Drag queens are no strangers to musicals (think La Cage aux Folles and Priscilla, Queen of the Desert), and the incredibly popular Kinky Boots proves their lasting power on Broadway. As one exhilarating song from the show goes, we are saying “Yeah!” to this new high-heeled hit that sports an incredibly impressive queer pedigree.
The book is by Harvey Fierstein—hello! We adore you, Harvey, and thank you for Torch Song Trilogy and so many other memorable films, shows and other productions. Kinky Boots is directed and choreographed by openly gay Jerry Mitchell, who has the Midas touch in creating blockbuster musicals.
And speaking of music, all of the songs for the show were created by Cyndi Lauper, who penned such phrases as: “Synergy my pets, in patent leatherettes.” Cyndi’s sister in real life is a lesbian, and the pop star has donated mega bucks, as well as her time and energy, to LGBT causes over the years. San Francisco Bay Times publisher Dr. Betty Sullivan will never forget Lauper’s fabulous “True Colors” tour, during which “Lauper rolled from tear-jerkers to a hit masturbation song to all out camp,” she says. “It was a killer show!”
As for Kinky Boots’ plot, Billy Porter, who created the show’s lead role on Broadway, told the Huffington Post: “It’s a bromance between two men with daddy issues, one of whom just happens to wear a dress.” In more detail, it’s about a straight guy named Charlie who inherits a shoe factory on the verge of bankruptcy. Now, that’s a problem. And how likely is it there’s a drag queen (“Lola”) working at the shoe factory? What’s more, how likely is it that the straight guy is going to pay any attention at all to what the drag queen has to say?
So goes the situation, and Lauper and Fierstein take it to the queerest heights. The unlikely friendship that evolves between Charlie and Lola is what makes this play work. Charlie embraces Lola’s idea to retool the shoe factory to make women’s boots for men. In making that bold decision, Charlie embraces the wisdom of accepting others for who they really are and sets Lola free to be Lola, thereby winning the day.
But that’s only getting to the surface of this life-affirming show, which has already won six Tony Awards, including Best Musical. It will lift your spirits to new high-heeled heights! But you need to act fast, as we’ve been told that tickets are selling faster than pumps at a Manolo Blahnik clearance sale.
The show runs from December 2–28 at the Orpheum Theatre, 1192 Market Street in San Francisco. For tickets and additional info, please go to: www.shnsf.com
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