“Everybody say Yeah!” and celebrate the return of the 2013 Tony Award-winning Best Musical, Kinky Boots. After enjoying a six-year Broadway run at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre, the show will return off Broadway at Stage 42 in summer 2022. Check back for information on Kinky Boots tickets.
Based on the 2005 British film of the same name, the Kinky Boots musical adaptation boasts a high-profile creative team which were making headlines even before the first preview. Broadway veterans Jerry Mitchell (as director/choreographer) and Harvey Fierstein (as bookwriter) teamed up with Grammy Award-winning recording artist Cyndi Lauper, who wrote the music and lyrics for the show. That decision to make her first foray into musical theatre eventually proved a fruitful one, as she made history by becoming the first woman to win a Tony Award for Best Score by herself in 2013 and winning the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album in 2014.
Kinky Boots became an instant fan favorite after beginning previews at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre on March 3, 2013, and successfully opening on April 4 to positive reviews. The show-stealing role of drag queen Lola also propelled original cast member Billy Porter into Broadway stardom, earning him his first Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical. Jerry Mitchell also took home a Tony for Best Choreography, with the dance numbers performed by Lola and her entourage, the “angels,” impressing the most. And ultimately, the production fought off some tough competition from the likes of Matilda to be crowned Best Musical that season.
Kinky Boots’ overarching theme of acceptance has established it as a frontrunner in the LGBTQ community. Its sentiment is perfectly summed up in Lauper’s Act I ballad “Not My Father’s Son,” which also ends by drawing similarities between the two male leads of the musical. Regardless of sexual orientation, Kinky Boots shows everyone has common ground to find — everyone shares the trials, tribulations, and joys of being human.
Other musical numbers such as “Land of Lola,” “Sex is in the Heel,” “Raise You Up/Just Be,” and “Everybody Say Yeah” keep Kinky Boots a feel-good show throughout, with disco-pop influences that keep your toes tapping and your fingers clicking. So don your best heels and treat yourselves to a fabulous adventure at Kinky Boots off Broadway. Lola is waiting.
Tickets to Kinky Boots in New York will be available on New York Theatre Guide soon.
(Photos by Matthew Murphy)
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