By Joanne Engelhardt
Seeing Kinky Boots at City Lights Theater in San Jose is a little like witnessing a 2 ½-hour earthquake: It’s guaranteed to shake you right down to your boots, shoes, slippers or whatever else you’re currently wearing on your feet.
The much-acclaimed musical starts out rather innocently, with a young white boy befriending a young black boy – a very brief prologue. Face it: with book by Harvey Fierstein and music/lyrics by Cyndi Lauper, it would require some pretty poor directing decisions to make Boots a disappointment.
That doesn’t happen here., although it starts out slowly with a grown-up, Milquetoast-like Charlie Price (Matt Locke) torn between taking over his father’s faltering shoe company in Northampton and moving to London where Nicola (Amber Smith), his demanding fianceé, wants to live.
That would mean laying off all of the long-time employees of Price & Son. Charlie is torn between going broke making shoes nobody wants to buy or shutting down the business altogether.
. . . A scuffle in a dark alley changes his life – and that of a transvestite named Lola . . .
It’s almost as if Barton “Bart” Perry is made to play the part of Lola (Simon when he’s not in drag.). He’s equally at ease playing both roles, although in San Jose he’s definitely kickin’ it as Lola.
What City Lights also has going for it is a secondary tier of actors who do a credible job of both singing and acting. AJ Jaffari as Harry, one of Charlie’s drinking buddies, is one and Dane Lentz as George is another. Both Karen DeHart and Molly Thornton as female factory workers have strong voices and show good acting skills.
Lauren Berling as Lauren is a somewhat happy surprise. She’s just part of the Price & Son work team until Charlie asks her to do some administrative work in his office. She’s dumbfounded that he even notices her, and it’s then that she blossoms, both in her role and as a singer.
Scenic designer Ron Gasparinetti’s versatile set works perfectly on the City Lights stage. Initially the audience sits outside the tall walls of the shoe factory, which seamlessly fade away to reveal a two-story set with rolling benches where shoes are measured, cut and sewn. Lysander Abadia’s choreography is lively and fun, and Samuel Cisneros provides fine vocal direction.
Costume designer Kailyn Erb, assisted by Gloria Garcia Stanley, must have had her hands full creating costumes for the 20+ cast members. The best ones, of course, fit on Lola and her four tall, leggy “Angels.”
Here’s a tip: Just sit back and enjoy an evening of fun, entertainment and song. Some of the best: “”Take What You’ve Got,” “Sex is in the Heel,” “Everybody Say Yeah,” “The Soul of a Man” and the uplifting “Raise You Up.”
Ticket sales have been so strong that Artistic Director Mallette decided to extend the show through Aug. 27th. Grab a seat while you can!
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Aisle Seat Executive Reviewer Joanne Engelhardt is a Peninsula theatre writer and critic. She is a voting member of the SF Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle (SFBATCC). Contact: [email protected]
| Production | Kinky Boots |
|---|---|
| Written by | Harvey Fierstein |
| Music & Lyrics by | Cindi Lauper |
| Directed by | Lisa Mallette and Mark Anderson Phillips |
| Producing Company | City Lights Theater Company |
| Production Dates | Thru Aug 27th |
| Production Address | 529 S. Second St., San Jose |
| Website | www.cltc.org |
| Telephone | (408) 295-4200 |
| Tickets | $24 – $65 |
| Reviewer Score | Max in each category is 5/5 |
| Overall | 4.8/5 |
| Performance | 4.6/5 |
| Script | 4.8/5 |
| Stagecraft | 4.8/5 |
| Aisle Seat Review Pick? | YES! |