Review: KINKY BOOTS at The Grandel

The Tesseract Theatre Company’s production of Cyndi Lauper and Harvey Fierstein’s KINKY BOOTS opened Thursday night at The Grandel Theatre. KINKY BOOTS is a feel-good musical that may fit the genre of Musical Comedy but is really much more of a musical drama with plenty of comedic elements. At its core, KINKY BOOTS tells the story of two men with different life experiences coming to terms with their father’s disappointment in them. Focusing on their similarities, rather than their differences, the two build a strong emotional bond. Together they deliver the message that the world can be changed if we give others a chance and leave our minds open to change.

This production of KINKY BOOTS is a show with a lot of heart and a few too many technical glitches, especially related to the mics and sound design. Director Taylor Gruenloh, his cast, and crew get a lot right with this production. Good performances, fun choreography, and some inventive staging make this production of KINKY BOOTS entertaining, especially for those who love this show. Gruenloh didn’t take the easy route, keeping many of the fun elements from the original Broadway Production, and adapting them to a much smaller performance space. The upbeat Act One closer, ‘Everybody say Yeah,’ and early second act doozy ‘In this Corner’ were staged with all the intricacies and blocking of the original production. The presentation and choreography of these big numbers illustrate that with directorial vision a streamlined version of a big musical does not have to sacrifice memorable elements. But what was sacrificed was the energy and strong performances from the ensemble and featured players. Their mics were either left too low or not turned on, perhaps to avoid feedback or other issues. As a result, the dialogue, solos, and background vocals from the ensemble were often lost, significantly reducing the overall energy from the ensemble, not allowing this good production to achieve greatness.

Tiélere Cheatem (Lola) and Kelvin Urday’s (Charlie) chemistry and emotional bond gives this production its heart. Together they were terrific. Cheatem (They/Them) was magnificent as Lola with the requisite panache and flamboyance to make Lola a scene-stealing powerhouse. But it was Cheatem’s more subtle, reserved work as Simon (Lola’s male moniker) that gives the character its emotional center. Their performance of ‘I’m Not My Father’s Son’ reaches into your chest, grabs your heart and wrings it out. It is an exceptional demonstration of how to act and emote through song in musical theatre. In that moment Charlie connects to Lola because he understands that they have similar emotional baggage and bear the same scars. Cheatem sells every number they sing, from their bold introduction to the audience with an ostentatious delivery of ‘The Land of Lola,’ to the terrific tango inspired ‘What a Woman Wants.’ Cheatem is enchanting in a role that is designed to be flashy and audacious. They have spellbinding and commanding stage presence, plus Cheatem looks ravishing in Zachary Phelps' dazzling costume designs.

Urday is an adept dramatic actor. His performance as Charlie is measured and impassioned. Every choice is authentic to the character. He demonstrates the character’s truth and portrays how significant life events change Charlie. Urday’s character visibly matures from an unconfident young man to a self-assured factory owner looking to save the family business. The character is forced to make burdensome choices along the way and that is evident in Urday’s emotional portrayal. Charlie is a difficult role to play because it a lead role that is significantly less showy than Lola and some of the other featured roles. Urday committed to and sold Charlie’s numbers, but he was slightly under pitch on parts of the songs. This production of KINKY BOOTS used a pre-recorded track of music instead of a live orchestra. Urday may have benefited from working with a skilled Musical Director and Vocal Arranger who could have lowered the vocal key to more suitably fit his vocal range.

Gruenloh’s direction of his supporting cast was evident in their acting choices and approach to their roles. Kaitlin Gant’s (Lauren) timing and delivery of ‘The History of Wrong Guys’ was a delightful treat as she gushed about her crush on Charlie. The song is, and has always been, the best comedic moment of KINKY BOOTS. She had the audience laughing out loud. Marshall Jennings (Don) is the factory bully who gets tamed by Lola. Jennings is terrific in his role, especially after he’s served a piece of Lola’s humble pie and transforms into a kinder, gentler man. His performance is completely believable. Chelsie Johnson plays Charlie’s fiancé Nicola in a much more sympathetic and likeable way than the role was originally performed. This softer-edge Nicola was a welcome shift in characterization and her acting choices elicit audience empathy for the character. Kent Coffel was wonderful as the factory foreman George. Finally, Corrinna Redford was hysterical as the fashion show stage manager. Her few moments on stage, with her over the top Italian accent, were unforgettable.

The ensemble and The Angels (Lola’s backup singers) performed with high energy, but unfortunately much of their dialogue and background vocals were missed due to mic and sound issues throughout the show. Actor’s mics would be potted up midsentence, or not be on at all, when they were delivering dialogue. The Angel’s background vocal on ‘Sex is in the Heel’ and ‘The Land of Lola’ were almost inaudible. Same with the entire ensemble during ‘Everybody Say Yeah!’ It was clear that actors were trying to project but many of the bigger moments of the show were diminished due to the mic issues. What could have been really powerful moments didn’t flow off the stage to heighten the audience’s experience.

This was Lighting Designer Max Demski’s first professional credit. There were scenes where his work was terrific. His design for ‘In This Corner’ was his best work, especially during the number’s opening bars and the slow-motion boxing rounds. At other times, main players were left in shadows, when it seemed a better choice would have been to have them fully illuminated. During Parts of ‘Sex is in The Heel,’ one of Lola’s biggest songs, she was in the dark. The inconsistency in lighting and sound design didn’t accentuate the efforts of a hard-working and enthusiastic cast and kept this production from being as special as it could have been.

Overall, Tesseract Theatre Company’s production of KINKY BOOTS is worth seeing. The performances are terrific, and the production is enjoyable. Gruenloh and his cast tell an emotional story that mostly hits the mark even with the inconsistencies in sound and lighting design. KINKY BOOTS plays The Grandel Theatre though August 27th. Click the link below for tickets.

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