Theatre Royal, Nottingham – until Saturday 5th July 2025
Reviewed by Chris Jarvis
5*****
The closest I’ve previously been to Kinky Boots was on a visit to the amazing Northampton Museum and Art Gallery which is home to one of the largest collections of shoes and shoe heritage in the world. Displayed in a large glass case are a pair of shiny red thigh-high boots made as props for the 2005 film and worn tonight with great panache by Johannes Radebe.
The Kinky Boots film was inspired by the story of Steve Pateman, who followed in the footsteps of four generations of his family at W.J Brooks, a company established in 1889 in Northamptonshire making high quality shoes and boots.
Written by Harvey Fierstein with a score by Cyndi Lauper, this production of Kinky Boots was developed, produced and directed by Nikolai Foster at The Curve Theatre in Leicester, close to the origins of the story and manufacturing heartland of British shoemaking.
Loosely based on this true story the musical revolves around Charlie Price played by Dan Partridge, whose life changes totally after he inherits his family’s failing shoe factory in Northampton – a town from which he has just escaped to London with his girlfriend Nicola played by Kara Lily Hayworth. A chance meeting with drag queen Lola, played by the star of the show Johannes Radebe, when Charlie tries to protect her from prejudiced thugs and sees her perform in a London club, might just hold the answer for saving Charlie’s struggling business.
Set in the 2000s when DRAG (Dressed Resembling A Girl) wasn’t so mainstream, Charlie’s eyes are opened to a different world when Lola’s sparkle, sass and broken heels lead to the idea of a niche market for high heels specifically made for drag queens.
Charlie’s world changes massively after meeting Lola and persuading her to design ‘kinky boots’ to be manufactured in his factory strong enough to support men. We meet an eclectic and hilarious group of factory workers as Charlie tries to save their jobs. All gave exceptional performances with Don (Joe Caffrey) and George (Scott Paige) standing out with their humour and energy.
Lola struggled with her sexuality while growing up, but she’s also confident and brave and Charlie thrives on this. His long-term relationship is on the rocks, and I particularly loved Lauren, played by Courtney Bowman, a factory worker who is smitten by Charlie and absolutely comes into her own supporting him.
Johannes, known from Strictly Come Dancing for his amazing dancing rather than acting or singing, puts his heart and soul into Lola and the audience just loved his flamboyance. His dancing stood out as might be expected, but he can also act and sing as he showed tonight.
I’m still buzzing after a truly spectacular performance by all involved! The actors were all brilliant, as was the choreography by Leah Hill. The music and songs were uplifting, emotional and funny in equal measures. The industrial set designed by Robert Jones was just how I’d imagine the inside of an old shoe factory yet was easily transformed into a Milan catwalk. His costume designs were stunning, colourful and outrageous, with those worn by Lola and the Angels, her fellow drag queens, particularly exuberant!
An immediate and total standing ovation ended the performance as we all joined in with the merriment of the finale. A show not to be missed – if you can get tickets!