Getting a Kick Out of "Kinky Boots"

It may not be politically correct to say this but I’m getting tired of drag queens. Not the real people but the theatrical versions of them that keep turning up in Broadway musicals in far greater numbers than their true presence in the general population would suggest.

So although I was moved by the love story of Georges and Albin in all three Broadway productions of La Cage aux Folles and amused by the moxie of the cross-dressing trio in last year's Priscilla Queen of the Desert, I have to confess that I couldn't shake a been-there-done-that feeling when I thought abut seeing the new crew of gender benders in Kinky Boots, which opened last week at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre.  But guess what? I had a good time. 

For Kinky Boots, which has a book by Harvey Fierstein and music by the ‘80s pop star Cyndi Lauper, is an old-fashioned musical comedy that wears its heart on it sleeve while it’s kicking up its heels. It's not trying to revolutionize the musical; it's just happy to entertain you.

The story, which is based on the 2005 British movie of the same title, focuses on two guys with father issues. One is Charlie Price, whose family has run a shoe company that has been the main employer of a northern British town for several generations. Charlie has no interest in shoes but when his dad dies unexpectedly, he reluctantly steps in to rescue the business, which is losing the battle against cheaper imports.

The other guy (or gal, if you prefer) is Lola, a drag queen estranged from her disapproving father and in the market for high heels sturdy enough to support the heavier weight of a man. In the spirit of supply (Charlie can make shoes) and demand (Lola and her friends need them) these lost boys team up to design a new line that they call Kinky Boots and, in the process, each achieves a deeper acceptance of who he is.  Plus, there’s a lot of great dancing and some genial humor too.

This is the kind of feel-good show that is right up the alley of director Jerry Mitchell (who helmed Legally Blonde and choreographed the first revival of La Cage, as well as Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and Hairspray) and he pulls out all the stops. There are some terrific production numbers, including one on a conveyor belt.  
 
There’s also a terrific cast. The Broadway vet Billy Porter is drawing big kudos for his portrayal of Lola.  And he does hit just the right mix of sass and insecurity that drives the boy in Lola who disappointed his dad and has to forge his own definition of manhood (click here to read an interview with him).  

But Stark Sands, who plays Charlie, deserves praise too.  Charlie is—in every sense of the word—the show’s straight man and yet Sands manages to hold his own amidst all the razzle dazzle (click here for a piece on him).  

 

Meanwhile Annaleigh Ashford, who, in the tradition of Faith Prince and Kristin Chenoweth, combines cheerleader looks with killer comic timing, steals every scene she’s in as the employee who has a crush on the engaged Charlie.

But the true star of the show is Lauper’s score. Unlike so many rockers who come to Broadway, Lauper had the good sense to hook up with people who know how to put a musical together and she has the talent to know just how much she should follow their advice without losing her own distinctive voice.  Her songs, to paraphrase her 1979 hit, wanna have fun and they know just how to do it.

In fact, the whole show (including David Rockwell’s appealingly antiquated factory set and  Gregg Barnes’ appropriately over-the-top costumes—and shoes) hits the sweet spot in these times when most right-minded people are pulling for working class folks to get a break and same-sex couples to get their rights. As the showstopping conveyor-belt number advises, “Everybody Say Yeah.”