Charlie Price, the son of a shoemaker, is put in a tough spot when his father passes and he has no intention of taking over the family business. One night in London, Charlie finds himself at a drag show, where he meets drag queen Lola. Inspired by true events, “Kinky Boots” tells the story of Charlie and Lola’s expedition to make a line of high-heeled boots strong enough to hold a man’s weight for drag shows. Throughout the musical, the unlikely pair find out that their not much different from each other. “Kinky Boots” was created as a British film in 2005 by Geoff Deane and Tim Firth, it has been turned into an amazing musical with music and lyrics by the one and only Cyndi Lauper, with a book by Harvey Fierstein. The musical made its Broadway debut on April 4, 2013 at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre, and has since earned six Tony awards, including Best Musical and Best Score.
The music in “Kinky Boots” was by far the best and my favorite aspect of the show. Every song makes you either want to get up and dance on stage (which I totally almost did), or quite the opposite, cry and hold the audience member sitting next to you (which I definitely did). Lauper has truly outdone herself, with outstanding songs such as “Not My Father’s Son,” “Sex Is in the Heel,” and the final number, “Raise You Up/Just Be.” The cast album is something you can listen to for hours, which I have been doing since seeing the show.
The current cast of Kinky Boots has made a huge impact on the show, with Brendon Urie, front man of American rock band Panic! At the Disco, as Charlie Price, J. Harrison Ghee as Lola, and Taylor Louderman as Lauren, Charlie’s love interest at the end of the story. These three actors specifically put on a phenomenal show, especially, Mr. Urie.
I had been wanting to see this show for a couple years, but once I got word of Urie playing the lead role, I begged my mom to buy tickets. Surprisingly, she was more than willing and excited to see the show herself. Urie’s voice sounded exactly the same on the Broadway stage as it usually does on the Warped Tour stage. Although Broadway tunes are a little different than his usual genre, Urie put on an impeccable performance as the shoemaker’s son. I had such a big smile across my face throughout the entire show that my face actually hurt by the time I ran outside to the side of the stage door to snag a selfie with the star. Meeting him at the end of the show was clearly the icing on the cake, even though I look like a thumb in the picture I took.
Kinky Boots has become one of the best musicals on Broadway to date. If you’re into shoes, drag, and amazing music, go see it now at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre on 45th St, especially before Urie’s last show on Aug. 6.
Photo courtesy of Broadway.com
