Kinky Boots is a Musical that tells the story of a struggling shoemaker and his drag queen business partner.
Based on the true story behind the 2005 film Kinky Boots, if you havn’t seen this film check it out, it was a big little movie..
Kinky Boots is a musical with music and lyrics by Cyndi Lauper and a book by Harvey Fierstein.Based on the true story behind the 2005 film Kinky Boots, the musical tells the story of a struggling shoemaker and his drag queen business partner.
Following its conception in 2008, the Daryl Roth and Hal Luftig-produced original production of Kinky Boots opened at the Bank of America Theatre in Chicago in October 2012 with direction and choreography by Jerry Mitchell. It made its Broadway debut at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre on April 4, 2013 following previews that began on March 3, 2013.
When producer Daryl Roth sent director Jerry Mitchell the DVD of the film, Mitchell was enthusiastic about adapting it for the stage. His first wishes were to get Cyndi Lauper and Harvey Fierstein on board. Lauper wrote the music and lyrics while Fierstein wrote the book. Fierstein said that there are some slight differences between the film “about the saving of a factory” and the musical, which includes “drag queens singing as they pass along the assembly line.” The main difference is that the musical is, “at its core, about two young men who come from seemingly opposite worlds who figure out that they have a lot in common, beginning with the need to stand up to their dads.”
| Principal Roles and Cast Members (Fabulous) | |
|---|---|
| Character | Original Broadway Performer |
| Charlie Price | Stark Sands |
| Lola | Billy Porter |
| Lauren | Annaleigh Ashford |
| Nicola | Celina Carvajal |
| Angels | Paul CanaanKevin Smith KirkwoodKyle Taylor ParkerKyle PostCharlie SuttonJoey Taranto |
| Mr Price | Stephen Berger |
| Simon Senior | Eugene Barry-Hill |
| Don | Daniel Sherman |
| George | Marcus Neville |
| Pat | Tory Ross |
| Harry | Andy Kelso |
| Trish | Jennifer Perry |
| Richard Bailey | John Jeffrey Martin |
| Milan Stage Manager | Adinah Alexander |
| Young Charlie | Sebastian Hedges Thomas |
| Young Lola | Marquise Neal |
Production Details
The original production of the musical was rehearsed at the New 42nd Street Studios in New York September 2012 before beginning its pre-Broadway run at the Bank of America Theatre in Chicago, from October 2, 2012 until November 4, 2012. The Broadway debut started previews on March 3, 2013 at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre, with the official opening starting on April 4, 2013. The Broadway cast currently features Billy Porter, Stark Sands and Annaleigh Ashford, as in the Chicago production.
The musical was directed and choreographed by Jerry Mitchell; scenic design was by David Rockwell, costumes by Gregg Barnes and lighting by Kenneth Posner. The creative team had all been critically acclaimed before this production: Mitchell is a Tony-winning choreographer; Fierstein is a Tony-winning actor and writer; Lauper is a Grammy-winning musician; both Roth and Luftig are Tony-winning producers;and Rockwell, Barnes and Posner have multiple Tony Award and Drama Desk Award nominations and/or wins.
The New York Times noted that in the 2012–13 season most of the new Broadway musicals were “inspired by movies or books”.
Reviews
Upon its October 2012 Chicago opening, Chicago Tribune critic Charles Jones described the show as a “warm, likable, brassy, sentimental, big-hearted and modestly scaled” production. However upon its Broadway debut it received mixed reviews with Los Angeles Times theater critic Charles McNulty critiquing Lauper’s “novice mistakes” with a score that “never establishes a compositional through line” and saying that while “Fierstein’s heart is in the right place, … the show’s earnestness sinks it”, adding that “if [the show] weren’t such a cheesy commercial mess, it might actually be fun”. Ben Brantley of The New York Times wrote that Lauper’s “love- and heat-seeking score” wowed with her “trademark … mix of sentimentality and eccentricity”, and that the costumes and boots courtesy of Gregg Barnes made for “big red scene stealers”. Brantley, however, did not extend his praise to Fierstein’s script, writing that his “sticky, sermonizing side” comes through in the second half, where “all the clichés stand naked before you.” Joe Dziemianowicz of the New York Daily News wrote that while the “script has issues like a pair of shoes” that don’t quite fit, “Mitchell’s production moves lickety-split” and “Porter .. is a force of nature as Lola.” But, he added, Lauper’s “multicolored, surprising and fun” score outshines the fancy footwear and proves to be the “real star of this show”.
Awards and Nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Drama League Award | Outstanding Production of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Musical | Won | |
| Distinguished Performance Award | Billy Porter | Nominated | ||
| Stark Sands | Nominated | |||
| Outer Critics Circle Award | Outstanding New Broadway Musical | Won | ||
| Outstanding Book of a Musical (Broadway or Off-Broadway) | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding New Score (Broadway or Off-Broadway) | Won | |||
| Outstanding Director of a Musical | Jerry Mitchell | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Choreographer | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Costume Design (Play or Musical) | Gregg Barnes | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Actor in a Musical | Billy Porter | Won | ||
| Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical | Daniel Stewart Sherman | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical | Annaleigh Ashford | Nominated | ||
| Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Actor in a Musical | Billy Porter | Won | |
| Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical | Annaleigh Ashford | Nominated | ||
| Fred & Adele Astaire Awards | Outstanding Male Dancer in a Broadway Show | Billy Porter | Pending | |
| Charlie Sutton | Pending | |||
| Outstanding Choreographer of a Broadway Show | Jerry Mitchell | Pending | ||
| Tony Award | Best Musical | Pending | ||
| Best Book of a Musical | Harvey Fierstein | Pending | ||
| Best Original Score | Cyndi Lauper | Pending | ||
| Best Actor in a Musical | Billy Porter | Pending | ||
| Stark Sands | Pending | |||
| Best Featured Actress in a Musical | Annaleigh Ashford | Pending | ||
| Best Scenic Design of a Musical | David Rockwell | Pending | ||
| Best Costume Design of a Musical | Gregg Barnes | Pending | ||
| Best Lighting Design of a Musical | Kenneth Posner | Pending | ||
| Best Sound Design of a Musical | John Shivers | Pending | ||
| Best Direction of a Musical | Jerry Mitchell | Pending | ||
| Best Choreography | Pending | |||
| Best Orchestrations | Stephen Oremus | Pending | ||
