Review: KINKY BOOTS at Kalita Humphreys Theater

Since 2018, a record number of bills have been introduced in nearly every state seeking to restrict and impede the civil liberties of transgender individuals including children and youth. Among the areas targeted is a prohibition of healthcare measures and care for transgender youth, single-sex facility restrictions, athletic participation exclusion targeting transgender youth, identification documents restriction, and other school/curriculum restrictions.

This cultural war based primarily on fear of the unknown despite plenty of scientific evidence validating the existence of gender dysphoria has pitted family member against family member, household against household, community against community. All this back and forth over who's right and who's wrong, what one's religion teaches them about homosexuality and people who belong to the LGBTQIA+ community, one crucial element is often ignored: the individual, especially if it is a young person who all these external actions and battles are levied towards.

It is through this prism that Uptown Players rousing production of the award-winning Broadway musical "Kinky Boots" starring the spectacular Lee Walter in the role of Lola and delightful Max J. Swarner as Charlie finds its foundation.

Directed by John de los Santos with music direction by Vonda K. Bowling, choreography by de los Santos and Evor Wright, and songs by the legendary Grammy-Award winner Cyndi Lauper, the ever-changing set in this smaller performance space at the Kalita Humphreys Theater in the Uptown area was tight but worked to perfection which created a very intimate experience for the audience. De Los Santos literally maximized every square inch of the stage for his cast, and it didn't hurt that there really isn't any bad seat in this theater which has orchestra and multi-level balcony seating.

Walter as the effervescent Lola was simply a revelation to behold! Combining the cattiness of the late Eartha Kitt, sultriness of Lynn Whitfield and Diahann Carroll rolled into one, and with pitch-perfect comedic timing reminiscent of former Saturday Night Live phenom Kate McKinnon, when Walter hits the stage in the title role, he nearly sucks all the oxygen out of the room and leaves the audience literally begging her to take the rest of the air.

This is apparent during the "Land of Lola" scene with the engaging and delicious Angels, the duet with Swarner of "Not My Father's Son" (a near tearjerker), "What a Woman Wants" with the female ensemble members (exquisite choreography!), or the touching "Hold Me in Your Heart," a solo delivered to an aging, near lifeless parent that made this critic cry.

Likewise, Swarner, who also brings issues to the table as never being quite good enough to stand in his tall shoes of his late father, played by the talented Tim Brawner in a brief solo, is not only engaging but personable in his portrayal of Charlie Price. The dichotomy of wanting to forge his own path, please his fiancée played with convincing self-absorbed outrage by the talented Presley Duyck, yet be loyal to the factory workers who gave their lives for his father's business success (Hope Endrenyl, Stephanie Felton, Thi Le, Gena Loe, Tony Martin, Gerald Taylor II, and the captivating Trey Tolleson were all standouts), makes you root for him to win at all costs.

The juxtaposition of Charlie and Lola's lives in terms of their relationships with their fathers was touching to watch because both characters realize through time and patience the bloke from Northampton and the lady from London have more in common than differences because each has a point to prove to the world, united with a common credo, "I'm not my father's son."

Youth actors Ace Rainey and Andre Reed were both precocious and entertaining, but it was Rachel Nicole Poole in the role of Lauren who nearly stole the show at different points in the production as Charlie's lovestruck factory worker turned administrator.

Poole is a comedic dynamo in the mold of late acting legend Lucille Ball and living legend Carol Burnett in terms of instinctive facial expressions and physicality used in breathing life into her character. These factors were evident in Poole's rendition of "The History of Wrong Guys" which had the audience on its feet at the final note.

Kinky Boots at the Kalita Humphreys Theater runs through Sunday, July 31. All remaining shows are sold out.

Uptown Players is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, presenting plays and musicals that challenge audiences artistically and create greater positive public awareness and acceptance through the performing arts. The 2022 season will be our twentieth season and our twelfth season at the Kalita Humphreys Theater. Uptown Players is one of the leading regional theaters in the Dallas/Ft. Worth areaand is providing an opportunity for a wide diversity of gender styles to come together and explore life choices through great theatre themes such as relationships, family, prejudice, and values. The response from the community and critics has been remarkable, including over 25 Leon Rabin Awards from the Dallas Theatre League, and over 30 Theater Critics Forum Awards. Uptown Players has also been named the best theatre company numerous times by the Dallas Voice Readers and by the Dallas Observer and has been featured in D Magazine and on WFAA's Daybreak and Good Morning Texas programs.

Uptown Players has presented several world premieres, including A Very Sordid Wedding (2021), A Very Judy Christmas (2018), Gilligan's Fire Island (2015), Redesigning Women (2013), Crazy Just Like Me (2011), and the stage adaptation of The Valley of the Dolls (2007). In addition, Uptown Players has produced the United States premieres of the West End hit musical Soho Cinders (2014), and the Pet Shop Boys Musical Closer to Heaven (2010). Uptown Players was the first regional theater in the United States to present the Tony Award Winner The Boy from Oz and the Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize winning musical Next to Normal, following the closing of the Broadway productions. Each season, Uptown Players presents several regional premieres. Past premieres include productions of The Cake, The View Upstairs, Priscilla, Queen of the Desert; The Legend of Georgia McBride; It Shoulda Been You; End of the Rainbow; The Nance; Catch Me If You Can; Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike; and The Producers.

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