When his father passes away and leaves him a failing shoe factory, Charlie forms a partnership with a drag queen named Lola and reinvents the factory as a boot manufacturing company. Charlie and Lola soon realize they have a lot more in common than they think and work together in preparation for a big show in Milan. But first, they have to work out some of their own kinks and learn a thing or two about accepting those who are different.

Deftly directed and choreographed by Jerry Mitchell (Legally Blonde, La Cage aux Folles, Hairspray & The Fully Monty), Kinky Boots’ piece de resistance is its music. Composer & lyricist is none other than Cyndi Lauper. As someone who went to high school in the late 80’s, Cyndi Lauper holds a soft spot in my heart, but even I was surprised she can pull off a musical, let alone do it all by herself. An eclectic mix, the songs ranged from ballads to upbeat showstoppers with music so infectious that I was dancing in my seat during most of the songs. In fact, I had to fight myself from getting up and dancing.

But captivating music isn’t Kinky Boots’ only appeal. The book, written by Harvey Fierstein (Newsies, Torch Song Trilogy, La Cage aux Folles) expertly uses comedy to send a message about acceptance of those who are different in general, and of the LGBT community in particular. And delivering this message are two hugely talented performers: YouTube superstar Todrick Hall (The Color Purple) as Lola and Aaron C. Finley (Rock of Ages) as Charlie.

As expected, Todrick Hall did steal the show. But his part was created to do just that. Aaron C. Finley had the more “boring” job: to act as the extreme opposite of Lola. Finley held his own beautifully and with poise. With a rather wide vocal range, he shined in a short duet with Hall(“Not My Father’s Son”) and captivated with one of the most touching and memorable moments of the show (“The Soul of a Man”). Hall is the heart of the show, and rightfully so, but Finley is its soul. While Hall grabbed the audience and kept us at the edge of our seat, Finley kept us staying on for something that was more than fun, but rather thought-provoking. “The Soul of a Man” was one of the strongest numbers of the show and a pivotal moment for both character and audience and Finley nailed it.

The finale was very uplifting and satisfying. At the Milan show, did Charlie and Lola end up getting what they wanted – buyers for their boots? Who knows? But they got something much more important- and what every minority group strives for – acceptance.

As they say in Kinky Boots, whether you’re ladies, gentlemen, or those who are still deciding…go see the show! You’ll be glad you did!

Kinky Boots is now playing the Al Hirschfeld Theater
302 West 45th Street
(between 8th & 9th Avenue)

To purchase tickets click here or call (877) 250-2929

You can also purchase tickets at the box office:
Mon-Sat: 10am-8pm
Sun: Noon-6pm

I was not compensated for this post. I received tickets to the show.

———————————————————————————————————

Senior Reviewer Maytal Wichman has also written for the Huffington Post. She has been living in New York City for fourteen years and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature as well as a Law Degree, but blogging is her true passion. Maytal is a stay-at-home mom to three kids (ages 9, 7 and 4) and loves finding great products that make her family’s life easier.

The post Kinky Boots on Broadway: You’ll Just Want to Have Fun! (+ Discount) appeared first on The Mama Maven Blog.