****

“A drag queen puts on a dress and becomes Cleopatra. A transvestite puts on a dress and more likely than not looks like Winston Churchill in his knickers!” So says our fabulous protagonist queen Lola, who indeed exudes all the glamour of Egyptian Queen Cleo.  

Yes, its humour can be a little close to the bone. But Kinky Boots is so good-natured, it’d be hard to take offence - even to the remark that black, my favourite clothing colour, ‘is for wannabes’. Cheek. 

For those unfamiliar, the story sees Charlie Price struggling to keep the Northampton family shoe factory afloat when he comes across Lola, a drag queen in need of some sturdy shoes, and decides that ‘women’s shoes for men’ is the new niche he needs to turn fortunes around. But his decision isn’t popular with everyone: his fiancée Nicola has grand ambitions in London, while employee Don has an aversion to ‘puffs’ and doesn’t react well to Lola’s new position as designer.

It’s through Don, who eventually overcomes his prejudice, that we fully understand what Lola (otherwise known as Simon from Clacton) has to contend with. Disowned by her boxing champ father for being a ‘fag’, she still faces the small-town discrimination that forced her to London. Like Charlie, also falling short of parental expectations, she must learn to accept who she really is - even when others find it difficult. 

Inspired by true events, the tale is ultimately one of acceptance and faith (with plenty of added sparkle). Written by Geoff Deane and Tim Firth, Kinky Boots was originally a 2005 film and made its stage debut in 2012. A lukewarm initial response gave way to award-winning popularity and it’s been a musical staple ever since. 

Watching this latest version, with a cast as red hot as the show’s namesake shoes, it’s easy to see why. Callum Francis is sublime as Lola - warm, witty and outlandishly glamorous - while Joel Harper-Jackson plays ‘zero to hero’ Charlie Price with empathy, and Paula Lane is hilarious as his love interest Lauren. Whether belting out the show’s Cyndi Lauper signatures, executing complex choreography in towering stilettoes or delivering droll one-liners, the team carry it off with pizazz - and the fantastic sets and lighting do each multihued scene justice. 

My only snag? The end. After unfolding pacily in the first half, the plot slows down in the second, before disappearing altogether amidst an all-singing all-dancing finale.

Did Milan take Charlie’s shoes seriously? We’ll never know. But despite its lazy ending, Kinky Boots shouldn’t be missed: for warming those cockles this winter, you’d do well to beat it.  

Kinky Boots runs at the Opera House until 1 December

Images: Helen Maybanks