Sands played one of the lead characters, Charlie Price, in the musical "Kinky Boots" which opened at the Bank of America Theatre in Chicago, Illinois, for a four-week run in October 2012. He reprised his role when the show premiered on Broadway at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre on April 4, 2013, with previews beginning on March 3, 2013. For his role as Charlie, Sands was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical, but lost to his co-star Billy Porter. He played his final performance on January 26, 2014.