KINKY BOOTS is the winner of every major BEST MUSICAL award, including the Tony, the Grammy and London’s Olivier Award. Based on true events, this huge-hearted hit tells the story of two people with nothing in common -- or so they think! Charlie is a factory owner struggling to save his family business. Lola is a fabulous entertainer with a wildly exciting idea. With a little compassion and a lot of understanding, this unexpected pair learns to embrace their differences and creates a line of sturdy stilettos unlike any the world has ever seen! But in the end, their most sensational achievement is their friendship.
Featuring 16 original songs by CYNDI LAUPER, a book by HARVEY FIERSTEIN, and direction and choreography by JERRY MITCHELL, this joyous sensation "struts its stuff with sparkle, stilettos and heart!" (Sydney Morning Herald). There’s never been a better time to experience KINKY BOOTS, Broadway’s "dazzling, sassy and uplifting" (Time Out) smash!
We can credit costume designer Gregg Barnes with the boots - they really are luscious. But similar originality evades most of the songs, which, though tuneful enough, fade from the mind as soon as the last note has sounded. A few exceptions are The History of Wrong Guys, a clever girl/dumb choices number milked gleefully by Annaleigh Ashford, and I'm Not My Father's Son, a duet for Sands and Porter. Most of the others, even those that promise well, ultimately come across as generic, accomplishing little in terms of revealing character or driving plot. Certainly there's nothing to rival the poignancy of Time After Time, or even the daffy joy of She Bop. Still, Broadway audiences just wanna have fun, and if it means giving a standing O to a uneven book and score, they'll do it.
But there is also news in this entirely predictable, tenderly unassuming extravaganza, written by Harvey Fierstein ('La Cage') and directed by Jerry Mitchell ('Legally Blonde') with almost scene-by-scene, line-by-line fidelity to the film. That news -- and it is very good indeed -- is Cyndi Lauper, who makes a smashing Broadway debut as composer and lyricist...Lauper, unlike many recent theatrical pop-crossovers, changes her sounds to illuminate each character without losing her identity...Lauper and Fierstein are never onstage, but their spirits elevate a very conventional show with wit and sweetness.
2013 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
2014 | US Tour |
First National Tour US Tour |
2015 | West End |
West End West End |
2017 | US Tour |
Non-Equity National Tour US Tour |
2022 | Off-Broadway |
Off-Broadway Production Off-Broadway |
Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
---|---|---|---|
2013 | BroadwayWorld Awards | Best Choreography | Jerry Mitchell |
2013 | BroadwayWorld Awards | Best Costume Design | Gregg Barnes |
2013 | BroadwayWorld Awards | Best Featured Actress in a Musical | Annaleigh Ashford |
2013 | BroadwayWorld Awards | Best Leading Actor in a Musical | Billy Porter |
2013 | BroadwayWorld Awards | Best Orchestrations | Stephen Oremus |
2013 | BroadwayWorld Awards | Best Score | Cyndi Lauper |
2013 | BroadwayWorld Awards | Best Sound Design of a Musical | John Shivers |
2013 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Actor in a Musical | Billy Porter |
2013 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical | Annaleigh Ashford |
2013 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Billy Porter |
2013 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Stark Sands |
2013 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Production of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Musical | 0 |
2013 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Actor in a Musical | Billy Porter |
2013 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Book of a Musical (Broadway or Off-Broadway) | 0 |
2013 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Choreographer | Jerry Mitchell |
2013 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Costume Design (Play or Musical) | Gregg Barnes |
2013 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Director of a Musical | Jerry Mitchell |
2013 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical | Daniel Stewart Sherman |
2013 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical | Annaleigh Ashford |
2013 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding New Broadway Musical | 0 |
2013 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding New Score (Broadway or Off-Broadway) | 0 |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Book of a Musical | Harvey Fierstein |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Choreography | Jerry Mitchell |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Costume Design of a Musical | Gregg Barnes |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Direction of a Musical | Jerry Mitchell |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Lighting Design of a Musical | Kenneth Posner |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Hunter Arnold |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Kinky Boots |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Jujamcyn Theaters |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Warren Trepp |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Brian Smith/Tom & Connie Walsh |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Michael DeSantis/Patrick Baugh |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | BB Group/Christina Papagjika |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Jim Kierstead/Gregory Rae |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Ron Fierstein & Dorsey Regal |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Bryan Bantry |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Lucy & Phil Suarez |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Ken Davenport |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Allan S. Gordon & Adam S. Gordon |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Jane Bergere |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Yasuhiro Kawana |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Just for Laughs Theatricals/Judith Ann Abrams |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Jayne Baron Sherman |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | CJ E&M |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Independent Presenters Network |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Terry Allen Kramer |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | James L. Nederlander |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Hal Luftig |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Daryl Roth |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Orchestrations | Stephen Oremus |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre | Cyndi Lauper |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical | Stark Sands |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical | Billy Porter |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical | Annaleigh Ashford |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Scenic Design of a Musical | David Rockwell |
2013 | Tony Awards | Best Sound Design of a Musical | John Shivers |
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