Review: Kinky Boots

At the premiere of the musical Kinky Boots, people cried with sheer joy for the success of the Helsinki City Theatre.

Of course, the book itself also deeply touches as it highlights the many kinds of relationships between children and parents, employers and employees, or just lovers.

The most important thing, however, is the hopeful joy that emanates from everything, which intoxicated the entire premiere audience to jump up during the musical’s closing number.

The confusion of the performers in the face of the achieved popularity seemed so sincere that one liked to believe it to be genuine. The fumbling line formation of the final praises offered such a great climax to the heartfelt performance that one would hope that the creators would hold on to their incredulous collision and rehearse it as part of the performance.

Directed by Samuel Harjanne, the show offers spectacular show numbers at the factory conveyor belt, a fashion show on the catwalk and in the boxing ring, but the greatest merit can definitely be considered that the musical format does not prevent the creators from focusing on what is small and timid.

Based on the comedy film Kinky Boots (2005), written by Geoff Deane and Tim Firth, the musical is nicely small already in terms of plot.

Young Charlie Price (Petrus Kähkönen) has just moved to London with his girlfriend Nicola (Raili Raitala) when he learns that his father has died unexpectedly. His father has hoped that Charlie will continue his work as the manager of a traditional shoe factory owned by the family. Charlie returns to a small town and takes charge of a factory that turns out to be bankrupt.

The situation changes when Charlie encounters Lola (Lauri Mikkola), who turns out to be a drag artist, who has been in a dangerous situation on the street at night. As a result of the encounter, the factory’s shoe collection is redesigned and Lola is made the designer of the new collection.

The musical Kinky Boots (2013), written by Harvey Fierstein and composed by Cyndi Lauper, already has many delightfully straightforward solutions.

A real gem is the scene where Lola’s new collection is presented to the factory workers. The big song number is managed by repeating almost exclusively the words hello and yay.

The culmination of sensitivity and the director’s stroke of genius can be considered the scene in which Charlie and Lola, who is pressured into a man’s suit, confide in each other in the men’s room of the factory.

Lauri Mikkola is unprecedentedly enchanting as the self-confident Lola, but the young singer’s charisma carries the scenes in a downright earth-shattering way even when he is seen as Simon trampled into the ground. Simon performs his long duet with Charlie crouched in the corner of the toilet and the audience watches with bated breath.

Petrus Kähkönen is equally impressive in his role as the conventional petty bourgeois. Thanks to her precise sense of rhythm, Kähkönen is able to act in a fresh, small-minded manner, and she is also an unbeatable singer. Kähkönen’s handsomely echoed The Soulful Man towards the end of the performance becomes a great culmination for the entire musical.

Anna Victoria Eriksson also builds an effective personal image as a shoe factory employee who falls in love with her manager. Eriksson also turns out to be an incomparable comedian, whose performance of The Wrong Guys’ List is a complete firework display in terms of both singing and dancing.

A group of six-man drag queens called Lola’s Angels bring their own kind of excitement to the show and manage to surprise with their skills in connection with each number. Men have other acrobatic skills than just walking in high heels.

The new technology on the City Theatre’s main stage will not be able to dazzle the audience this time either. In the case of Kinky Boots, however, you don’t even have time to miss it. Shine and radiance bubble up from other sources.

The factory set designed by Peter Ahlqvist looks very traditional, but it provides a sufficiently functional platform and background for the musical’s amazing performers.