After the sudden death of his father, Charlie Price is forced to abandon his life in London and return to his hometown of Northampton to take care of Price & Son, his family’s failing shoe factory. Thankfully, after a chance run-in with a gaggle of drag queens, led by the glamourous Lola, Charlie is struck with the genius idea to start manufacturing ‘a range of shoes for a range of men’. But tensions rise in the lead up to a make-or-break fashion show in Milan, and Charlie finds that pulling off his plan may not be as easy as he'd hoped.
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| The cast of Kinky Boots Photo credit - Matt Crockett |
Having joined the cast at the most recent cast change, musical
theatre star Oliver Tompsett takes on the role of Charlie Price, bringing with him an interesting new interpretation of a character who has the misfortune of coming across as a bit
of a square. At least to begin with. Costumed in muted browns, navies and beiges Tompsett's Charlie is
the polar opposite to Simon-Anthony Rhoden’s outrageous and larger than life
Lola, whose wardrobe, artfully designed by Gregg Barnes, is filled with electric azures
and animal prints, and accented, of course, with pillar-box red!
Nevertheless, Thompsett embraces Charlie’s awkwardness and
uncertainty, and lends his effortless voice to some of the musical’s most show
stopping numbers. Rhoden is equally impressive as Lola, with buckets of stage
presence which keeps the audience’s eyes glued to the stage at all times.
It’s impossible not to have fun with Kinky Boots. Especially
when it features one outstanding musical number after another. Songwriter Cyndi
Lauper’s bubble gum pop music translates perfectly to the stage, and captures
the party atmosphere which Lola and the Angels leave in their wake, as well as
the more grounded numbers needed to bring light and shade to the musical’s
plot.
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| The cast of Kinky Boots Photo credit - Matt Crockett |
And because Kinky Boots is not a musical to do things by
halves, it has not one but two eleven o’clock numbers! When it looks like all
hope for Price & Son is lost, the factory may have to be shut down, and
Charlie and Lola go their separate ways, Charlie’s angry, sorrowful Soul Of A
man is followed in quick succession by Lola’s goosebump inducing Hold Me In
Your Heart.
Similarly Jerry Mitchell’s scintillating choreography is a deluxe visual treat
which complements the stage commanding presence of Lola and the Angels, giving
their every appearance a bit of extra pizazz, and contributing to what is
possibly one of the most uplifting finales in all musical theatre.
It’s no wonder that Kinky Boots continues to entertain
audiences in the West End. With plenty of heart, and
even more sequins, this stellar musical is a joyous celebration of self-love
and acceptance which inspires audiences to ‘just be who you wanna be.’
I was invited to review Kinky Boots thanks to www.londonboxoffice.co.uk.
I was invited to review Kinky Boots thanks to www.londonboxoffice.co.uk.
