Kinky Boots at The Palace Theatre is a joyfully queer celebration of music, friendship, and acceptance! The Palace’s final offering of their 2023-2024 season is an award-winning Broadway musical. Stay tuned for the chance to win tickets to this sold-out spectacle!
After his father’s death, Charlie Price (Brian Bishop) finds himself in charge of the family’s shoe factory: Price & Son, the home of ‘practical, pragmatical, steadfast, and steady shoes.' The business is on the brink when Charlie meets Lola (Elijah Glasgow), a dazzlingly bold drag queen. Charlie discovers a demand for fabulous heels that can support drag queens as they strut their stuff. So begins an unlikely business partnership... and an even unlikelier friendship!
Kinky Boots is packed with toe-tapping tunes by pop icon, Cyndi Lauper. The soundtrack ranges from outrageously theatrical songs like “Sex Is In The Heel,” to vulnerable moments like “Not My Father’s Son.” Highlights include “The History of Wrong Guys,” a charmingly unhinged solo where Lauren (Courtney Murray) wrestles with feelings for her engaged boss, and the explosively joyful finale, “Raise You Up/Just Be,” which had the audience up on their feet.
The factory employees of Price & Son truly feel like a family as they create shoes and execute energetic choreography. Meanwhile, Lola brings along her own ensemble of local drag queens with The Angels. A large cast of over two dozen makes the stage come alive. Behind the scenes, a small army of choreographers, makeup artists, boot builders, set builders, and more contribute their talents to the production as well.
The beautiful set comes apart in many moving pieces to create new scenes. The factory floor lights hanging from the ceiling add the perfect touch, while the upper-level office encourages dynamic staging. This cleverly allows for simultaneous scenes, such as when Charlie is thinking through the factory’s dilemma upstairs while the solution is right below him: a lineup of drag queens in need of kinky boots!
The second act focuses on a critical showcase in Milan: Price & Son’s chance to unveil their new boots to the world. Charlie begins to crack under the pressure as he realizes how much of his own reputation is on the line. Meanwhile, Lola faces off with Don (Dylan Trahan), an antagonistic factory worker, and Charlie’s relationship with his fiancee, Nicola (Lynn Seward), grows strained. It’s safe to say the stakes are high!
The eight-show run of Kinky Boots is completely sold out: an accomplishment The Palace Theatre is right to be proud of! It’s joyous to see London audiences so eager for a show about acceptance and community. Crowds waited outside for friends to arrive, many were dressed in their own sparkles, and the audience cheered and hollered along with the show.
It was a night of great fun for everyone fast enough to snag tickets. If you aren't among that lucky number, we’re excited to be giving away a pair of tickets to the Thursday, May 9th show! Check out our Facebook or Instagram to enter, and congratulations to the cast and crew of Kinky Boots for putting on a sparkling production!
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