By:
Sherri Tilley
| Photo from Dallas Summer Musicals“Ladies and gentlemen (and those who’ve yet to make up their minds),” the nationally-touring production of Kinky Boots has now placed its uniquely stiletto-ed footprint on the 75th anniversary season of Dallas Summer Musicals. Based on the 2005 British film which was inspired by a true story, this smash-hit musical about rejection, redemption, and the power of acceptance has earned a season-high 13 nominations and 6 Tonywins (including Best Musical, Best Score, and Best Choreography). Still playing nightly to standing-room-only crowds on Broadway, Kinky Boots is definitely worth seeing for (at the very least) the following five reasons:
1) Steven Booth is a star.
After performing on Broadway as Will in Glory Days and Princeton in Avenue Q, Booth now captures and firmly sustains audience interest in the role of Charlie Price, a straitlaced young British man who inherits his father’s struggling shoe factory and takes “Step One” to save it from closure by finding an “under-served [fetish] niche market” and creating a “range of shoes for a range of men.” Despite his spectacular performance there’s apparently no reason to worry about Steven Booth getting his head caught up too far in the clouds ... lest he be reminded to vacuum his little “Corner of the Sky”.
2) J. Harrison Ghee takes a temporary spin in the spotlight.
Briefly stepping into the bright-red high-heeled boots of Kyle Taylor Parker (who’s taking a turn on Broadway), understudy J. Harrison Ghee sparkles like a crimson-colored disco ball as the sassy yet sophisticated drag queen Lola who forms an unlikely business partnership with Charlie after a twist-of-fate chance encounter. Creating a series of sketched ‘drawrings‘ for sexy thigh-high footwear designed for men, the flamboyant Lola (with the assistance of an entourage of six cross-dressing Angels) proves without a doubt that the “Sex is in the Heel.” Currently, Ghee is scheduled to perform the role through April 26, 2015.
3) Lindsay Nicole Chambers is an absolute hoot.
Broadway actress Lindsay Nicole Chambers is very humorously entertaining as the love struck Lauren, a sweetly-smitten factory worker who develops a puppy-dog crush on her boss Charlie. Despite her character’s “History of Wrong Guys," Chambers delivers skilled dramatic savvy as well as very amusing comic relief in this supporting love-interest role. And to boot, (buh dum chh), who doesn’t love a finely-crafted synthetic British accent?
4) The musical is as colorful as Cyndi Lauper herself.
With music and lyrics by the Tony- and Grammy-winning Cyndi Lauper (widely known for hits "Girls Just Want to Have Fun," "Time After Time," and more), Kinky Boots marks the renowned singer-songwriter's Broadway debut as a musical theater composer thereby introducing us to a deeply rich set of warm melodies that range in sound from Rachmaninoff-inspired to Latin-flared to folk-ish to distinctly 80’s. Utilizing a touring orchestra consisting of keyboards, guitars, bass, and drums, Lauper’s lyrical “True Colors” shine through as vibrantly as the backlit multihued stained-glass-like windows of the Northampton shoe warehouse where the story primarily takes place. And while it’s emphatically stated that the “The Most Beautiful Thing in the World” is a shoe, the show’s synchronized dance number on 4-piece revolving conveyor belts (a la an OK, Go video) is pretty impressive as well.
5) You just might be surprised by the touching storyline.
While Kinky Boots is wonderfully exciting, theatrically engaging, and packed with thrilling choreography, it is at the same time a heartwarming tale of acceptance, loyalty, and the basic kind act of bailing out a friend in need. A surprisingly poignant scene in which Charlie and Lola discuss the heavy weight of parental expectations caused more than a few watery eyes and stifled sniffles throughout the crowd before the mood was lifted with a multilateral examination of “What a Woman Wants.” The musical, based on the book by four-time Tonyaward-winner Harvey Fierstein, not only stresses tolerance, but also explores friendship, self-acceptance, and heartfelt love in a way that is richly personal, deeply moving, and all the while highly entertaining.
Kinky Boots runs at Dallas Summer Musicals through Sunday, March 8, 2015 with a length of approximately 2 hours and 25 minutes including one 20-minute intermission. Tickets range from $25.00 - $113.00, general parking is complimentary, and valet service is provided for $15.00. Performing Arts Fort Worth will also present the show at Bass Performance Hall from Tuesday, October 27-Sunday, November 1, 2015. This event is recommended for ages 12 and up.
For more information, see performance details below.
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