“Kinky Boots” hit the stage in the H. Ric Luhrs Performing Arts Center for a sultry performance last Friday. 

The show originally premiered at the Chicago Bank of American Theatre in 2012 and is based on the 2005 film of the same name. Directed by Jerry Mitchell, “Kinky Boots” celebrated diversity and entertained the Luhrs audience with situational irony and gags galore. 

Charlie Price (Connor Allston) is the heir of Price & Son, a shoe company in Northampton, U.K., after his father dies. Charlie inherits a failing business, then teams up with Lola (Kenneth Mosley), a self-described
“transvestite” and her troupe of “Angels” to save Price & Son. 

The musical explains themes such as living up to the legacy of parents, and what it truly means to be a man. 

The show’s first act drags as it sets up the impactful moments of the latter. 

Allston, purportedly the star of the show, falls short of hopes in the first act. His voice was subdued in the first act, although he quickly rose to the challenge of the second for a great finish. His acting at times seemed forced and did not complement the energy of those around him. 

While so much of the musical focuses on Charlie and his business, the real star of the show is Lola. Mosley’s performance as a man in drag, (specifically boots) grabbed the attention of every scene he entered. His flamboyancy and energy were unmatched even by Allston, who seemed out of breath keeping up. 

Mosley did not stand alone — the ringing harmonies of Lola’s team of Angels and their complicated dances added silver linings to every scene they were in. The highly “masculine” Don, played by James Fairchild, brought an antagonizing tension that foiled Lola’s open charisma. The relationship here flowed as freely as a stream — a flamboyant flamingo prancing around a stoic and hot-headed rhino. 

The choreography of the show was outstanding. It seemed that Mitchell, also the choreographer, did not invest much thought into the smaller and more subdued numbers’ dance. The larger numbers must have consumed all his energy; they were stellar. 

“Everybody Say Yeah,” a song celebrating the creation of the very first “Kinky Boot,” involved the Angels and factory workers in a dance which touted the use of mechanical conveyor belts. Allston and Mosley paced atop these machines as though they were treadmills while they collaborated in song.

The show did pause briefly toward the end of the first act to resolve technical difficulties that were not overtly noticeable to the audience. After the pause, the show carried on as normal. 

“Kinky Boots” is a musical with a message some might not like, but everyone needs to hear: That of acceptance. 

As Mosley says through the red-painted lips of Lola: “Be yourself — everyone else is already taken.”

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