Hello again, readers!
I’m just returning home to our glorious city after a whirlwind trip to the windy city of Chicago to catch the pre-Broadway production of Kinky Boots the Musical. Yes, the cult 2005 British comedy is the latest movie to get the Broadway jazz-hand treatment. Needless to say, it's been a long time since I've been this excited about a new musical!
Kinky Boots is about a young man named Charlie Price (played by Tony nominee Stark Sands) who inherits his father's shoe factory which is financially suffering and on the verge of bankruptcy. As fate would have it, Charlie's luck changes when a fabulous entertainer named Lola (a man in drag) visits the shoe factory in need of some sturdy stilettos. As the two work together they discover they have more in common than they ever thought possible and in the end turn the factory around.
Many critics are comparing Kinky Boots the Musical to Billy Elliot, but the only true similarity I see between the two musicals are described by the Chicago Sun Times as, "solid British working-class types opening themselves up to something just a little bit outside their traditional comfort zone, and thriving on the change of heart that comes with it."
I like the idea of shows, musicals in particular, that place people out of their comfort zones. Rodgers and Hammerstein are famous for this concept and now are considered classic, timeless and extremely traditional. There were several shows in TUTS' past seasons that caused a bit of a stir in some patrons; La Cage Aux Folles, Cabaret, Miss Saigon just to name a few. Good art should jolt you, move you, and leave a lasting impression. We should never dismiss a show as "bad" because we don't approve of the characters lifestyles or subject matter. I challenge my readers to attend a production that is slightly out of your comfort zone. When you open yourself up to more - you'll find a whole new world you never knew existed.
For those of your who might be interested in seeing Kinky Boots the Musical - it opens on Broadway March 5, 2013 at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre, under the direction of Tony Award winner Jerry Mitchell.
Have you ever experienced a musical that brought you out of your “comfort zone”? Would you be open to seeing a show like Kinky Boots?
Until next time,
Thea