Review: Kinky Boots

I have to admit that I hadn’t even heard of Kinky Boots until the Helsinki City Theatre published it in its programme for the upcoming season and the commercials appeared on the streets. Even at that point, it didn’t arouse interest even enough for me to google what it was all about. It was only in the last few days that I looked into other viewer comments and international articles and said “wow, this could be pretty good”.

Kinky Boots is based on the 2005 film of the same name, which was adapted into a musical a few years later. The story is inspired by real events, although it has naturally been modified into a more cinematic form. Joy, friendship and acceptance of oneself and fellow human beings as they are is a message that we want to convey to the viewer. And that’s not a bad message.

The music and lyrics for the musical version were created by Cyndi Lauper, who rose to prominence in the 80s. Back in the day, Cyndi said “Girls just want to have fun”, but now men can do it too. The compositions and choreographies are so fast-paced and captivating that even the most grumpy Finnish man starts to wiggle without even noticing. Add to this some glitter, glitter and a light show (and high heels, lots of high heels), and the action on stage is really amazing to watch. The energy is also retained throughout the performance. There were hardly any stagnant phases.

There were no weak links in the cast, but especially the lead actors Lauri Mikkola and Petrus Kähkönen were phenomenal. Mikkola, who has become known as a singer, is a new acquaintance for me on the theatre stage, even though this is not her first appearance in those circles either. And based on what I’ve seen, I could predict that my career won’t be short. That’s how convincing she was both in terms of her singing skills and her stage presence. Kähkönen, on the other hand, is already an old hand in musicals and knows their tricks and tricks. Even now, especially alongside Lola, she makes the slightly boring Charlie an interesting and genuine character. The director’s chair was Samuel Harjanne, who has clearly found his passion in musicals and directed many great musicals in recent years. Excellent work.

The set was suitably large and impressive. Yet quickly bending to different needs. The translations of the songs are successful and the orchestra’s playing was exemplary. Technically, things were also top-notch. The lyrics were clear all the time, with the music roaring loudly. This was important, as the lyrics were a significant part of the story. The costumes stretched from the mundane of a British factory worker to the exaggerated boldness of Lola and her angels.

In recent years, I have seen so many “forcibly written” musicals circulating all over Finland, where they have tried to cram existing music into the performance, that I had practically forgotten how much better such a “real” musical can be. Every small part has been thoughtfully prepared just for this performance to promote the atmosphere, the story or both.

If you have dreamed of one day going to New York to see a big Broadway show, now you can save both nature and the price of plane tickets by going to see HKT’s Kinky Boots. I find it hard to believe that even on Broadway this has been done with any higher quality.