You’re going to miss a lot if you don’t go see “Kinky Boots” at Red Mountain Theatre.
You’ll miss vibrant choreography and direction, thanks (on both counts) to Robin Lewis. You’ll miss some of the most colorful, glitzy costumes on a Birmingham stage, thanks to Sharon Morgan. You’ll miss an excellent leading cast and ensemble, a mammoth set from designer Kimberly Powers, and wigs and makeup taking the spotlight, thanks to designer Holly McClendon. You’ll also miss what is basically a very sweet and touching story about friendship, acceptance and being yourself.
But the biggest thing you’ll miss is Cecil Washington Jr. as Lola. Take your pick of superlatives – spectacular, mesmerizing, dynamic, powerful – and he is it. A true superstar, Washington takes the character of Lola, already the heart and soul and driving force behind “Kinky Boots,” and takes it to new heights, thanks in no small part to the heels he’s wearing most of the night.
Based on a 2005 British movie, with music and lyrics by Cyndi Lauper and book by Harvey Fierstein, “Kinky Boots” opened on Broadway in 2013 and ran for six years.
The story is about Charlie Price, who reluctantly inherits a failing shoe factory from his father and ends up forging a partnership with a drag queen named Lola to save the dying business.
The show won six Tony Awards, including Best Musical, and Red Mountain is presenting its Birmingham premiere.
And what a premiere it is.
Lewis has assembled a stage filled with actors, dancers and singers who are obviously having a blast (at least they were during a preview performance Wednesday night). Some are in drag, some are not, but all are top-notch performers.
Washington is fantastic, but his partner in crime, Davis Haines as Charlie, ranks right up there, too. He’s grown up at Red Mountain and most recently appeared in “Once,” and he’s pitch-perfect for the role of Charlie, the likeable factory owner. Haines shows off his fantastic voice with both the poignant “The Soul of a Man” and the rollicking “Everybody Say Yeah” and “Raise You Up,” among others.
Likewise with Meg Young as Lauren, who is funny as a factory worker pining for Charlie. She shines in “The History of Wrong Guys,” her solo number, but she also stands out in some of the ensemble numbers she’s a part of.
Some other standouts: Caleb Clark, fresh off “Company” at the Virginia Samford Theatre, as Don, who isn’t as fond of Lola as Charlie and the others; Caitlin Brianna Hicks as Charlie’s fiancée, Nicola; and the always stalwart Saxon Murrell, so funny with just a look or a flip of his hand as George.
This really is an ensemble effort, though, and everyone pulls their weight, including Nathan Johnson and Cole Quinney as young Simon/Lola and young Charlie (Ellis Chapman McElroy will alternate with Quinney in that role); Jared Max Wright, Darius Marshall, Sam Purkey, Ara Turner, Marcus Johnson, Will Vickers, Nick Linhardt, Sara James, Chelsea Reynolds (jumping in for an ailing Jessica Clark, who will return to the cast later), Thomas McFerran, Bill Martin, Terrance Campbell, McKenna Shaw, Aidan Alford, Toy Matthews, Jeff DeGarmo, Mackey Atkinson, Aurkheem Jolley and Stephani Zeigler.
You can see that’s a lot of people that Lewis and music director Anthony Smith had to corral, and it comes off like clockwork. Others who have a hand in it are associate music director Brent Mauldin, lighting designer Brad Cozby, sound designer Patric MacDonald and stage manager Brian Haven.
They all combine to bring us a vibrant, joyous night of theater. Though the ending is a little contrived, especially considering an exchange between Charlie and Lola just prior to it, “Kinky Boots” has a wonderful message at its core – tolerance, acceptance and love — and we can all use a little bit of that these days.
“Kinky Boots” runs through June 26 at Red Mountain Theatre, 1600 Third Ave. South. Tickets are available here and at the box office.
