Kinky Boots: A Bunch of Big-Hearted Drag Queens Remind Us Of The Golden Rule

The cast of ‘Kinky Boots.’

As Lola, the extravagant drag queen who is half the protagonist team in Kinky Boots, says in her splashy opening number, “No need to be embarrassed: I like being looked at, and you like to look!” She’s right: We really do like to look, and we’ll be liking to look for another two hours at this big, splashy musical that has so much heart, it’s almost overflowing from the stage.

That’s half the point of the Cyndi Lauper/Harvey Fierstein show that is in town at the Forrest Theatre. Underneath all the makeup, the sequin shoes, and the wigs, these queens reinforce the musical’s main message: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you…and love yourself while looking fabulous, too, damn it!

The plot is pretty simple and based on a true story: Charlie, a young man who inherits his father’s ailing shoe production factory, has to turn around the business, and quick. He literally stumbles into Lola late one evening while walking home from a bar: Charlie, who thinks Lola is a woman, tries to intervene when two thieves try to hijack her. However, Lola’s no fool: She defends herself by taking her high-heeled boot and whacking the perpetrators right in the face, breaking the heel of the shoe off in the process. If only there were boots for drag queens that were more sturdy…and that looked fierce and fabulous at the same time. After all, as Lola reminds us, “The sex is in the heel.” Thus begins an unlikely business partnership. Sure, there are parts of the show’s book, especially in act two, that are a bit sappy, but they work, and the rather moving scene at a nursing home where Lola performs a gig at the end of the show pretty much makes up for any over sentimentality (and reveals a pretty juicy secret).

One of the reasons why the show is so gosh darn good is the Cyndi Lauper score, which is bursting with one memorable pop-inspired hit after another. Ms. Lauper’s work for Kinky won the Tony Award for Best Score, and it’s no secret why. If you’re not leaving the theatre singing “Sex Is In The Heel” or “Land of Lola,” you should go get your hearing checked.

The leads on tour are all excellent: Steven Booth, who plays Charlie, brought a real heart to the struggling character, while Kyle Taylor Parker had star quality that could outshine any red-sequined boots. Both men were outstanding “song and dance” performers, who moved effortlessly through Jerry Mitchell’s showy choreography. Lindsay Nicole Chambers is charming as Charlie’s overwhelmed love interest, Lauren, and Lola’s “girls” were all high-kicking, high-flying Broadway dancers with style and awesome comic timing.

At one point, Lola issues a written dare to a macho shoe factory worker to accept someone for who they are. As Mr. Parker’s character presented this dare on the night I was at the show, a woman in the audience shouted out, “Amen! Yes, honey! That’s right!” The crowd started to applaud. If that doesn’t tell you about the emotional impact of this gang of drag queens, I don’t know what will.

Kinky Boots struts through May 10th at the Forrest Theatre. For tickets and more information, click here.