Heart-warming and fun-filled musical Kinky Boots strutted into the Grand Opera House York last night.
Another York premiere for York Stage, this production is directed by Nik Briggs with musical direction from Jessica Douglas and choreography by AJ Powell.
The musical has music and lyrics by Cyndi Lauper and book by Harvey Fierstein, and follows Charlie Price from Northampton who takes over his father’s failing shoe factory and finds his niche market after meeting drag queen Lola.
With genuinely jaw-dropping sets and dazzling costumes, York Stage have created a spectacle that elevates amateur theatre to dizzying heights — and what a joy it is to witness.
This is a musical filled with so much heart — and York Stage deliver it in spades.
The musical takes a few songs to get going — not a criticism of this production but a more general problem with the show itself — but once Land of Lola starts we as the audience were firmly in the palm of the performers’ hands.
The three leads are all very good and exceed at immediately endearing us to their characters.
Damien Poole (Charlie) captures Charlie’s struggle to find his place in the world very well. He has fantastic vocal range and performs more upbeat numbers like Step One to the emotional gut-punch Soul of a Man with flair. His chemistry with Samuel Lewis’ Lola is one of the highlights of the show.
Samuel Lewis (Lola) is quite simply, a star. A true triple threat, his comedic timing is sublime and he commands the stage as soon as he steps in. His vocals are gorgeous, and my favourite moment in the show was his rendition of Not My Father’s Son — and when he steps forward for the ballad Hold Me in Your Heart he is breathtaking.
Amy Barrett is a wonderfully lovable Lauren and she has some beautiful vocal moments, and her performance of The History of Wrong Guys will no doubt put a smile on your face as she jumps around the stage.
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Finn East as factory worker Don is a stand-out performance — and his triumphant line “you change the world when you change your mind” is a true punch-the-air tears-in-your-eyes moment. Nicola Holliday does well in a difficult role as Charlie’s fiance Nicola, and it’s lovely to see her vocals shine in a moment at the end of the show.
The Angels — aka Lola’s drag queen entourage — are incredible as they strut, sing and dance across the stage.
The choreography is fun, vibrant and high-energy. The audience were clearly having a fantastic time, with plenty of laughs and cheering throughout. I truly don’t know how you could leave this show without a huge smile on your face.
By the time we reach the joyful finale of Raise You Up/Just Be, give in to the urge to get up in your seat and start dancing and celebrate living out loud.
Kinky Boots is at the Grand Opera House until Saturday 24 September. Tickets start from £13 and are available here.