‘Kinky Boots’ triumphantly kicks back to town No sign of fatigue as Tony-winning musical returns to Playhouse Square for short stay

By Bob Abelman

The national tour of “Kinky Boots” has strutted back to Cleveland for a limited engagement after its near sell-out stay just over a year ago.

The tour seems to be crossing the country with nothing but abbreviated stops in assorted cities, a sign that it is picking up dates as it is phases out of its two-year run. With all this short-term travel comes the possibility that performers may be phoning in performances that lack stamina, enthusiasm and attention span.

Not to worry. This production is spectacular, and the performers are as vested as they are remarkably talented.

“Kinky Boots” is based on the 2005 British film with music by pop star Cyndi Lauper and a script make-over by Tony Awardwinning theater legend Harvey Fierstein.

It follows Charlie Price (Adam Kaplan), an aspiring businessman who is forced to give up his big-city dreams and high-maintenance girlfriend (Charissa Hogeland) to save the family’s shoe factory in Northern England. Inspired by an accidental run-in with a cabaret drag queen (J. Harrison Ghee, who has been promoted from the drag ensemble since the show’s last visit), Charlie — with the help of the lovable Lola — retool and resuscitate the factory and their lives by making high-end, highheeled boots for men who like to dress as women.

The show also features local actress and Baldwin Wallace University grad Patty Lohr, who has been with the production since it started touring.

In my original review, I suggested that “Kinky Boots” is the love child of the musicals “Billy Elliot” and “Priscilla: Queen of the Desert.”

“Billy Elliot” is also based on a British film, is infused with music by a pop star (Elton John), and features a young boy’s struggle against the odds to make his dream (becoming a ballet dancer) come true.

“Priscilla: Queen of the Desert” is based on an Australian movie produced by a pop icon (Bette Midler) about two drag-queen entertainers and one aging transsexual who struggle against the odds and take an epic road trip through the outback.

Like these musicals, “Kinky Boots” is a blatantly sentimental, defiantly feelgood story about outsiders gaining acceptance without compromising their souls. They create a world where dreams come true, perseverance pays off and goodhearted, hard-working but initially closed-minded blue-collar workers open their eyes and their hearts and are better for it.

“Kinky Boots” continues to push all the right emotional buttons to get us to care about these collectively lovable characters, their causes and their accomplishments. It does it by saturating the stage with incredible production values and nonstop entertainment, which earned the show 2013 Tony Awards for Best Score, Best Choreography, Best Orchestrations, as well as Best Musical.

Set designer David Rockwell has created an industrial factory framework that houses all the action and thatcleverly and quickly transforms into different locations with each turn of a rotating central set piece and Kenneth Posner’s creative manipulation of dramatic lighting.

All this activity is set to rock-based anthems that give Lola and her sextet of exceptionally fit drag queens (Joseph Anthony Byrd, Sam Dowling, Ian Gallagher Fitzgerald, J.P. Qualters, Xavier Reyes and Sam Rohloff) an opportunity to strut their stuff in Gregg Barnes’ outrageous costuming and under Jerry Mitchell’s superb direction and choreography.

The show is filled with impeccably staged, highvolume production numbers such as “Sex Is in the Heel,” in which Ghee’s growling, affected delivery channels a “Rocky Horror Picture Show”-era Tim Curry.

But there are ballads, as well, such as the touching “Not My Father’s Son” duet by Lola and Charlie. Other wonderfully written and delivered songs, including the very funny “The History of Wrong Guys” sung by Lauren (the adorable Tiffany Engen), a factory worker and love interest for Charlie, add dimension and even more diversity to this show.

Remove the drag queen costuming — figuratively — and “Kinky Boots” is certainly formulaic and familiar fare. But it is also an absolute pleasure from start to finish and show worth seeing. Again.

“Kinky Boots” continues to push all the right emotional buttons to get us to care about these collectively lovable characters, their causes and their accomplishments. It does it by saturating the stage with incredible production values and nonstop entertainment, which earned the show 2013 Tony Awards for Best Score, Best Choreography, Best Orchestrations, as well as Best Musical.