Bristol Hippodrome – until 9 March 2019
Reviewed by Lucy Hitchcock
5*****
Harvey Fierstein and Cyndi Lauper as the original Musical and Staging designers of this show have hit the market in British Theatre with a BANG!
Kinky Boots follows the story of Charlie Price who takes on his fathers business as shoe makers, but ends up sending it into disrepair. In comes Lola, a flamboyant, fabulous and larger than life drag queen, who with Charlie, helps to build the business back up to hit the niche market of Drag Queens who need shoes. With Lola needing ‘2 and a half inches of irresistible, tubular sex…in RED’ this is no mean feat for Charlie, who eventually takes his shoes to Milan once perfected. Along the way, are some mountains Charlie needs to move in order to make his father proud, but nothing can sway his newfound passion of Shoe making.
Charlie Price, played by Joel Harper-Jackson was superb. His vocal ability was astonishing and he showed such emotion through the issues his character has to face-offending Lola and losing her support, losing his father, his marriage ending (the list could go on!). Harper-Jackson showed such empathy and really captured the audience and held us throughout the show.
The Angels are Lola’s backup group-a swarm of 6 Drag Queens who uplift the audience and enhance the choreography in ways I never dreamt of! High kicks, daring jumps and sultry moves all performed in humongous heels put most of the female audience to shame!
The standout performance of this show, was Kayi Ushe as the incomparable Lola, who served fabulous sass, iconic movement and soul destroying vocals all packed into this one performance. Lola is a superstar, an amazing character that any aspiring little boy would be proud to play! She has one of the most stunning emotional arcs I’ve ever witnessed and Ushe performed this seamlessly; making the audience laugh one minute and then cry the next. Hold Me In Your Heart is one of the most beautifully performed songs I’ve ever heard. Ushe channelled his inner Whitney Houston and certainly made me well up.
Providing one of the most ostentatious finales I’ve been blessed to witness, Kinky Boots is a mirage of heel, sex, fun and hilarity – so much so, I’ve booked to see it again this Saturday!! Do not miss out-Lola is waiting!