I mentioned my excitement for the show transferring a couple times. First when I discussed shows that needed a West End transfer in 'Left Out: Shows That Need A West End Debut', and then when I referenced it in my list of what’s to come in the West End in 2015 last month in 'What's On The West End Stage In 2015?' when it was simply a rumour. I’m delighted to say that that rumour is now cold hard fact! So, to celebrate this VERY exciting occasion, I thought I’d take a look at the history of the story that is soon to be a hit London musical.
Much like successful musicals Billy Elliot and the soon-to-open Bend It Like Beckham coming to the Phoenix Theatre, Kinky Boots the Musical is actually based on a British film made back in 2005. The film was a popular one and now has a significant cult following that surely grows as the success of the musical does so too. The sensation that was the film soon sparked an idea in book writer Harvey Fierstein’s brain (Tony Award winner for his portrayal as Edna Turnblad in Hairspray on Broadway and writer of shows like Newsies and Le Cage Aux Folles). With that, Fierstein got to work on adapting the film into a Broadway musical along with the songwriting help of 80s pop sensation Cyndi Lauper, and the rest is Broadway history.
The show opened at the Al Hirschfield Theatre back on March the 3rd 2013 to favourable reviews, and went on to receive 13 Tony nominations and won six of them that June. A notable win (alongside Cyndi Lauper’s award for Best Score and that year’s award for Best Musical) was Billy Porter receiving the award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical for his portrayal as Lola: the drag queen that the story centres around as shoe shop owner Charlie uses Lola’s ideas to make shoes for drag queens the thing that will save his business – the tale is based on a true story. Other notable original Broadway cast members include Broadway comedy sensation and star of Off-Broadway’s Dogfight Annaleigh Ashford, and Hedwig and the Angry Inch star and Tony winner Lena Hall. The cast album also won a Grammy in 2013 and debuted at number one in the Billboard Cast Albums Charts and at 51 in the Billboard Top 200 charts in the US.
As the stage is cleared for this incredible incoming transfer, let’s all get extremely excited about this show’s arrival together; it’s taken two years to get here and I’m sure that all you theatre buffs are as pumped as I am to finally see Kinky Boots strut onto the London stage! Previews begin on Friday August 21st at London’s Adelphi Theatre before official opening on September 15th, with Kinky Boots London tickets going on sale March 2nd. See you there!
Written by Shaun Nolan
@Shaunycat
Kinky Boots London Transfer: A History Of Kink
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I think we’ve all come to terms with the fact that new openings excite me a lot, and that transfers sometimes excite me even more: the confirmation of a Kinky Boots London transfer to the West End's Adelphi Theatre is one of these cases.