show that could do that to people,” he said. “It has people laughing, but it has these huge moments of heart.”

For his role in “Kinky Boots,” Tolle had to travel to Manhattan to have custom boots made for him.

“They take like 15 measurements on your leg and then they trace your feet,” he said. “Before you know it, you have these insanely beautiful, red leather boots.”

He said while performing in them hurt at first, he has gotten used to the boots.

The tour, which has been traveling across the country since 2014, has performed in theatres such as the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. and the Fox Theatre in Atlanta.

Tolle has been performing with the tour since last December.

While in his hometown, Tolle plans on spending time with friends and family, visiting the Andy Warhol Museum and experiencing Pittsburgh night life.

“We’re very excited to have Josh in town,” Smith said. “It’s a great show.”

Soon after Pittsburgh, the tour will travel to Japan for five weeks.

The show will be at the Benedum Center through Sunday.