Helsinki City Theatre’s new musical Kinky Boots celebrates difference and friendship
Helsinki City Theatre’s new musical this autumn is Kinky Boots (2013), composed by pop icon Cyndi Lauper and written by musical guru Harvey Fierstein. Based on the film of the same name (2005), the multi-award-winning musical celebrates difference, friendship and overcoming prejudices. The musical is directed by rising director Samuel Harjanne, who is pursuing an international career.
Young Charlie Price doesn’t have the same passion for shoes as his father and plans to pursue a career elsewhere than in the family’s shoe factory in Northampton. However, his father dies unexpectedly, and Charlie is left with the bankrupt shoe factory and its employees. A new business idea to save the factory is born when Charlie gets to know Simon, who pretends to be a drag queen named Lola. You can’t find shoes that are durable, high and kinky enough for Lola and her colleagues! The duo join forces and reach through difficulties from the twilight of a factory hall in central England to the top of the fashion world in Milan.
“Kinky Boots is in a good mood, embracing both the world and humanity. It is also a topical work in how it deals with attitudes and differences and what it means to be a man or a woman. It also deals with unemployment and financial uncertainty, family expectations and the search for one’s own direction in life,” says director Samuel Harjanne.
The role of Charlie will be played by Petrus Kähkönen , an ironclad multi-talented musician known from many City Theatre musicals, and Lola/Simon’s charismatic boots will be joined by a new promise, Lauri Mikkola, who has been found in multi-stage auditions.
Other roles are played by Raili Raitala (Nicola), Anna Victoria Eriksson (Lauren), Tero Koponen (Don), Joachim Wigelius (George) and Tomi Lappi, Henri Sarajärvi, Christoffer Strandberg, Anton Engström, Paavo Kääriäinen and Jero Mäkeläinen as Lola’s drag angels.
The conductor of the 10-piece orchestra is Eeva Kontu , and the choreographies for the 34-piece ensemble are designed by Gunilla Olsson-Karlsson. The set design is by Peter Ahlqvist and the costumes by Tuomas Lampinen. William Iles is responsible for the lighting design and Kai Poutanen for the sound design. The camouflage and hairstyles are designed by Henri Karjalainen.
Based on the screenplay based on the true events of Geoff Deane and Tim Firth (Kinky Boots, USA/UK 2005), the musical premiered on Broadway in 2013 and has since garnered numerous awards, including six Tony Awards, three Laurence Olivier Awards and a Grammy for Best Musical Theatre Album.
Watch the Kinky Boots teaser.
Premiere of the musical Kinky Boots 30.8.2018 on the big stage of the Helsinki City Theatre
34 € – 78 € (includes PM)