Looking for something to Raise You Up this week in Glasgow? Get yourself along to see Kinky Boots The Musical at The King’s Theatre. An astounding production which immerses you and guides you on a brilliant emotional journey. You’ll leave the theatre celebrating triumphantly, feeling empowered and free to Just Be.
This joy-filled sensation, based on a true story and hit movie, features Tony and Grammy winning music and lyrics by pop icon Cyndi Lauper, a hilarious and life-affirming book by Tony Award winner Harvey Fierstein and is directed by Nikolai Foster (Grease and An Officer and a Gentleman). After inheriting his family’s failing shoe factory and with a relationship on the rocks, life is proving to be very challenging for Charlie Price. That is until he meets Lola, a drag queen whose sparkle and unsteady heels might just hold the answer to saving the struggling business.
Johannes Radebe wows the audience as Lola, with his exceptional movement skills and equally impressive vocals. Radebe has absolute star power, with the audience hung on his every movement. His take on the role is more subdued than previous actors in the role, which truly lets the power of Lola shine through – there’s an authenticity there that speaks louder than words. A truly heartwarming, empowering performance.
Dan Partridge as Charlie gives a soul-bearing performance, there’s a familiarity there for the audience with the depiction of the ‘angry young man’ lens that we see historically in many movie-made musicals centred around working-class barriers and masculinity. Partridge drives the performance, a dangerously great triple threat. At times he did struggle with some of the belting, however, his tone of voice was fantastic and a captivating performer.
Courtney Bowman as Lauren captured the audience’s heart from the moment we were introduced. Bowman’s energy was astounding, alongside her dedication to the character. From character quirks to her outstanding vocal ability, Bowman gave her all on the stage and left the audience wanting more. The character relationship built with Charlie was beautiful and it was clear that Bowman and Partridge took pride in the world they created together.
Kara Lily Hayworth as Nicola was fantastic, although she gave a great performance vocally it was her acting skills which took the character to a new level. Hayworth gave great detail in the delivery of her lines, both the tone and rhythm in which she delivered them gave depth to the character’s emotional journey.
Joe Caffrey as Don was outstanding, a great depiction of the well known character. Caffrey’s character has a well paced emotional journey and Caffrey took great care in ensuring that we got an equal build in tension throughout the performance.
Kinky Boots The Musical has a large supporting cast which really sets the energy and the tone of the performance. The supporting characters in the production are crucial for capturing the dramatic shift of the worlds of Lola and Charlie. The supporting cast are extremely important in Kinky Boots The Musical and their dedication and energy lifted the atmosphere in the auditorium. This supporting cast consists of Newton Matthews, Kathryn Barnes, Lucy Williamson, Jonathan Dryden Taylor, Scott Paige, Liam Doyle, Kaya Farrugia, Liam McEvoy, Cerys Burton, Ben Middleton, Kofi Dennis, Ru Fisher, Ashley – Jordan Packer, Cole Dunn, Deena Kapadia, Lonan Johnson & Jesse Manzi.
The production quality was astounding. There is no surprise that this production is creatively sound, with it being written by Harvey Fierstein, Directed by Nikolai Foster, and Music and Lyrics by Cyndi Lauper. The attention to detail within the production is incredible and feels moreish. An utterly astounding uplifting show. As expected and felt across many movies to musical adaptations, at times Charlie’s character journey feels like it’s taken quite a leap in a small amount of time, although this is not difficult to follow, it does feel at times that these jumps take away from the authenticity of the characters as it’s quite the contrast from the realistic style of acting. Drag as an art form has also taken huge leaps and strides from drag as it was known (to the mainstream world) at the time of the movie release, given the knowledge the general public now has, the language used feels more outdated that it would have in 2005, even to those not well versed in queer culture, this stands out as something that dates the production. Throughout the performance, we had excellent choreography from Leah Hill, with a great range of styles and a great variety of influences throughout. Robert Jones’ set and costume design was beautiful and aided the audience in immersing themselves in the different worlds that the musical follows, from the factory to Milan – alongside Ben Cracknell’s lighting design this production is an exciting visual delight.
For a wonderfully empowering night at the theatre, filled with tears and laughter, get yourself along to the King’s Theatre in Glasgow for Kinky Boots The Musical. A heartwarming spectacle, with great authenticity and excellent storytelling. By the end of the evening you will be up on your feet, living in The Land of Lola, an exciting and thrilling place to be.
Get tickets here – https://www.atgtickets.com/shows/kinky-boots/kings-theatre-glasgow
Theatre Scotland 
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