This week we were invited to see Kinky Boots on Broadway, music and lyrics by Cyndi Lauper.  I had seen the movie a few years back and I was already a fan and excited to be invited to see the show.  Let me begin by saying, it does have minor sexual jokes and innuendos, and features a collection of flamboyant drag queens, so parents be cautioned.  For me and my daughter, it was a great story about acceptance, destiny, leadership, bravery, and doing the right thing.

Kinky Boots is about a young man, Charlie, who inherits a shoe factory in England that is going out of business.  In order for the factory to survive, Charlie has to become the leader he was meant to be. He meets Lola, a feisty drag queen, and together they discover the meaning of acceptance and bravery as each figures out who they truly are inside.  They transform a boring men’s shoe factory  “providing a range of footwear for men,”  into a niche market, providing “footwear for a range of men”.  All while dancing and singing in 6 inch heels.

Cyndi Lauper’s  songs are catchy – I’ve been singing them ever since.  The costumes and dancing are exactly what you would expect from drag queens on Broadway. The sets are well done and flawlessly transitioned between scenes. But I have to say that the best part of the whole show was the audience engagement.  The whole crowd clapped to the beat during the “runway” scene and finale…you just couldn’t help it.  This was the most fun I’ve had in a Broadway musical.

Without ruining any of the important scenes, I want to add that one of the major themes is acceptance.  Accepting yourself, accepting others and accepting the relationship you have with your parents.  In a sweet, but poignant moment, Lola has a chance to tell her dad that she loves him—both finally accepting herself and her father—and I reached over and gave my daughter’s hand a squeeze to let her know that I loved her too.  Kinky Boots delivers the best of Broadway; fantastic music, costumes and a set that transform and a story that makes you think about who you are in the world.

You can learn more about the show and purchase tickets to see it for yourself by visiting their website.

*we were invited to see the show to facilitate a feature, all opinions are my own.