Kings Theatre Portsmouth – until Saturday 11 November 2023
Reviewed by Lucy Hitchcock
4****
CCADS theatre return with an amateur production of Kinky Boots, that is one to rival the professional West End cast!
John-Paul McCrohon excels as the troubled ‘Charlie Price’ who, after losing his father, becomes the owner of Price and Son shoe factory. After discovering that the factory is on its last legs and closure proceedings are in the process, he meets ‘Lola’(Ross Cobbold) and together, they discover a niche market of making heels for Drag Queens. Together, they embark on a journey to create these heels and with many twists, turns, breakups and a lot of singing, they eventually take their heels to Milan for the world to see.
This is a fantastic show and was so professionally performed that I couldn’t believe it was not a touring west end production. Directed by leading man McCrohon and choreographed by Charlotte Turnbull, this is a tough cookie to tackle, but they do so with gravitas and determination. As this is one of my favourite shows, I had high expectations and they were certainly met! The singing was superb, with Charlotte Thomas as ‘Lauren’, a factory worker in love with her boss, performing ‘The History of Wrong Guys’ with perfect enthusiasm and wit. Costumes and set, provided by Utopia Costumes and Scenic Solutions were on the money and tied the whole production together. A special mention to Thomas Dow and Christopher McCrohon as Young Lola and Simon, as they donned their heels and strutted their stuff across the stage without a hint of hesitation!
I couldn’t imagine a better night out-this is a show for all ages, tackling some hard hitting themes such as, not being accepted for who you are, bullying and learning to love yourself. To call this an ‘amateur production’ would be a disservice-this was truly professional!