Theatre
Kinky Boots
Adelphi Theatre, London
William Russell
**** (Four stars)
There is no getting away from it - these boots are made for running. Based on the 2005 British film, this musical, book by Harvey Fierstein, music and lyrics by Cyndi Lauper, is great fun. Lauper's brassy, bouncy score may not be that memorable, and Fierstein's book may lose its way a bit in Act Two, but Jerry Mitchell's direction is totally assured and the two leading players are terrific.
It is about a Northampton shoe factory on its uppers which Charlie Price (Killian Donnelly in fine voice and oozing just the right amount of gormless innocence) has inherited from his father. His fiancé wants to turn it into flats and Charlie to shut it down. One night he saves a girl from being mugged, except she is no lady but drag queen Lola (Matt Henry delivering the goods in a scintillating star-making performance). What Charlie needs to save the family firm is a niche market and making boots for men who wear dresses is that market: Lola turns out to be an inspired shoe designer.
The show does not quite face up to the frisson between Lola and Charlie, which is in the film, so the "will they end up together?" question is sadly hardly posed. Instead he gets paired off with one of his girl employees. Lola is accompanied wherever she goes by her "Angels", six dancing drag queens of spectacular beauty - shades of Cage Aux Folles which Fierstein also wrote - who are a joy to behold. With a Jerry Herman score this might have been a great musical. It is, however, still a marvellous night out.
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