You all are well aware I'm a Broadway nerd, right? (It helps that I now live in the City That Never Sleeps, doesn't it -- but my obsession began as a kid in Upstate New York, long before I ever moved to the Big City.) Last Thursday, I went and saw 'Kinky Boots', a new musical based on the 2005 British comedy film of the same name (which was in fact inspired by a true story). I was so over the moon happy with this musical, I had to give it some props here.
The plot follows a young shoemaker in England who is facing financial ruin. After a chance run-in with a drag queen named Lola, he gets the idea to begin manufacturing new styles of boots that are sexy but built to hold the weight of men for drag queen performers. The music is written by Cyndi Lauper, and the book/story was developed by Broadway veteran Harvey Fierstein. The show itself stars Stark Sands and the phenomenal Billy Porter (as Lola), and has officially become the most Tony-nominated show of this Broadway season.
The songs are catchy and flashy, the jokes are constant, the sets are functional and snappy and the queens -- oh my, the queens -- were working that stage like you wouldn't believe. The crowd reaction was strong and intense and Billy Porter is a Broadway star in the making (he's already won a Drama Desk Award and is poised to win a Tony).
Basically, if you love bold, loud, sassy musicals like Hairspray, you will love this. The take-away was so positive and strong with such fantastic anti-bullying, anti-hate messages. As the show itself says, "You can change the world when you change your mind." My suggestion is go now while Billy is there. You will not be disappointed. Take a look at the sneak peek video below featuring my fave song from the production, "Everybody Say Yeah".
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