Matthew Murphy
Kinky Boots National Touring Company.
The Tony Award-winning musical Kinky Boots came strutting into Overture Center this week, full of high kicks, glitter, bouncy pop melodies and attitude. The top-notch cast — led by Adam Kaplan and J. Harrison Ghee — provides plenty of heart for the fabulous but predictable story about celebrating differences.
Based on a true story, Kinky Boots follows the transformation of a men’s shoe factory in Northampton, England. On the edge of bankruptcy, the company is reinvented and revitalized when it begins to create well-made products for a niche market — boots for drag queens in outrageous colors and designs.
Charlie (Adam Kaplan) is heir to his family’s shoe business, but would much rather leave the small midlands town for the bright lights of London. After his father dies unexpectedly, Charlie must return to Price & Son to figure out what to do with the factory. After a chance encounter with Lola (the towering, gorgeous J. Harrison Ghee), a performer in need of some sturdy stilettos, the two hatch a plan to create better footwear for drag queens.
There are some typical hate- and fear-driven rumblings from the workers on the floor, questioning masculinity and sexuality. (A scene where Lola has to choose which bathroom to use feels particularly topical.) But Lola seems to overcome these naysayers easily — maybe a bit too easily in light of current events.
But this is not an issues play; it is a celebration, and the most vibrant parts of the musical focus on Lola and her bevy of “Angels” singing and dancing with equal parts sex and sass. The story, which takes several inexplicable and ridiculous detours in the second act, is thankfully upstaged every time the captivating drag queens take the stage.
A memorable dance number (that aired on the 2013 Tony Awards) involves the whole cast displaying feats of athleticism and grace by gliding and dancing atop sections of the factory’s conveyer belts.
The uncomplicated and catchy score, composed by ’80s pop icon Cyndi Lauper, lets the girls — and the rest of the cast —have a lot of fun. And the ballads in the second act allow Charlie and Lola to shine vocally, infusing every note with strong, raw emotion. Lola’s solo “Hold Me in Your Heart” practically brought the opening night house to its feet.
The positive energy and outstanding performances poured into this sometimes uneven story are worth the price of admission. On the subject of social change, one character reminds audiences that accepting differences may be slow, but it is possible. He sings triumphantly in the final number, “You change the world when you change your mind.”
