Kinky Boots is a true story about turning a failing family-owned shoe company into a thriving boot business. Mr. Prince and his son, Charlie, live in Northampton and work in their own shoe company that is starting to have financial struggles. Charlie gets an idea from a unique individual on how to make the business a success again. There are many bumps along the way, but they eventually make it to Milan for a very important, make-it or break-it fashion show.
Charlie Prince abandoned the family business to live in London with his girlfriend, Nicola, but returned soon after when he hears about his father’s death. It is now his responsibility to keep the company up and running.
After a night at the bar, Charlie runs into a drag queen, Lola. She gives him a brilliant idea for “kinky boots” to sell to a larger range of customers, and the two of them soon become business partners. “Kinky Boots” currently features the amazing Todrick Hall as Lola and Killian Donnelly as Charlie Prince. The music and lyrics are by Cyndi Lauper.
I would go see this show again and again. It had my stomach hurting from the laughter, eyes wet from the tears, and hands aching from the clapping and cheering.
Christopher Bonanos from New York Magazine explains, “What we have, in ‘Kinky Boots’, is a well-fitted, well-staged toe-tapper in the contemporary big-Broadway idiom. It’s never boring; it’s never shocking; you are likely to leave entirely entertained and satisfied. Can’t argue with that.”
The singing voices of the cast are absolutely incredible and the acting was spectacular. Every member, from the children playing young Charlie and Lola, to the extras, to the main characters, could belt out those sweet notes that left the audiences’ jaws dropping. They really pull the audience in, making them feel like they are actually in the performance.
I would highly recommend this show to people of all ages. The moral of this story was “accept everyone for who they are.” In today’s society, gays, lesbians, and transgender people are becoming more accepted, but the world still needs work. For example, one of the workers at Prince and Son, Don, did not like Lola at first just because she was a drag queen. By the end of the show, Don came to realize how alike him and Lola really were.
One of the most famous clichés goes as follows: “never judge a book by its cover.” The cover could be black, white, rainbow, have an unpleasant picture, or the most beautiful picture in the world, but the outside is not the thing that matters in a book. What matters is the content, what the words are saying, what the purpose of the book is. If all covers looked exactly the same and we all judged them for their looks, would anyone ever read a book?