A New Wolsey Theatre and Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch production of the film ‘Kinky Boots’ which first hit our screens in 2005. Does it transition to a stage musical? Hell yes! It’s an absolutely fantastic and superbly entertaining show that will take you through a range of emotions then ends with huge feelings of joy. One of the best shows this year!
Charlie must change his London plans and start running the struggling family shoe business in Northampton when his father passes away. After no increase in sales things get dire and he needs to start thinking about how to save the company.
Walking home one night Charlie encounters Lola, a drag queen. Charlie learns there is a niche in the market for fabulous boots which can fit a range of shoe sizes and body types, i.e. drag queens. Lola and Charlie start working together and this causes a lot of friction in the factory due to judgements and misinformation, however the charismatic Lola slowly but surely changes opinions and they get to showcase the new boot range at a show in Milan.
It’s British, it’s a comedy, it’s a lot of fun yet with deep themes including prejudice, not fitting in, bullying, intolerance, discrimination and all these bad things which can happen through narrowmindedness. The production handles these issues with a level of realism which reminds you to check your own judgement levels and brings a tear to the eye as you see the characters go through their struggles.
However, it’s also funny with many moments to bring laughter to these tough subjects. Being a musical it adds a level of wonderfulness to help those emotions go to that next level as the ballads are heartfelt and passionate. Lola’s Angels, the enchanting group of drag queens are more than camp and filled with dramatic flamboyancy, dressed in incredible costumes with plenty of glitter, shimmer and utter sexy sassiness. They were magnificent.
The clever set allows for multiple scenes and the band to be on stage – some of the cast were the band members too and the swapping in/out worked so well.
The whole cast were completely marvellous. Stand out performances were the two leads: Charlie (Matt Corner) and Lola (Keanu Adolphus Johnson) – both were talented in both acting and singing managing to excel expectations of their ballads and both spellbinding.
Cast
Matt Corner – Charlie Price
Keanu Adolphus Johnson – Lola
Aruhan Corner – Lauren
Roddy Lynch – Don
Lola’s Angels
Jay Anderson
George Lynham
Cavan Malone
Hiromi Toyooka
Music and lyrics by Cyndi Lauper which means there are some great fun tracks to entertain the audience. I hardly ever say this…however I could easily watch this show again. This is very highly recommended.
Photo Credit: Mike Kwasniak
This review first appeared on GrapevineLIVE
Links
New Wolsey Theatre