Review: KINKY BOOTS at Moorpark College

In the 2013 Tony Awards, the big winner was "Kinky Boots," a musical version of a 2005 film whose plot told of a failing shoe factory in Northampton, England that was rejuvenated when it began catering to a new niche market: the area's drag queens. Moorpark College's Theatre Arts department has put on a slam-bang production of the musical which overcomes the show's storytelling deficiencies, thanks to superb direction and an energetic cast. The show opened on March 10 and runs through March 27 at the college's performing arts theater.

Charlie Price is young, ambitious and anxious to leave Price & Sons, his father's shoe factory, but when his father dies, he is forced to take the reins and realizes the company is headed for bankruptcy. Desperate to find an untapped niche market, he strikes a deal with Lola, a local drag queen, who comes on board to design specially constructed gaudy boots specifically for female impersonators. "Kinky Boots" was written by Harvey Fierstein, whose stock-in-trade is writing stories around flamboyant men dressed up as women, including "Torch Song Trilogy" and "La Cage Aux Folles," so he was right at home in working on this story.

Marcello Adriano Simeone cooking up a "really big shew"

Charlie is played by Marcello Adriano Simeone, a charismatic ball of kinetic energy who is double-cast with Dylan Woodford. Charming and likeable, Simeone could have carried the show all by himself had it not been for the fabulous Christopher J. Thume, who plays Lola. Thume is completely believable as the drag queen with a heart of gold and delivers a sensational performance that is anything but a one-joke role, grabbing the audience by its collective collar at his first appearance on stage, in the pounding disco number "The Land of Lola." Thume and Simeone are terrific together, especially when they realize how much they have in common; their duet "Not My Father's Son" is the emotional highlight of the show.

Christopher J. Thume as Lola

Celina Kott is one of three actresses who rotate as Lauren, one of Charlie's employees, who develops a crush on him, but her character is underdeveloped and doesn't do more than make goo-goo-eyes at him until midway through Act II. It's too bad because Kott is excellent in the part, delivering the most unlikely of torch songs, the feisty "The History of Wrong Guys," in which she tries to fight off her attraction to Charlie, whose material girl fiancée Nicola (Erin Baxter) isn't interested in his quixotic dreams.

Efren Balam does well as Don, a boorish factory worker whose masculinity is threatened when Lola arrives on the scene. Brenden Kinney has some nice moments as the hand-wringing factory manager George. In addition to Lola, the biggest cheers from the audience come at every appearance of Lola's Angels, an ensemble of eight males ostentatiously dressed as women, and fellows, if you think choreography is hard, try doing it while wearing two-and-a-half-foot long stiletto boots.

Moorpark's production, well directed by John Loprieno, dispensed with Broadway's gimmicky use of a moving conveyor belt in the Act I closer, "Everybody Say Yeah!" but Moorpark's choreographer Beth Megill made up for it with some scintillating dancing to end Act I.

Unfortunately, "Kinky Boots" runs out of ideas in Act II, beginning with an absurd boxing match between Don and Lola that completely detracts from the story. The show limps along after that with predictable, formulaic conclusions to the various story lines.

Cyndi Lauper's well-crafted score was deserving of its own Tony; the best numbers are the ones featuring Lola and the Angels, but music director Dave Watkins' orchestra needs more rehearsals, evidenced by consistent off-key squawking in the trumpet section.

The show's message comes from Oscar Wilde, "Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken," a line spoken by Lola that succinctly sums up this uneven but entertaining show.

To post a comment, you must register and login.