Review - Kinky Boots (UK and Ireland Tour)

Kinky Boots, Cyndi Lauper and Harvey Fierstein's bubbly, big-hearted musical hit, has been entertaining audiences in London since 2015, and after a massively successful West End run, it’s now heading out on tour to bring its timeless story of love and acceptance to the masses.

 

The cast of Kinky Boots
Photo credit - Helen Maybanks

Inspired by a true story, Kinky Boots follows the exploits of Charlie Price who, after a chance encounter with a vivacious drag queen named Lola, sets out to save his family’s shoemaking factory from ruin.

From start to finish, Kinky Boots is a complete delight. Led by the remarkably talented Joel Harper Jackson and Kayi Ushe as Charlie and Lola, the entire cast brim with effervescence. Jackson brings boyish charm to the musical’s everyman role, and Ushe is a pillar of magnetism as Lola, the metaphorical sun around which the rest of the characters orbit.

 

The cast of Kinky Boots
Photo credit - Helen Maybanks

Radiating an infectiously joyful energy, Kinky Boots is both a tantalising musical hit and a glitzy catwalk, which parades Gregg Barnes' bedazzled costumes remarkably. Lola is constantly kitted out in eyepoppingly vibrant designs, as are the Angels, Lola’s troupe of bubbly drag queens.

The touring production more than stands up to its recently departed West End counterpart, filling every inch of the stage with life. Sure, the plot is pure cotton candy fluff, but combined with Cyndi Lauper’s sparkling tunes, the resulting cocktail is simply irresistible.

If there’s one musical which is guaranteed to bring a smile to anyone’s face, it’s Kinky Boots.

Review - Kinky Boots (Adelphi Theatre)

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.

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.

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.

Review - Kinky Boots (Adelphi Theatre, London)

Having taken Broadway by storm and transferring to the West End to rapturous praise, Kinky Boots was very much on my radar, but until this weekend I just hadn't found the time to see it. I finally decided to queue for dayseats (£25 for front row tickets) to see what all of the praise was about, but sadly, I'm afraid that Kinky Boots just didn't quite do it for me. 

When Charlie Price's father, the owner of Price and Son's shoe factory, dies suddenly, young Charlie Price must step up and save the factory from bankruptcy. When a chance meeting with drag performer Lola inspires Charlie to create a line of specially designed boots, it looks like his father's factory might be saved, but only if Lola, Charlie and the factory workers can put aside their differences and work towards a common goal. 

Now, I must start by saying that there is a lot to love about Kinky Boots' glossy West End transfer. Gregg Barnes' costume design is striking (there is certainly no scrimping on sequins), some of Cyndi Lauper's songs are quite fun if a little bit too pop-y and American for a show set in the midlands, and the actors and musicians are top class. I was also quite fond of some of the choreography, and at the end of act 2 a feel good finale was certainly delivered. 

Despite not loving Matt Henry's acting performance as Lola, there is no denying that his voice is marvelous. Amy Lennox is also brilliant as Lauren, a brassy but lovable factory worker with a thing for the new Mr Price, whose solo History of Wrong Guys was funny and relatable. Other reviews have praised West End performer Killian Donnelly (last seen leading the cast of my favourite show in recent history, Memphis) for his performance as Charlie Price, but at the performance I saw the role was played by understudy Paul Ayres, who gave the most notable performance without a doubt. A charismatic performer with impeccable comic timing, who sung the score effortlessly, and shone in standout numbers such as Step One and Soul of a Man, I was shocked that I'd never seen Paul Ayres in anything before, despite his impressive list of credits. Needless to say I'll be looking out for whatever he does next. 

However, despite all of this, for me Kinky Boots lacked a compelling storyline and felt a bit too predictable and fluffy.There were a couple of punchy moments, but they just missed the mark and failed to make me truly care about much of the conflict. It's hard for me to put my finger on exactly what is was that I didn't connect with, but for some reason, Kinky Boots left me feeling a bit flat. 

I'm glad I saw it, and I'm almost certain it'll bag countless more awards in the future, but for me Kinky Boots just didn't quite hit the spot.