Kinky Boots Vancouver

Kinky Boots offers a wonderful transformation of both mind- and stage set in Broadway Across Canada’s red-hot ticket production based on a true story (and independent film of the same name).

As the show opens, we’re greeted with a muted palette of colours and an industrial-themed stage set inside the Price & Sons shoe factory in Northampton, England.

Kinky Boots Vancouver
[Charissa Hogeland in the National Tour of Kinky Boots]

Charlie Price has aspirations to move to London with his girlfriend, however unfortunate news calls him back to the factory where he’s destined to carry on in his father’s footsteps (pardon the pun).

While business is struggling and many of the company’s seasonal collections are having a hard time making it into discount shoe shops let alone leave the factory’s shelves, Charlie meets Lola, a lanky, fashionable drag queen, through a random encounter in the city.

Kinky Boots Vancouver

The small-town-minded Price & Sons employees are in for a shocker when Charlie brainstorms a mad-capped idea to get the factory back on its feet (yep, another one).

It takes some time for Lola’s character and eccentric fashion choices to gain acceptance with a few of the workers, however once Charlie rallies the team, the motion is set for an outrageous product to roll off the assembly line in time for one of the world’s most highly-regarded fashion shows in Milan.

Kinky Boots Vancouver

How this longstanding gentlemen’s shoe brand evolves into what audiences will see towards the end of the second act is what makes Kinky Boots a rollercoaster of a night!

We were wowed by J. Harrison Ghee’s strong vocal chops, Curt Hansen’s bold rendition of Soul of a Man and sweetheart Rose Hemingway’s goofy, fun, 80’s inspired The History of Wrong Guys.

Kinky Boots Vancouver
[Aaron Walpole, J. Harrison Ghee and the cast of the National Tour of Kinky Boots]

The cast are tight and playfully engage with the audience during moments of the two-hour, 20 minute (including intermission) production.

Two-time Tony Award winner Jerry Mitchell (Legally Blonde, Hairspray) provides direction and some wonderfully choreographed numbers to mesh with Cyndi Lauper’s music and lyrics.

Kinky Boots Vancouver

There’s enough character variation and songs to help propel the story, one with strong themes of integrity, according to Lauper, who also included song hooks to draw the audience in to sing along.

Modular, well-designed sets change from the shoe factory’s muted blue and green tones to bright reds and oranges, following the story’s progression from drab to drag.

Kinky Boots Vancouver

We couldn’t get enough of Kinky Boots, however it would have been great to see the end result of the new boot — it makes a splash during the Milan show but does it wind up a best-seller in the UK? We can only guess the answer’s a resounding YES.

Kinky Boots Vancouver

If you can score tickets to this show, don’t wait too long as we’ve been looking for seats for friends for weeks and there’s barely a ticket left in the house. Kinky Boots continues at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre through February 12. Photos by Matthew Murphy.

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