Kinky Boots

I’ve been a bit wayward in keeping up with my blog. This post refers to an event that happened on 9^th July. No reason, just procrastination.

Another week, another musical. Kinky Boots has been around for a while, a musical based on a film based on a sort-of true story. The musical features songs by Cyndi Lauper. I thought this meant that I’d recognise some of the tunes, in the style of Mamma Mia! or We Will Rock You, but it turns out that it’s all original songs written for the production.

It's entering its final week now in Wellington, and Nicola was busy all the week before with string quartet week, so we went to a Sunday matinee performance instead. The show was on at the St James Theatre, which has recently been renovated, largely for earthquake strengthening. As I may have mentioned before, this didn’t stretch to replacing the seats, and they’re not the most comfortable.

The story is that of a shoe manufacturer based in Northampton. The company is in dire straits, as the cost of producing shoes in the UK is being undercut by cheaper imports. The owner, who inherited it from his father, is a reluctant shoemaker, and initially just wants to hand the factory over to someone else. However, the business is on its knees and unless he does something it will close, with consequent effects on the community that relies on it for work. Following an encounter in London, he becomes friends with a drag artist, who complains that none of the boots made for drag artists like her are of good quality, and cannot take the additional weight and stress needed. And so, an idea is born…

There are all the usual tensions required amongst the factory workers, old-fashioned attitudes, a fight, and an impossible deadline to meet (spoiler alert: they meet it). In the end, everything works out, and there’s a big song-and-dance finale.