Kinky Boots at the Adelphi theatre

Kinky Boots official website

We spent all day at the British Museum (that will be an entirely separate blog, don't worry, I'll get to it) and then ate dinner at Punjab, which was Indian food and only about four blocks away. The food was delicious--I had lamb korma and pistachio kulfi for dessert.  It was a  half a mile walk to the theatre from the restaurant. Our seats were in the very last row of the second balcony.  We were basically looking straight down at the set.  Luckily, the set included an upper level for Charlie's office that got used quite a bit as well as Lola's stage, and the Milan catwalk being slightly elevated.  The production was wonderful. I had seen the movie several years ago so we were very excited to get tickets to the show, esp. for the $40 we paid for the tickets. We were stunned to find out at intermission that we were watching the understudy perform the role of Charlie.  His name was Jordan Fox and he was great.  Of course, Simon-Anthony Rhoden as Lola, was phenomenal. I loved everything about it: the costumes, the scenery, the makeup and hair, and especially the choreography.  One of the Angels did a backflip in her 6 inch heels and then went into the splits.  And all of these actors were probably over 6 feet tall.  Amazing athleticism and amazing boots that can take it. I've included the official trailer from the show so you can see a bit of it.

This was our view from the last row of the opening look for the scenery--the outside of the factory.  Kinky Boots was the first of only two shows that we saw on our trip that was contemporary.

Here's the factory set with Charlie's elevated office and the wonderful, colorful windows.  Scenic Design was by David Rockwell, Lighting Design by Kenneth Posner.  Notice how dull the colors of the factory employees costumes are at the beginning of the show.  Their costumes evolve as Lola comes into their world and changes it for the better.

London Cast. Photo by Matt Crockett. http://www.kinkybootsthemusical.co.uk/gallery.php

Here's a photo of the factory employees' costumes after Lola and her Angels have left their mark--much brighter and more playful.

London Cast. Photo by Matt Crockett. http://www.kinkybootsthemusical.co.uk/gallery.php

Here are the costumes from the finale in Milan.  The costumes on the Angels are amazing, but notice also how much more fashionable the factory employees costumes have become!

London Cast. Photo by Matt Crockett. http://www.kinkybootsthemusical.co.uk/gallery.php

Costume Designer GRegg Barnes

Gregg has 14 costume design credits on Broadway.  He was nominated for seven Tonys and has won two. I've found three different interviews with Gregg on his designs for Kinky Boots.  My takeaway from reading them is how much research he had to do on drag shows, because he'd never seen one before, even though he'd been in New York for 20 years.  I love his renderings style.  Here's six of his designs for the Angels' finale costumes.  He uses guache and vellum and then transfers his designs to dyed paper.  If you watch the video closely, you can see how he also uses glitter and sequins on the renderings.

Pattern Interview

DEnver Post interview

Seattle Times

T.O. Dey Shoes

T.O. Dey Shoes is the real life New York shoe company that made all the boots for the show.  They will custom make a pair for you too, if you've got the money.  The price range on the FAQ is $600-$3,000.  A bit steep for my purse, and that doesn't include making the custom last (the mold  of your feet that all of your custom shoes would be made on).  That's a seperate charge.

Photo by Matthew Murphy for Pattern.

The Adelphi Theatre

The Map