Let me start by saying, I am not a professional critic (except inside my head). However, when I posted on Facebook that I was going to see the Broadway musical “Kinky Boots” I got several requests for reviews, and since I have a lot more space on my blog than Facebook gives me, here goes.
Note that this topic has nothing to do with what I normally write about…unless you take it from the perspective that Cyndi Lauper composed all the songs for this show and she’s a living example of a poster child for IT PAYS TO BE YOURSELF (she even named her album “She’s So Unusual.” How many times do ya think she heard that particular phrase muttered about her?). Therefore I’ve categorized this post as “Success Stories.” I realize that may seem silly to you, but it’s my blog so really, it only has to make sense to me 😉
Kinky Boots is a story about a young man who inherits the family shoemaking factory, but only to find out that the market is changing and the factory’s in financial trouble and besides which, he’s not so sure he even wants to make shoes. Enter Lola a.k.a. Simon the cross-dresser whose big dilemma is finding sexy platform heels to support his muscular male stature. The two become fast friends and hence the birth of their new shoe line: kinky boots. But will they get everything finished in time for the huge shoe show in Milan?
The story’s not new, and if you live in the UK and it sounds all too familiar, you probably recall a 2005 British movie by the same name. Harvey Fierstein and Cyndi Lauper teamed up to create Kinky Boots the Musical, now appearing on Broadway. The film and the play are both based on (inspired by?) a true story.
After seeing the number the cast performed during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade, I knew I wanted to see this musical and just my luck to find I’d be in NYC in January, just a few weeks later. I was extremely pumped (haha, no pun intended) to catch this on Broadway on January 17th (last month) with 2nd row seats.
Despite a few plot holes in this writer’s humble opinion, the play is stellar. (Plot holes, you say? Yes. Spoiler alert: When did Charlie suddenly fall for Lauren? Because we didn’t notice when it happened, or even when the spark was lit, for that matter. It just randomly shows up in the finale. And WTH happened with Harry? What was the point of that scene, other than an excuse for a double-hot-guy duet?)
The acting was very good, both Charlie and Lola were excellent leads. The darling blonde Lauren was rockin’ a rather Madeline Kahn vibe with her voice and mannerisms, but you simply can’t beat her “History of Wrong Guys” solo. Dancing and choreography were excellent as well (my personal fave on the choreo was the boxing scene between Don and Simon/Lola) and the costumes were as flashy as you please for such a story.
But the shining star, the one “it” factor that will keep audiences coming back and back and back again (the lady in front of me was seeing it for the 2nd time. At $150 a pop for tickets, you can bet she damn well LOVED it the first time to come back again just 2 weeks later) is the outrageously fabulous music and lyrics by Cyndi Lauper.
Some numbers are reminiscent of what we love about that ‘unusual’ girl who stole our hearts and our ears in the ’80s — the “it’s beautiful, it’s beautiful” repetition in the opening number is very Lauper-esque and “Charlie’s Soliloquy” will for sure bring up memories of the unforgettable Lauper classic “Time after Time.” But while all the songs are over the top rockin’, my kids and I have two absolute favorite numbers (yes, I bought the soundtrack, and you should too), and those are: “The History of Wrong Guys” and “Raise You Up/Just Be.”
Basically, the theme of this whole play is be who you want to be and just go for it. When it’s set to a musical score with delightfully clever lyrics, melodic surprises and perfectly timed chord changes, all courtesy of a musical icon, what’s not to love?
I sincerely hope we all get to see more Broadway from Cyndi Lauper. This is truly musical genius at its best.
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