Photo by Matthew Murphy.
There’s much to enjoy in this frothy but imperfect musical penned by Harvey Fierstein (Torch Song Trilogy) and composer Cyndi Lauper (of ‘Girls Just Wanna Have Fun’ fame) and currently playing at Melbourne’s Her Majesty’s Theatre.
Based on the 2005 film of the same name – a UK feel-good drama very much in the mould of Brassed Off, The Full Monty and others – the thin plot sees Charlie Price (Toby Francis), the unwilling new owner of his family’s struggling Northampton shoe factory, pair up with drag queen Lola (Callum Francis) to make a new line of stiletto-heeled boots which can bear the weight of cross-dressing men, and in the process save Charlie’s employees from the dole queue. Appropriately heart-warming messages about empathy, understanding and personal growth also form part of the narrative.
As we’ve come to expect with contemporary musicals the story flows swiftly from scene to scene, cleanly melding childhood memories with unfolding narratives. Early scenes feel a trifle lifeless, with the likes of the ‘Take What You Got’ (a duet between Charlie and a childhood friend) somewhat extraneous to the narrative; not until Lola enters the scene does the story truly come to life – and what life she brings.
Callum Francis (who understudied the role in the UK and gives a star turn here) is a revelation as Lola, investing the character with tremendous energy, humour and emotion. He owns the stage in every scene, whether fiercely and fabulously staring down Don (Daniel Williston), a homophobic factory hand; vamping out on star numbers like ‘Land of Lola’ and ‘Sex is in the Heel’; or in more low key and touching scenes as Simon, Lola’s insecure alter ego.
His co-star, Toby Francis (no relation) also impresses in a somewhat thinly-written role, with his pleasing tenor well-suited to numbers such as the passionate act two number, ‘Soul of a Man’. Together, Francis and Francis display a delightful chemistry, especially in the production’s most moving number, the daddy-issues ballad ‘Not My Father’s Son’.
Supporting characters – especially Sophie Wright as Lauren, the factory worker with a deepening crush on Charlie (expressed with comedic flair in ‘The History of Wrong Guys’) and Lola’s drag troupe , the Angels – also impress, as does Gregg Barnes’ colourful costume design.
Lighting, set, choreography and​ direction are also strong; this is a superb production of an underwritten and slight musical. The book is thin, with a jarring and forced second act confrontation between Charlie and Lola inserted purely to heighten the drama – it makes very little narrative sense and is at odds with Charlie’s character as previously established – and there are few truly stand-out songs. Even the gloriously choreographed and exuberant first-act closer, ‘Everybody Say Yeah’, consists predominantly of repeating ‘Let me hear you say yeah, yeah!’ and appropriate refrains. There’s little lyrical complexity to the songs, and Lauper’s pop-rock ​compositions engage, but rarely linger.
But little of that matters in a production that’s so energetically performed and staged. You won’t leave the theatre with especially strong memories of any of the songs, but the world class performances by Francis, Francis and colleagues will at least ensure you leave smiling.
Rating: 3 ½ stars out of 5
Kinky Boots
Book by Harvey Fierstein
Music & Lyrics by Cyndi Lauper
Based on the screenplay by Geoff Deane & Tim Firth
Cast includes Callum Francis & Toby Francis
Her Majesty’s Theatre, Melbourne
Until 15 January 2017
From April 2017 at Capitol Theatre, Sydney
www.kinkybootsthemusical.com.au
