Kinky boots, the musical is inspired by a true story and based on the 2005 film of the same name. The Broadway version stayed true to the (2005) film starring British and African actor Chiwetel Ejiofor as Lola (below). Kinky Boots is made possible by an incredible collaboration of a wonderful creative team, with music and lyrics by Cindy Lauper and a Broadway favorite Harvey Fierstein behind the scene on this one, as the writer of the book.

Kinky Boots, the short version: Lola/Simon , a charismatic drag queen comes to the aid of Charlie who inherited his father’s failing shoe factory to diversify his product to save his factory from bankruptcy. Charlie is inspired by Lola to make stylish yet sturdy boots to withstand the weight of a ‘drag queen’. While working together, this odd pairing soon realizes that they are not that different, and have more in common than they thought.

I loved this show; it was truly a great performance by the entire cast. On the night I saw the show, Billy Porter did not reprise his role as Lola, however understudy Timothy Ware did a phenomenal job, he performed it brilliantly and I could not imagine it done any better, there was such an amazing chemistry between the characters. Marquise Neal played Young Lola – the child appeared on stage donning a pair of red pumps. I was quietly jealous of the ease of his movement in those shoes! Another cast member who made an impression was Annaleigh Ashford; her portrayal of Lauren was quite different from that of the film. She made the role her own and injected some much-needed personality to what I thought was a tepid and meek one in the film. Ashford’s interpretation of the Lauren character had wit and comedic timing that was impeccable and without a doubt she stole the show, not an easy feat when playing along side Lola; how do you upstage a drag queen?

My favorite line: ‘Sex shouldn’t be comfortable!’

Kinky Boots was beautifully performed, a story line that can resonate with any audience with a simple message:

“We are all different, but if we open our heart and mind to accept others for who they are, we may just discover that we are not that different after all.”

It was a wonderful show with great moments and I recommend that all should see it.