KINKY BOOTS Reviews

[LimelightMike]

Post 'em here!

[Younger Brother]

The Financial Times gave the show 4 stars.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/89a56378-9d28-11e2-a8db-00144feabdc0.html

[Younger Brother]

Talkin' Broadway is mixed-negative
http://www.talkinbroadway.com/world/KinkyBoots2013.html

[CukorLover]

Murray nails it (in the coffin) !
Kinky Boots

[bjh2114]

amNY is mixed to negative (2.5 stars):

"So why does this musical, which looks and acts like a crowd-pleaser, still feel so unsatisfying? The biggest problem is that Lauper’s electric-pop songs are generic.

Furthermore, Jerry Mitchell’s production resembles a slick but uninspired rehash of all his earlier shows such as “The Full Monty” (the working class environment), “La Cage aux Folles” (flashy drag queens and Harvey Fierstein’s one-liners) and “Hairspray” (a spunky spirit)."

http://www.amny.com/urbanite-1.812039/theater-review-kinky-boots-2-5-stars-1.5010417

[broadwaydevil]

The Chicago Tribune is a RAVE!!! and talks about tremendous improvements and perfections being made from its run in Chicago.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/theater/theaterloop/ct-mov-0405-kinky-boots-broadway-review-20130404,0,1029229.column

Even as the U.S. Supreme Court debates what is marriage, the sentimental and hugely enjoyable new Broadway musical "Kinky Boots" is debating the nature of manhood, with a fabulous twist. But as timely as this show suddenly seems to be — it posits an ideal world according to Harvey Fierstein, wherein struggle leads to self-acceptance, which leads in turn to public triumph — there's nothing whatsoever that's time-bound about Cyndi Lauper's cheerfully audacious, toe-tapping score.

Lauper, a genuine and necessarily fearless original — happily lassoed for duty on a Great White Way in dire need of a woman with so many melodic hooks in her bag of tricks — has been promoting dance-fueled tolerance for decades. And that distinguished history, judiciously coupled with a book by the famously droll and direct Fierstein, is riveted into the stiletto heels dancing through industrial Britain in this show — a witty, striking and emotionally centered movie-to-musical transfer about a down-at-heel Northampton shoe factory that reinvents itself by making reinforced footwear for hefty drag queens.

[broadwaydevil]

The Associated press is mixed to positive

http://online.wsj.com/article/AP9a5442fcf8494714b84a3e8f5b803996.html

The show that opened Thursday at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre is so full of good will — did you expect anything less from Lauper or Fierstein? — that only a curmudgeon could walk out and not want to hug the crowds in Times Square, even the sketchy ones in cartoon costumes.

True, the second half is almost completely unnecessary, the English accents are laughable and the footwear puns are relentless. But who cares? This is a big ol’ sweet love story about sons, the families we make and red patent leather.

[NewYorkTheater]

"Is it a shock to say that “Kinky Boots” just isn’t kinky enough?
It could have been. Harvey Fierstein wrote the book, he who began his career as a 300-pound teenage drag queen on the Lower East Side. Cyndi Lauper is making her Broadway songwriting debut, she who began as the girl with the tie-dye colored hair who just wants to have fun...."
Kinky Boots Review: Cyndi Lauper's Broadway Songwriting Debut

[broadwaydevil]

The Hollywood Reporter is mixed to positive

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/kinky-boots-theater-review-433052

[broadwaydevil]

The L.A. Times is negative

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/culture/la-et-kinky-boots-review-broadway-cyndi-lauper-20130405,0,5788177.story

This slavering-to-please production, directed and choreographed by Jerry Mitchell and featuring Lauper's recycled blend of pop and funk, is a tall, overstuffed wedding cake crammed with so much sugary filling that even those with an insatiable sweet tooth might prefer a slice of cantaloupe instead.

By turns entertaining and stultifying, "Kinky Boots," which had a tryout production last year in Chicago but could still use another round of tinkering, takes too much time to hit its stride. Fierstein's book cumbersomely sets up the situation of Charlie (Stark Sands), the uncertain young man with a good heart who inherits his family's shoe factory in the English Midlands just as the business is teetering on collapse.

And oh what a gaggle of acrobatic drag queens Mitchell has pressed into service! If "Kinky Boots" weren't such a cheesy commercial mess, it might actually be fun.

Ouch.

[IdinaBellFoster]

Most of these reviews praise the cast, and seem to solidify nominations for Porter & Ashford. Sands is also receiving better notices than I had imagined.

Now we just wait for Brantley...

[IdinaBellFoster]

That was a lot more positive than I expected. Do we think Sands will score a Best Actor nomination as well?

[jv92]

She might be Tony-winner Cyndi Lauper by June. I'm not a fan of pop songwriters crossing over to musical theater, but this score intrigues me.

[bjh2114]

Who paid him to write that? That was WAY more positive from him than I was expecting. And honestly, I thought Act 1 was way worse than Act 2.

[IdinaBellFoster]

This could be a situation similar to LA CAGE and SUNDAY. Matilda has a terrific score, but Lauper might end up on top.

[singtopher]

I'd call that Mixed-Positive to Positive from Ben.

[jv92]

This is NOTHING like LA CAGE or SUNDAY... . Both shows are HIGHLY commercial. And neither Lauper nor Tim Minchen are either Sondheim or Herman.

[ClumsyDude15]

Kudos to Cyndi, the cast, and the creatives for some pretty great reviews.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

NY Magazine is positive: http://www.vulture.com/2013/04/theater-review-kinky-boots.html

Newsday is positive: http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/theater/kinky-boots-review-feel-good-musical-1.5001442

USA Today is positive (*** out of ****): http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/2013/04/04/kinky-boots-broadway-review/2043013/

Huffington Post is mixed: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-finkle/kinky-boots-cindi-lauper_b_3017857.html

Entertainment Weekly is positive (B+): http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20364394_20688531,00.html

[jayinchelsea]

Reviews much better than I expected, particularly from Ben. Saw it at preview this week. Wanted to love it, sort of liked it. Nothing about the show is special, including the two leads, and what works best are the pieces taken from other shows (the HAIRSPRAY finale, stolen by Mitchell from himself, is the best example).

But it does have heart, although can we call a moratorium on drag queen heroes for musicals? Okay, I liked it better than PRISCILLA or LA CAGE.

[CukorLover]

Shocking, just schlocking !!!!

[ClydeBarrow]

I'm shocked at these reviews too. I didn't think the show was that great. Extremely bland overall. Someone definitely paid Ben for that review because he would not like this.

[Bettyboy72]

I think it will still struggle to fill seats. It's an elusive concept to market. I think tourists will have no idea what its about and audience reception has been luke warm.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

NY Daily news is positive (**** out of *****): http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/music-arts/kinky-boots-theater-review-article-1.1307869

TheaterMania is a rave (he calls it "musical comedy at its finest"): http://www.theatermania.com/new-york-city-theater/reviews/04-2013/kinky-boots_64757.html

[mjroberts972]

When I saw it last week, the audience ate it up. I think they received it well. Almost too well.