milt thomas

review

We live in an upside down, divided, and opinionated world today, but none of those labels have anything to do with Riverside Theatre’s joyous, fun-filled production of the hit musical, Kinky Boots.

Based on a true story, Kinky Boots demonstrates how seemingly different realities can find their way toward a common, uplifting goal. This thoroughly enjoyable theater experience is not a political statement; far from it, this is a celebration of our common humanity.

The show begins at a four-generation family shoe business in Northampton, England, where the owner, Mr. Price (played by James Young) pleads with his son, Charlie (played by Josh Canfield) to stay and take over the company rather than move to London. Soon after the son leaves, Mr. Price dies suddenly and Charlie is now forced to deal with the failing company and the soon to be unemployed workforce he grew up with as friends.  Charlie seeks help in London from a fellow shoe salesman, Harry (Jack Wesley Gerhard), but upon leaving the pub where they just met, he witnesses a woman being attacked by two drunks. He tries to defend her but is knocked unconscious.

Charlie wakes up in a low class nightclub where the woman he tried to save turns out to be a man, Simon (played by Darius Harper), who happens to be the club’s drag queen star, Lola. Since Charlie is in the shoemaking business, Simon/Lola tells him she needs stylish high heel boots to complement her flashy drag costumes.

Next, Charlie must confront his depressed workforce and unhappy fiancée with the news he wants to stay in Northampton and come up with a shoe designed for a woman’s foot but comfortable for a man’s, clearly an underserved niche market and quite a stretch from the out-of-style men’s shoes they have been making. To help with this corporate metamorphosis he brings in Simon to this very conservative, blue collar town. The women love Simon’s ideas but the men can’t get past his – well – uniqueness. Regardless, they have three weeks to produce a new line of boots for an upcoming trade show in Milan, Italy.

What seems to be a contrived premise is, again, based on a true story. It started as a BBC show, then became the basis for a 2005 movie before Cindy Lauper and Harvey Fierstein turned it into a hit Broadway show.

The musical journey from a nameless back alley to the rewarding destination is a joy ride of song, dance and comic repartee with station stops dealing with identity and Daddy issues. In the end, Lola/Simon and Charlie are simply everyday people like all of us, finding their way through life.

You may learn more about making boots than you ever wanted to know, but that is the key to turn around a failing company based on Lola’s unconventional sense of style and an employee, George (played by John Anker Bow), whose years of experience designing shoes can bring Simon/Lola’s vision to reality.  (hint: it’s all in the heel).

Harper plays both his male and female personas with equal intensity (including a boxing match) along with that not so well defined in-between stage that completes him. His remarkable singing voice hints at Tina Turner, especially in those “kinky” boots. You could also picture Harper in his resonating voice doing Shakespeare, keeping in mind that The Bard of Avon had no problem with gender swaps in his plays.

The supporting cast, including the factory workers and Lola’s “Angels,” are true pros. The singers, dancers, all meld into a cohesive, entertaining production. Staging, as always, is a Riverside specialty.

It is obvious that Cindy Lauper just wanted to have fun when she wrote the score for Kinky Boots. The songs are infectious and Billboard-worthy; in fact, Lauper won a Tony for her music, the first woman to do so. The band was top-of-the-charts quality. Once again, Riverside has produced a Broadway quality production that you should not miss.

As a side note, the only thing kinky about this show is the boots, the only thing sexy, according to Lola, is the heel. Cross-dressing and female impersonators are as old as mankind itself. Anyone thinking this show is too ‘woke,’ needs to wake up and smell the greasepaint.

Kinky Boots performs through March 17, 2024 on the Stark Stage at Riverside Theatre. Tickets start at $45. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Box Office at 772-231-6990 or online at http://www.riversidetheatre.com