“Kinky Boots” 2015

[rating=5] It’s back! The smash musical, that began in Chicago and then took Broadway by storm (Six Tony Awards including Best Musical) “Kinky Boots” has returned, but only for a short period of time (ends July 26th), so if you missed the Pre-Broadway run, I suggest you make it a point to catch this gem of a show. A marvelous ensemble recreates the magic of the original production of this glorious musical with a book by Harvey Fierstein and music and lyrics by Cyndi Lauper.

This is a glitzy story based on a cult movie of the same name written by Geoff Deane and Tim Firth. The story is about two young men in England. One, Charlie (as a boy played by  Anthony Picarello) whose father is the owner of the local shoe factory Price & Son, which employs most of the neighborhood. The other is “Lola” ( an adorable Jomil Elijah Robinson) whose father, a boxer, cannot handle his son dancing in ladies shoes. These are the main characters of the story.

Charlie has grown up and is now played by Steven Booth who is truly up to the task of bringing the character to a realistic being. He is now engaged to marry and live a different life than that of his father as he prepares to leave the shoe business. His father dies suddenly, leaving Charlie to take over the factory that he finds is close to bankruptcy. He heads to London to find someone to buy the inventory of men’s shoes that he is stuck with. Here he meets Lola (handled to perfection by Kyle Taylor Parker, who has been with the show for some time as one of Lola’s Angels and as understudy of this role-Bravo!)  an exotic dancer, a cross dresser with six Angels (watching these men dance in heels is amazing- Joe Beauregard, Darius Harper, Tommy Martinez, Ricky Schroeder, Juan Torres-Falcon and Hernando Umana- Take a close look at these leggy beauties).

As it turns out, it is Lola, a cross dressing entertainer, who changes the lives of Charlie and every employee  at the shoe factory as his need for better made shoes and the Price way of quality in what they make brings two lost souls together. Each of these men could not be what their fathers wanted from their sons, but each, as it turns out becomes someone that their father could or would be proud of. While much of the music is here to propel the plot and is probably not memorable, “Not My Father’s Son” is one that sticks in your mind and possibly your heart. “Soul of A Man”, which Charlie sings near the close of the show is also a heartwarming, feel good song and “The History of Wrong Guys” is a cute little ditty that Lauren(pert and perky Lindsay Nicole Chambers), Charlie’s secondary love interest does.

While the songs are not memorable, they are solid and when Mr. Parker/Lola does his/her songs “Hold Me In Your Heart”, “Land of Lola”, “Sex is In The Heel” and “What a Woman Wants” the audience is in heaven. I felt an early  standing ovation might take place twice. This is a true FEEL GOOD story that has a proper moral “When you change your mind about someone, you can change your whole world”! There is magic in this statement and there is magic at the Cadillac Palace Theatre as Broadway In Chicago presents “Kinky Boots” .

Tickets range from $25-$108 and are available at all the Broadway In Chicago Box Offices, by calling the Broadway In Chicago Ticketline at 800-775-2000, at all Ticketmaster outlets or online at www.BroadwayInChicago.com.

The Cadillac Palace Theater is located at 151 West Randolph Street

To see what others are saying, visit www.theatreinchicago.com, go to Review Round-up and click at “Kinky Boots”. Performances are as follows: