Kinky Boots – Bord Gáis Energy Theatre – Review
Dates: 15 – 19 July 2025

This is the story of Charlie Price (Dan Partridge). Charlie’s family have run a shoe business, Price & Son, in Northampton for many years. He’s grown up in the business, but his dreams are elsewhere. He has just moved to London with his fiancée, Nicola, to start a new life. When his father dies unexpectedly, he’s called back to Northampton and has to take over the failing business. He decides to find a niche market where they can sell their high-quality shoes, and that’s when he meets Lola (Johannes Radebe), a drag queen with a heart of gold. The two set about creating an exciting new range of boots.

Amazingly, the story is inspired by true events. The real-life story inspired a film version in 2005, and this musical is based on that film. The musical has some star power amongst its writers, as the music and lyrics are by Cyndi Lauper, along with book by Harvey Fierstein. This touring production has some familiar faces, with Strictly Come Dancing’s Johannes Radebe. While Johannes Radebe doesn’t have a typical West End voice, he does have bags of charisma, and he comes to life during the dance sequences.

Most of the action takes place in the factory where the shoes are produced. It’s an old-style production facility, with a high roof, steel columns and tall slatted windows. The other locations, such as London, are largely left to the imagination.

As with most Musicals, it’s not the most challenging of storylines. It shows how Lola goes from being an outsider to being accepted by the factory workers in Northampton, along with the financial battles of the company and Charlie’s love life! There are some great scenes of the drag queens, as they engulf the stage in colour and glamour. The costumes also deserve special mention, with Lola having a large number of audacious looks throughout the show. The songs are mixed in quality, and there is no big crossover hit like in many other well-known musicals.  It has a positive message of acceptance of diversity at its core, with the pride flag prominent during the final scenes. It’s a flamboyant and fun production that will keep the whole family amused, but don’t expect to be intellectually challenged by their antics!  Judging on the night of the review, many came for Johannes Radebe alone, with yelps of delight when he came on stage!