The thigh’s the limit for the high-heeled hit musical Kinky Boots
July 1, 2023
The award-winning show about love, acceptance and community finally struts onto the stage after its pandemic-era delay.
Jos N. Banks and The Company of Kinky Boots, Drayton Entertainment 2023 Season. Directed & Choreographed by David Connolly; Music Direction by Darryn de Souza; Set Design by Brian Dudkiewicz; Costume Design by Ivan Brozic; Lighting Design by Kaileigh Krysztofiak; Stage Manager Dustyn Wales; Assistant Stage Managers Frances Bundy and Tali Anzel-Sivkin; Assistant Director Troy Defour; Photography by Darlene O’Rourke.
Expect glitter and glam and a whole lot of sole when award-winning Drayton Entertainment’s highly anticipated production of Kinky Boots kicks off at Huron Country Playhouse from July 12 to July 29, followed by a run – in heels, no less – at Hamilton Family Theatre Cambridge from August 3 to August 20.
Based on the British movie of the same name, the fabulous, feel-good show sparkles like a well-polished pair of stilettos, in the joyous spirit of musicals like Mamma Mia! and Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.
“Kinky Boots is undoubtedly a worldwide phenomenon,” says Alex Mustakas, Artistic Director of Drayton Entertainment, which operates the Huron Country Playhouse. “It’s energetic, fun, and packed with great music that will appeal to all types of theatregoers. Originally scheduled for the 2020 season, but delayed due to the pandemic, we’re excited to finally bring this show to enthusiastic audiences.”
The comedy-drama movie that inspired the stage musical is based on a true story. A 1999 episode of the BBC’s Trouble at the Top documentary series featured a struggling family-owned shoe factory in Northamptonshire that was revitalized after it reimagined some of its women’s footwear designs for men.
In 2005, British screenwriters Geoff Deane and Tim Firth fictionalized the story for the big screen. Directed by Julian Jarrold, Kinky Boots starred Joel Edgerton as goody-two-shoes factory owner Charlie Price, with Chiwetel Ejiofor as dazzling drag queen Lola. The mismatched pair saved Charlie’s business by creating “women’s boots for women who are men.”
Tony Award-winning producer Daryl Roth fell in love with the movie and saw the potential for a musical adaptation. Actor and writer Harvey Fierstein authored the book on which the show was based, and pop icon Cyndi Lauper took her first steps writing for the stage when she created the toe-tapping songs.
The musical premiered on Broadway in April 2013 and became a huge international hit that was lavishly honoured with six Tony® Awards, three Olivier Awards, and a Grammy® Award.
Sayer Roberts and Jos N. Banks finally get to step into their roles of Charlie and Lola, which they’re returning to after a three-year wait. The Drayton Entertainment production originally opened at Hamilton Family Theatre Cambridge on March 12, 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic forced it to abruptly close – along with the rest of the world – after just two performances.
Three years later, Banks feels that the musical extravaganza is more relevant than ever.
“Kinky Boots is a show all about love and acceptance, and I feel like it’s very vital for our world right now,” he says. “Globally, I think we just need to get back to humanity, and really focus on kindness and openness. We all need to be reminded that everyone is fighting a battle that we don't see. I feel like if we all walk about the world with that at the forefront of our minds, we will have a much kinder atmosphere for us all.”
Roberts says that Kinky Boots’ director and choreographer David Connolly walks the walk when it comes to embodying the values that are intrinsic to the show.
“He is love and joy personified. That is such a gift. Everybody in the cast is then infused with that feeling, and they bring their own love and joy.”
Those emotions flow from the stage to the audience, says AJ Bridel, who returns as Lauren, a factory worker who is secretly infatuated with Charlie.
“It’s so much fun. It’s a beautiful escape. You’ll love, you’ll sing, you’ll be dancing in your seat, and then you may cry just a little bit,” she says.
Bridel expands on Banks’s appraisal of the show’s significance, saying, “Kinky Boots, to me, is about the celebration of community, of family, and of changing your mind about the world that is around you.”
Roberts hopes that the audience will appreciate the show’s key message.
“I think a lot of people need to see support, to see love onstage, to know that it’s okay for them to have thought one thing and now to change their mind about something. People need to have permission to go through that journey.”
Banks is grateful for the opportunity to strut in Lola’s footwear once again, having zipped up her boots several times before.
“I get very excited every time I’m able to revisit any role, but this in particular means a lot to me,” he says. “When I first got this role, I performed it on the national tour, which then became an international tour in 2017 and 2018. I was 27 at the time. Now I am 32, so I have a lot of life experience and heart that comes with that as I've grown and matured. I feel that it would be a disservice if I didn’t bring that part of me to this role. It literally changes everything about the show for me.”
Time – in this case, a long, unplanned break in production – has also compelled Roberts to develop a new approach to his role.
“My understanding of who I am as an artist is different. My understanding of how I take up space in the world is different. I think the pandemic also, in a weird way, taught me some similar lessons that Charlie learns. We’re all just much more grateful for being here doing what we’re doing, because we know it can be taken away at any moment. We have to just find joy and purpose in what we’re doing right now.”
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