Kinky Boots continues at the Milton Keynes Theatre until 9 November 2019 and then tours until 23 November 2019.
Star rating: five stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Kinky Boots is the award-winning real-life story of Charlie Price from Northampton, who inherits his father’s failing shoe factory and in order to save the livelihood of the employees, enlists the help of a drag queen to diversify the factory’s output by making high-heeled shoes for men.
Beneath the enchanting tale are messages about acceptance and love, as the world of drag goes up against the more narrow-minded views of an industrial town. With a whopping soundtrack created by Cyndi Lauper, a book by Harvey Fierstein and direction and choreography from Jerry Mitchell, there’s great expectations for this sassy West End musical to strike a punch.
As the production sets up home in the city local to where the actual story played out, crowds can enjoy all the glitz of a London performance in the comfort of their regional theatre.
Audiences are treated to a first-class cast, that moves jovially through the plot from factory floor to Milan catwalk. Dance routines and songs are performed to pin-point perfection, from the high-kicking awe of the drag queens to the ruddy gumption of the factory staff.
The staging smoothly transitions between the factory interior and a London cabaret club, with the scenes cleverly unfolding before your eyes. A favourite scene involves conveyor belts to create a fast-moving, infectiously fun routine that celebrates the famous red thigh-high boots being made.
It’s impossible not to be enchanted by the characters and dazzled by the costumes. Lead performances from Joel Harper-Jackson as Charlie and Kayi Ushe as Lola carry the show with the professional air of a well-oiled machine.
Cheeky, funny and loveable, Kinky Boots is impossible not to love and will leave you with an aching jaw from the permanent grin that will be plastered across your face.
Hannah Grimmette
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