The Plot: Charlie inherits his father’s shoe factory,
only to discover that things don’t look good for its future. After a chance
meeting with drag queen Lola, he decides it’s time to change the factory
product and start doing shoes for drag queens.
The Cast: What a cast! Everyone gives their best and fills
the stage with life, emotion, great voices and energy. Killian Donnelly
convinces us on his journey from a shy guy to an almost son of a bitch. Amy
Lennox is terrific as Lauren and is hilarious with “The History of Wrong Guys”.
In supporting roles, Jamie Baughan as Don and Michael Hobbs as George shine on
their own right. The guys who play the Angels are truly impressive. Finally, last
but not least, there’s Matt Henry as Lola; oh my God, he is fantastic! His Lola
is bigger than life and whenever he is on stage we forget about the others;
it’s impossible not to look at him. Dressed as a woman or as a man, he is a
force to be reckoned. Fabulously leading the cast on the big production numbers
or bringing the house down with a heartfelt rendition of “Hold Me in Your
Heart” in pure Whitney Houston’s style. It’s like Charlie says to Lola:
“Whenever you leave the room, there’s always a great big gap”.
The Score: I’m an old fashioned and narrow-minded guy when
it comes to music, so it comes as no surprise that Cyndi Lauper’s rock flavored
score isn’t my cup of tea. I don’t appreciate much this kind of music, but the
big numbers “Sex is in the Heel”, “Everybody Say Yeah” and “Raise You Up” are
really exciting and truly contagious on stage. There are also a couple of nice ballads
that I enjoyed, “Hold Me in Your Heart” and “Not My Father’s Son”, and an
entertaining kind of modern tango, “What a Woman Wants”. Of course I would
prefer that a guy like Cy Coleman had written the score, but Cindy Lauper came
up with an interesting score that musical fans with an open mind will appreciate
much more than I.
The Show: How can we resist the contagious excitement
that fills the stage of this musical? We simply can’t. Director and
choreographer Jerry Mitchell has a full day and I loved every second. He makes
things move swiftly on stage, giving the show a constant rhythm, but he never
loses the heart of the story. The big numbers are exciting and the small ones,
truly emotional. The fabulous and colorful costumes by Gregg Barnes are a show
in their own right. In the end the adrenaline is so high that I wish I could
join the cast on stage with my own pair of kinky boots. A truly great time at
the theatre! Don’t miss it!
Cast: Killian
Donnelly, Matt Henry, Amy Lennox, Jamie Baughan, Amy Ross, Michael Hobbs,
Chilie Hart, Gillian Hardie, Jeremy Batt, Arun Blair-Mangat, Marcus Collins,
Luke Jackson, Adam Lake, Javier Santos, Philip Town
Creative Team: Music by Cindy
Lauper • Lyrics by Cindy Lauper • Book by Harvey Fierstein • Choreography by Jerry
Mitchell • Directed by Jerry Mitchell
Photos: Johan Persson, Matt Crockett
My Rate: 9 (from 1 to 10)
Me enjoying a pair of kinky boots.
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