Review: Kinky Boots

The internationally successful musical Kinky Boots premiered yesterday at the Helsinki City Theatre.

I had seen numbers from the musical’s New York and London stages on YouTube and also a few clips of the Helsinki musical in advance on site, so I knew to expect that the City Theatre’s musical would not be overshadowed by the big musical cities in terms of spectacle and skills.

I didn’t expect that the story of the musical would be so captivating.

In the musical based on the movie Kinky Boots, Charlie Price (Petrus Kähkönen), in his twenties, is about to start his own life in London when he hears that his father has died. Charlie returns to the small town and takes on the responsibility of running his family’s traditional shoe factory.

It is soon revealed that the company is almost bankrupt. A surprising rescue is found in a nocturnal alley, where Charlie meets drag artist Lola (Lauri Mikkola). Charlie offers Lola the opportunity to design a new shoe line for men who like to wear high heels.

This is the beginning of a story about accepting differences, fathers and sons, masculinity and femininity. And above all, between them.

Director Samuel Harjanne has succeeded in creating a musical that moves from one extreme of emotion to the other, and the casting is spot on.

Few in the audience would believe that Lauri Mikkola, who plays the lead role, put on high heels for the first time only during the audition? On stage, Mikkola captures Lola’s brilliance, but also her humanity.

The scene in the men’s room where Lola tells Charlie her story is particularly memorable.

“Can Kinky Boots do the hype?”

Petrus Kähkönen, who is seen as Charlie, sings and plays the story of Charlie’s growing up believably and without sparing himself.

There are also funny performances in the supporting supporting roles. Anna Victoria Eriksson, who plays Lauren, who has a crush on Charlie, gets the biggest laughs out of the audience.

The most spectacular show numbers are set to the rhythm of Lola’s angels. And the audience loved them. Like the entire working group.

I counted that I have seen the last 13 premieres of a musical at the City Theatre, but I have never seen the ecstasy and the amount of standing ovations that the Kinky team received yesterday.

On the way home, my friend and I wondered if Kinky Boots could do the same thing that the musical Hype did in the 90s?

Kinky Boots is a musical that, at its best, can change the world for the better. Maybe this means that the day is a little closer when a boy wearing high heels is seen as neutral as kicking a football?