OGDEN — Red leather? Yes. Thigh-high boots? Yes. Incredible dancing? Yes! And the Zigfield Theater provides so much more than that. Their production of Kinky Boots, with music and lyrics by Cyndi Lauper and book by Harvey Fierstein, was a blast, to say the least. This was my first time at “the Zig,” and it was impressive.
Show closes July 23, 2023.
Kinky Boots is based on a movie by the same title, which was inspired by true events. Charlie Price is the son of a London shoe factory owner, and he is not interested in learning the family business. When his dad dies suddenly, he comes back to the country in shame, and with the help of Lola, a drag queen, is able to save the shoe company that had been going under, preserve the jobs of everyone he had grown up to care for, and help a group of people get the kind of shoes they needed, all while living up to his father’s wishes of running the shoe factory.
Two directors teamed up for this show, and their efforts paid off. Jordyn Aspen and Jeremy Sidwell created a story that was fun and vibrant, but also meaningful to those who performed. This cast worked hard to share the play’s messages of love, inclusion, and bravery. The show was well staged, with every actor absorbed in their role, and the blocking flowing nicely. I loved the use of space as they brought in rolling desks for some scenes and removed them temporarily to provide a dance floor. I also appreciated how well characters interacted with each other, like when Charlie and Harry were doing shots in the “Take What You Got” scene. The only thing I wish there had been more clarity on was the time period, because the dialogue seemed to fit 1970s to 1990s, but Charlie pulled out a modern cell-phone multiple times. (The play is based on events that happened in the late 1990s.)
Fierstein excelled in writing funny lines, like when Lola is walking off stage yelling, “And make it RED!” or when Lola tries to get away from Charlie on the street and squints to see through the dark, asking, “Is that a taxi cab or a cop car? I guess I’ll find out when I offer him money.” Lola, played by Andre’-Mar’Quis Mitchell, got the best lines throughout the show, and he was fabulous in the role. I loved how confident Mitchell played his character, as he was often getting up in people spaces teasingly. His voice was powerful and melodious, and his song “Not My Father’s Son” was very moving.
Charlie Price was played by Alma Lambson, and though he did not have the strong voice that the role required, Lambson made the character work through his earnest acting. Lambson’s perseverance through the vocally challenging songs worked in his favor for the performance because it meshed well with Charlie’s desperation to succeed in the business. Lambson was a strongest in his acting, especially the scene when he is on a deadline to finish the shoes and starts yelling at all the workers.
The set, designed by Nikolas Mikkelsen, was minimal and dull colors, which worked perfectly to allow the characters colorful costumes (designed by Stephanie Colyar and Morgan Parry) to stand out. And those costumes were amazing! I loved the angels’ wardrobe, consisting of sparkles, a variety of fishnet tights any woman would be envious to own, and thigh-high boots. I especially liked the costumes for Angel 5 (played by Mejai Perry), one of which was a silk belly shirt and skirt. Perry was the most energetic and acrobatic Angel of all; he was so skilled he almost took the limelight away from the main characters. I would love to see Perry in a main role in future.
The Ziegfeld Theater’s production of Kinky Boots has so many people who worked together to create a masterpiece. The directors, production team, and cast strongly communicated a message of letting people be who they are, and respecting each other. Shows like this can be an example of a powerful reconciliation between two differing belief systems, and I appreciate the Zigfield Theater for bringing this show to Utah.
