The cast of Kinky Boots. Photo by Shealyn Jae Photography.
“Kinky Boots” is a joyous musical about how acceptance of others and ourselves is the way to find happiness in your life. It is based on the 2005 British film of the same name, written by Geoff Deane and Tim Firth. The musical had 13 nominations and won six 2013 Tony Awards, including Best Musical and for music and lyrics by Cyndi Lauper. Harvey Fierstein was nominated for Best Book of a Musical. Directed by Jeremy Goldman, Silhouette Stages’ production is fast-paced and effervescent.
…fast-paced and effervescent…Goldman’s direction and Jeremy A. McShan’s choreography are high caliber.
Charlie Price ((Xander Conte) inherits his father’s shoe factory just at the time traditional men’s shoes were becoming passé. He meets a drag queen named Lola (Joshua Franklin) who inspires him to change the factory to one that produces fancy, stylish boots with heels that will support a man’s stature. There is a little romance as well as Charlie must decide between the life he and his fiancé, Nicola (Erica Miller), have envisioned and his legacy. We also meet Lauren (Cera Baker), a shoe factory worker, who is smitten with Charlie as well. (Maddie Ervin will be playing that role March 14-16.)
This play is really about Lola. When Lola (Franklin) and the Angels (Seth Fallon, Leon Nguyen, Thomas Allen, and Julie Mimms) are onstage, the energy explodes. Franklin’s numbers with the Angels, “The Land of Lola,” “The Sex is in the Heel,” “Everybody say Yeah!” and “What a Woman Wants” are show stoppers. Franklin’s vocals touch the audience’s soul when he sings the ballad “Hold Me in Your Heart.”
This is my third time seeing “Kinky Boots,” but this is the first time I have seen Charlie played, not as a somewhat nerdy guy, but someone with his own sex appeal. Conte’s interpretation worked better, and I could now see what the two women saw in him. His verbal attack on Lola in Act II is possibly more powerful with this interpretation. Baker’s Lauren is also on target. She helps keep the show lighthearted with her song “The History of Wrong Guys.” Miller as Nicola and Chris Riehl as Don, the macho factory worker, are two of the stand outs of the supporting cast.
The rest of the cast—Amy Haynes Rapnicki (Pat), Tricia Anderson (Trish), MarQuis Fair (George), Henry Cyr (Harry/Richard Bailey), Keith Field (Mr. Price), Will Hertz (Young Charlie), McKenley Barnes (Young Simon), Angie Townsend (Milan Stage Manager), Neal Townsend (Delivery Man) and Elijah Davis (Simon Sr.)—help keep Lauper’s music rocking. The ensemble also includes Ervin, Coby Kay Callahan, Madison Clay, Chris Draghi, Alex Gubler, Terin Kelsey, and Zen Tabligan.
Goldman’s direction and Jeremy A. McShan’s choreography are high caliber. The time seems to zip right by until, sadly, we are at the end. Many in the audience didn’t want it to be over and just stood there hoping for more.
I really appreciated McShan’s artistic fight scene. He manages to have fighting without violence. Sammy Jungwirth’s set, light and projection design, especially all the painstaking care done for the factory, are worth seeing on their own. (I wondered how they got all those shoe boxes done with “Price and Son” printed on each one.)
The costumes for the Angels and Lola were done by the four Angels (Fallon, Nguyen, Allen and Mimms). They catch the exuberance of the show. Goldman, Ande Kolp, and Debbie Mobley designed the other costumes which seemed very British working class and a nice contrast to the glamour of Lola and the Angels. The make-up, hair, and wigs design are vital. The four Angels are credited with make-up, and the quartet and Lola are made up to the nines. The wigs and hair by Ryan DeVoe add pizzazz to the production.
Sadly, many states in this country today have laws that would prevent productions of “Kinky Boots.” We are lucky that, here in Maryland, we get a chance to share this joy and maybe learn a bit about others who are not like us—and a little about how we are all really the same.
Running Time: Two hours and 35 minutes with an Intermission.
Advisory: Suggested rating is PG-13.
“Kinky Boots” runs through March 23, 2025 at Slayton House, Wilde Lake Village Center, 10400 Cross Fox Lane, Columbia Maryland 21044. For more information and to purchase tickets, please go online.
