“Kinky Boots” – a musical based on the book by Harvey Fierstein

Kinky Boots – a musical based on the book by Harvey Fierstein. Music & lyrics by Cindy Lauper

Al Hirschfeld Theatre – New York

The theatrical world is awash with stars but once in a while along comes a true performer. Past encounters would include Mark Rylance in Jerusalem (I know, a strange comparison) and, more appropriately, Douglas Hodge in La Cage aux Folles; the latter was also based on a book by Harvey Fierstein. This time the performer is in the guise of Billy Porter who plays Lola, the glamorous drag queen who saves the day for a shoe factory in the north of England. His role of Lola evokes the eponymous Kinks’ song as we fondly recall the lines “Why she walks like a woman and talks like a man”; and the smile never leaves us.

For two hours the audience is thrilled by both the sheer energy of the production and Porter, who won a Tony for the role, with his powerful singing. Billy Porter exhibits great versatility by combining the performance styles of Shirley Bassey, Gloria Gaynor and Sister Sledge laced with a touch of Tim Curry from The Rocky Horror Show. What more could a theatre lover ask for? A trip to New York clearly beckons.