Theatre

Kinky Boots’ message transcends the music at the Palace Theatre in Manchester | Review

Little did we know the Manchester audience was in for a special surprise (keep reading)...

Oli Lowe - 5th February 2025

Kinky Boots strutted into Manchester last night (bet I’m the only reviewer witty enough to come up with an opening line that original) and in doing so encapsulated an audience with its inspiring message.

I want to preface this review by stating that up until last night, I knew next to nothing about Kinky Boots.

Admittedly, even as a born and raised theatre kid, there will always be the odd musical that manages to slip through the cracks and elude me, much like a cinephile who’s never seen Jaws and, shamefully, Kinky Boots is my Jaws. Until now.

This actually gave me a huge sense of excitement going into the press night for the all-new production of Kinky Boots.

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It’s very rare that I review a show that I’m not comparing to some form of source material, a different production that I’d already seen, the movie adaptation, the original cast recording, etc.

So, to sit down last night at 7:29 absolutely clueless about what was set to unfold in front of me, was a genuine breath of fresh air.

Kinky Boots is set between the towns of Northampton, London and climatically, Milan. The story follows two lead characters Charlie Price, a Northampton boy who begins the show having just inherited his late father’s shoe manufacturing business.

It’s a fate he’s been trying to run from since his childhood and Lola/Simon, a fierce and powerful drag queen who uses their dress sense and divaesque attitude as a shield from the outside world that wishes to, ironically, drag her down

The two collide when Charlie is inspired to save his late father’s failing business by exchanging the manufacturing of boring brogues for fabulous ‘kinky boots’ that can be fabulous, whilst fully supporting the weight of any drag queen.

Johannes Radebe – best known for being one of the professionals on Strictly Come Dancing – was nothing short of absolutely breathtaking as Lola.

I’ll be honest, celebrity castings generally put me off shows more than attract me to them; in some cases, they can feel like desperate pleas to get bums in seats (which given the current state of arts within the UK, production companies can hardly be blamed for).

However, Johannes genuinely seems born to play this role. I was expecting his dancing to be well… professional but I was intrigued to see how his vocals and acting would compare and boy, oh boy, did they compare. He didn’t miss a beat.

His acting was fierce and powerful, just as his character demanded whilst also showing real vulnerability and humility. In terms of individual performances, it’s one of the best I’ve seen at Manchester’s Palace Theatre for a long while.

The supporting cast was just as fabulous, with special shoutouts to Courtney Bowman who played the adorably loveable Lauren, whilst delivering serious powerhouse vocals and to Scott Paige who played George.

You could see through Scott’s performance a real sense of pride and shared experience with the story plus his comedic timing was absolutely impeccable, I hope to see more of him in the future.

With a book by Harvey Fierstein and music and lyrics by the legendary Cyndi Lauper, I must admit it’s Harvey who carries the weight in this production.

Whilst catchy enough to tap your feet to, I didn’t leave the theatre with so much as an earworm from Cyndi’s musical offering, however, the heart and passion of the story is something I think everyone should look to experience.

Kinky Boots is about accepting people for who they are instead of seeking to change them and this show does a fantastic job of encapsulating that message, not only from the standpoint of the LGBTQ+ community but for everyone.

The show implores people to accept everyone from the fiercest drag queen to the most bullish, typical ‘blokes’ out there and the way each of those groups manages to come together by the end of the production is a testament to what can happen if we all embrace each other with open arms.

Kinky Boots is only in Manchester until Saturday (8 February), so please, get tickets if you can and go and see this fabulous show. You can grab yours HERE. Who knows? Maybe you’ll get to see a living legend in the flesh like we did…

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Read more:

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Featured Images — Press Images (supplied via Palace Theatre and Opera House Manchester)