THESE BOOTS ARE MADE FOR FUN
Kinky Boots: The Musical is back in San Francisco, again at the Victoria Theater for a month-long run. Based on the same-titled 2005 film written by Geoff Deane and Tim Firth, the hit Broadway musical with songs by Cyndi Lauper and book by Harvey Fierstein tells the story of Charlie Price’s attempt to save his family-owned shoe factory. For those of you who don’t know: kinky boots have very high heels and a pointed toe that goes as high as one’s thigh. They are usually brightly colored with shiny material promoting a very sexy look. And Ray of Light Theatre’s production shines even brighter than the shoes.
Based on actual events, the frothy and diverting show explores and exploits the unlikely partnership between two very different dreamers with father issues a la Billy Elliott. (Their “Not My Father’s Son” is a male-bonding anthem par excellence.) Charlie Price (supple and good-hearted Jake Gale) has inherited his dad’s failing business. But he refuses to turn the redundant factory into condos, abandoning the Northhampton folks who’ve been making shoes for the Prices all Charlie’s life. Then there’s African-British Simon/Lola (Marshall Forte, riding a thespian rollercoaster), a London drag queen/amateur boxer whose fellow female impersonators need a shoemaker who can give their footwear the necessary strength to fit their size and style. As Lola put it, “Sex Is in the Heel.”
Director/choreographer Alex Rodriguez uses a live band led by Ben Prince and mostly local Bay Area performers; there’s not a weak performance in this immensely talented cast. With additional dancemaking by Dane Paul Andres, the standouts in the dancing department are Lola (Forte) and her girls: the Angels (played by Dane Paul Andres, Jon Gary Harris, Zachary Isen & Gustavo Morales). The assembly-line dance bits, like the first-act finale “Everybody Say Yeah” that features strenuous hoofing on rolling conveyor belts, are infectious delights. The sets by Eric Broadwater are class-conscious carpentry at its best. Given Maggie Whittaker, Sara Altier, and Shane Ray‘s glorious costumes, with their eye-popping sequins and leg-loving leather, this romp gives new meaning (and a double pun) to boot camp.
Let me tell you something. In these tough times, it turns out that Kinky Boots is just the show we need. The production’s gentle, upbeat, good humor flowed over me like a balm for the craziness of the outside world. It is almost churlish to dwell on the negative elements but even if you whip up a mountain from the show’s molehill of cavils, this crowd-pleaser remains just a beguiling, feelgood musical. I refuse to be the grumpus who says otherwise.
photos courtesy of ROLT
Kinky Boots
Ray of Light Theatre
Victoria Theatre (480 seats), 2961 16th Street (between Mission and Capp)
ends on October 8, 2022
for tickets, visit SF KINKY or ROLT
