The title Kinky Boots may sound something along the lines of Puss In Boots, however it is quite the opposite. Kinky Boots, a new opening musical at Al Hirschfeld Theatre, will make you think twice about your sexual orientation. This musical is based off of the original movie made in 2005, with music by Cyndi Lauper, book by Harvey Fierstein, and direction by Jerry Mitchell.

Kinky Boots captures the story of how a young man named Charlie must save his father’s shoe factory and discovers his passion with the help of cross-dressing drag queen Lola. The storyline itself displays a great snippet of life viewed through a magnifying glass, only a portion of what the everyday world is like. The storyline conveys reality, with a fun twist. Gregg Barnes’s costumes for the angels and Lola are fantastic! Flamboyant colors clearly define each personality, and are very much an attention grabber. Jerry Mitchell is worth the praise by many for the lively and artistically exceptional choreography. However, the choreography is only interesting regarding the angels. The factory workers’ dance numbers is bland, uninteresting, and quite a bore. Although they are not characterized in the libretto as outgoing people compared to the angels, there needs to be an element of direction – a sense of liveliness.

Billy Porteras Lola brought the house down. It is difficult to play such a strong and complicated character, and Porter fits the role perfectly. He brings a bold presence that takes my breath away. He portrays Lola’s confidence and Simon’s (Lola’s original name) sensitivity, giving us a true sense of a complicated human character. Stark Sands as Charlie conveys another condition that most of us have experienced before or are in the process of doing so. The “woe is me, for I am passionless and lost” type. Although Charlie is not as strong a character, Sands did well. Overall, Kinky Boots brings a very realistic complexity to characters, well cast to present such complications on stage. The birth of a new gemstone in the center of the Theatre District has arrived: A treasure of true individuality, striking a balance between comedy and reality