Broadway Tour of KINKY BOOTS Brings Perfect Musical Magic to PPAC

Plays and musicals have, since the very beginning, found ways to get us to face important issues and problems in new and surprising ways. Musicals, esepcailly, can be unexpected in how they bring together a story that, in the end, is wonderfully relatable, human and filled with emotional and important moments, even though it's wrapped in such an unusual package. The Broadway smash hit musical Kinky Boots succeeds exceptionally well at doing just that, creating a big, bright fun musical entertainment that also delivers a timely and important message in a believable way.

Kinky Boots is actually based on a true story, about a shoe factory in England which turned its fortunes around by making a line of fetish footwear. There was a British film of the same name in 2005 which then led to the creation of the musical, which hit Broadway in 2013 and won multiple Tony Awards including Best Musical and Best Score. The story centers on Charlie Price, the son of the deceased factory owner who must find a way to turn his father's factory around, saving it and the workers. He does so by forming a partnership with a drag queen named Lola, who helps him create a line of sexy boots for drag queens.

With entertainment and musical legends involved, it's hard to go wrong and very little does go wrong in this case. The book by Harvey Fierstein is top-notch, with snappy, witty dialogue that is, most importantly, actually believable. Sometimes, in musicals, the dialogue can drag or just come across as dull or fake, but it doesn't do that here. Fierstein keeps things lively and fun but also keeps it real, telling the story in truthful ways while keeping his characters grounded and sincere.

Just as great are the music and lyrics by Cyndi Lauper, who has created one fantastic, pop-tinged showstopper after another. Lauper especially excels at the songs that feel a little more in her wheelhouse, songs that echo her beloved pop-rock songs which have been anthems for millions of fans. The two powerful ballads, sung by the two leads in the show's second half, are good but not great. One feels two short and makes the audience clamor for more while the other feels too long, unearned and over the top.

Directed and choreographed by Jerry Mitchell, the show from beginning to end keeps up a bright and lively pace. Even during the slow ballad numbers, the proceedings never drag as energy and tempo are maintained throughout. And it's certainly never boring. Mitchell has crafted an undeniably magical and extremely fun night of musical theater. There are numerous moments of perfect theatrical magic and some of the most fun, creative choreography you've likely ever seen.

Mitchell's skill is not confined to the big, bright musical numbers, though. He also does an excellent job handling the smaller, quieter moments. A scene between the two leads, as they discuss their pasts and their fathers in a men's room, is a strikingly beautiful moment on stage. There are also great moments of tension played out between the two leads as well as one of the leads and his girlfriend. Mitchel, like Fierstein, keeps things very grounded and real, making sure the moments feel sincere, which they almost always do.

This is helped by a uniformly fantastic cast who do an amazing job. Leading the way in an absolute must-see performance is Kyle Taylor Parker as Lola. Paker's performance is, by itself, worth the price of admission as he brings both heart-wrenching emotion and showstopping vocal abilities to the role of a drag queen who just wants to finally be accepted for who he is. Every one of the show's best musical numbers finds Parker at its center, leading a group of backup-singing drag queens or factory workers. As entertaining and amazing as those numbers are, Parker also delivers the show's best quieter musical moment, when he sings "Not My Father's Son," giving a performance that is as emotional as it is vocally beautiful.

While not Parker's equal, Steven Booth delivers a very nice performance in the role of Charlie, the young man trying to live up to his father's legacy, find himself, save the factory and save the day. Booth has an excellent singing voice and can more than carry a tune. He doesn't necessarily bring much more to the role, though, offering a somewhat shallow performance that doesn't resonate much emotionally. His line delivery and his vocals during the songs always sound exactly the same and he has the same facial expression all the time. It's an unfortunately bland and vanilla performance, as a whole. When he tries to dig deep emotionally during the over-the-top and too-long ballad "Soul of a Man," it feels forced and fake.

At times, the musical feels like it has a cast of thousands, with the ensemble on stage almost the whole time. There are a few members of the company who get to shine individually, though. Grace Stockdale is wonderfully mean as the pushy, manipulative and controlling woman Charlie is dating. Only twice, I think, does she get to briefly demonstrate a gorgeous singing voice, it's too bad she doesn't get to sing more here. As the other "love interest," Lindsay Nicole Chambers is a joy to watch as Lauren. She has one of the absolute highlight moments of the production with her fun and hilarious "The History of Wrong Guys." She's also adorable and perfectly awkward at all the right times and in all the best ways. Joe Coots is also hilarious and perfect as Don, the factory worker who's a little too focused on his own masculinity and too unnerved by the presence of a drag queen in their midst. It's a great performance that has both funny and touching moments, pulled off perfectly.

Also perfect are this production's technical elements. David Rockwell's scenic design brings just the right amount of "set" to the stage. It never feels cluttered or overcrowded. At the same time, he perfectly creates all the necessary locations, occasionally using different sides of the same set pieces. The story is perfectly told through his brilliant design. Equally brilliant is the costume design by Gregg Barnes. There's a wonderful difference between the bright, glittering wonder of the drag queen outfits and the drab, earthy tones of the hard-working factory employees. At the same time, everything feels very real and true to the people and the story. Lighting Design by Kenneth Posner and Sound Design by Josh Shivers do an equally strong job of helping to tell the story in every way, while never distracting from it.

This being Cyndi Lauper's first Broadway musical, she has demonstrated her natural and impressive talents. She and Fierstein have created what is one of the great modern musicals, an uplifting, rollicking time that is sure to get audiences tapping their feet and having a great time. At the same time, it very likely will get them thinking about the important messages of acceptance, both accepting ourselves and each other, that are truthfully delivered in this bright, beautiful package.

Kinky Boots is at Providence Performing Arts Center until June 14th, with showtimes at 7pm on Wednesday, 7:30pm on Thursday and Friday, 2pm and 8pm on Saturday, and 1pm and 6:30pm on Sunday. Tickes may be purchased online at www.ppacri.org, by calling 401-421-2787, or at the PPAC box office at 220 Weybosset Street in downtown Providence. Box Office hours are Monday through Friday 10am to 5pm, Saturday 10am to 2pm and two hours prior to curtain times on performance days.

Pictured: The cast of Kinky Boots. Photo by Matthew Murphy.

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