Kinky Boots became a phenomenon that changed the world
The performance season of the super-popular musical Kinky Boots ended last weekend at the Helsinki City Theatre. The musical was seen by about 100,000 spectators in 107 sold-out performances. Based on the audience feedback received by the theatre, we can talk about a theatre performance that changed the world, or at least the way individuals look at the world, influenced attitudes and gave courage.
Kinky Boots , composed by Cyndi Lauper and written by Harvey Fierstein , celebrated love, friendship, difference and overcoming prejudice, premiered at the Helsinki City Theatre in August 2018. The musical, which was relatively unknown in Finland, captivated audiences, and as many as 12,000 tickets were sold in the week after the premiere.
“Kinky Boots surprised us all. Surely behind the success is its important message, which the director and other creators were passionate about. And, of course, its extremely fine execution. The musical is about accepting differences and questioning traditional gender roles. The topic seemed to hit and touch everyone. There were different generations and different people in the hall who wanted to experience the same thing,” says theatre director Kari Arffman.
“Along the way, we creators and the theatre have received numerous really touching messages from the audience about how the performance has really and concretely changed the lives of these people or their loved ones, changed perceptions and given courage. Art really can change the world!”, says director Samuel Harjanne, who will also direct HKT’s upcoming Disney musical The Little Mermaid, which premieres on 29 August. The performers and artistic design team of the theatre’s largest musical investment to date also include other people familiar from Kinky Boots , such as set designer Peter Ahlqvist, choreographer Gunilla Olsson-Karlsson, lighting designer William Iles and sound designer Kai Poutanen.
The story of Kinky Boots will continue in the autumn of 2020, when the musical will have a new premiere at the Tampere Workers’ Theatre as a unique concept collaboration between the two theatres. The successful musical will be seen in Tampere as a production according to the plan of HKT’s production director Samuel Harjanne’s working group. The stage combines the diamond expertise of TTT’s skilled musical actors and the key roles of HKT’s original cast.
Watch the video we put together from the last performance day of Kinky Boots, which recaps the past year and this musical that has grown into a phenomenon!
Helsinki City Theatre ticket office, First Line 2, Mon-Fri 9 a.m. to 5.30 p.m., Eläintarhantie 5 Sat 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and one hour before the performance and Lippupiste Mon-Sat 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sun 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., tel. 0600 900 900 (2 €/min + local network charge)
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Press photos can be found in the image bank and press releases in the newsroom.
Further information, media ticket reservations and interview requests: Helsinki City Theatre, Communications Officer Kaisa Pelkonen, kaisa.pelkonen@hkt.fi, 040 552 3788
Helsinki City Theatre, Ensi linja 2, 00530 Helsinki