Market Theatre’s production of the award-winning Broadway musical Kinky Boots will be bursting with sparkling costumes, music that will make you want to get up and dance and sing along with the cast (please refrain from doing so, however), and a powerful story. Directed and Choreographed by Jonathan “Thor” Raines and Mary Haley Thompson, Kinky Boots was inspired by the true story of Steve Pateman and the shoe factory that had been in his family for four generations.
Steve Pateman, the real-life inspiration for the character of Charlie Price in Kinky Boots. www.bossinboots.co.uk
After Steve’s father passed away, Steve was responsible for running the family business in Northamptonshire, England. The factory had made fisherman waders and boots for soldiers in WW1 and WW2, but the changing economy and imports from abroad affected shoe factories across the region. Steve had to fire many long-time workers and was on the verge on shutting down. A phone call changed all of that.
A store that sold boots and costumes for drag entertainers had a problem. Their boots worn by two-hundred pound men couldn’t support their weight. The store owner asked Steve if he could create a boot that would. Although Steve wasn’t a shoe designer, he decided to try. After investing his time and money, he invented a method of making thigh-high boots with a steel rod in the heel and sole. He called the new line of boots Divine Wear. Everyone knows the only way to sell fashion is to introduce it at a fashion trade show.
(Left) Pateman’s memoir (www.bossinboots.co.uk); (Right) Poster for the 2005 film Kinky Boots.
Steve was prepared for the show but needed models. He tried to get the men from his factory to try them on. No one would do it, so Steve shaved his legs, went to the show, and wore the newly designed boots. They were a success. The factory was back in business. The BBC heard about this and decided to feature the family’s business, W J Brooks Factory, on its hit show Trouble at the Top. The episode drew five million viewers. The BBC called the episode “Kinky Boots.” In 2005, a movie directed by Julian Jarrold and written by Geoff Deane and Tim Firth based on the story was released. When award-winning director Jerry Mitchell saw the film, he was inspired to create a musical. He collaborated with his friend Harvey Firestien to write the book for the musical but needed someone to write the music and lyrics.
www.bossinboots.co.uk
Cyndi Lauper says she was washing dishes when Firestien called her. He told her to watch the movie Kinky Boots and decide if she would accept the challenge of writing the music and lyrics. She had no experience with musicals, but she was drawn to the story and said yes. She began listening to every Rogers and Hammerstein soundtrack, took inspiration from classical music such as Rachmaninoff, and talked with Broadway musical stars. She wanted it to be perfect and wanted every song to tell a story. Kinky Boots was nominated for thirteen Tony Awards, winning six, including Best Musical, Best Leading Man, and Best Original Score. Lauper made history as the first woman, without a writing partner, to win the Tony Award for Best Score. The iconic red boots are displayed at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.
In the musical, the character Charlie Price is inspired by Steve Pateman. Unlike Steve, Charlie does not want to stay in his hometown and take over the family shoe factory. He moves to London with his fiancé. When his father suddenly dies, he returns home to find the factory is in financial trouble. Charlie’s fiancé wants him to shut the factory down, but the workers in the factory are like family to Charlie. He can’t walk away. A chance encounter with Lola, a drag queen entertainer, changes everything. Lola suggests that Charlie make fashionable boots that will hold up to the weight of men. Charlie eventually perfects a process for making the boots, but the factory workers aren’t supportive of the idea. Lola and Charlie work together to encourage the workers to get behind the idea to save the factory. Lola and Charlie discover they have more in common than making boots. They both feel as if they haven’t lived up to their fathers’ expectations. The next major obstacle is getting to the fashion show in Milan to introduce the new boots. This complication creates tension and conflict. You will see how this all works out in the production.
(Top) The original Broadway cast of Kinky Boots; (Bottom) Market Theatre cast members Caleb Jackson as Lola and Aaron Pennington as Charlie Price.
Kinky Boots is more than a musical about drag queens and boots. It is a story many people have experienced – the feeling of not living up to the expectation of parents, family, friends, or loved ones. It is a story of friendship, acceptance, empathy, dignity, regrets, understanding, and being one’s authentic self.
The 2013 Macy’s Day Thanksgiving featured Billy Porter and some of the cast performing the finale song. Macy’s tradition of spotlighting the best Broadway musical of the year in the parade has been standard since the 60s. Some took to social media suggesting it wasn’t appropriate for the parade. The next day, the biggest shopping day of the year, shoppers crowded into Macy’s for the sales. Billy Porter dressed as Lola while other cast members donned their boots from the show and, along with Harvey Firestein, went shopping with the crowds. They conversed with shoppers, and some customers asked for their help picking out gifts. Harvey Firestein told a reporter from“Page Six” (a column in the New York Times), “You have to start a dialogue, and you can’t have a dialogue unless someone says something first.”
Come and experience the music, the dance, the costumes, and the incredible cast. Stay for a while in the lobby after the performance and join in dialogue with friends and family as well as members of the cast and crew. You will want to get your tickets early for this production. It is sure to be a sellout!
