Review: KINKY BOOTS, Starring Johannes Radebe & Matt Cardle

Last seen in the West End in 2019, Cyndi Lauper and Matt Fierstein's uplifting musical Kinky Boots finally struts its way back to London after a national tour. Originating at the Curve Leicester and directed by its artistic director Nikolai Foster, it brings starry sparkle to the stage with the casting of Strictly's Johannes Radebe, but fails to capture the energy and vigour of its previous iteration.

Based on the true story of an unlikely friendship between a struggling Northampton shoe factory owner and a drag queen, who team up to save the factory by making bespoke shoes for drag performers. 

From a commerical aspect, the casting of Johannes Radebe as drag queen Lola is genius; his presence will guarantee ticket sales and for many reasons, he lives up to the hype. He sashays around the stage with huge poise and confidence, out-dancing everyone else by a mile. Leah Hill's choreography allows him to shine throughout, with rapid-fire footwork and pirouettes off stage. A brilliant addition of a mini dance-off between him and the bigoted Don (a nicely gruff Billy Roberts), is a great moment. 

Strutting into the footprints of former Lolas of Billy Porter and Matt Henry is a huge ask. Radebe holds the stage whenever he is on it and his acting is very good, with genuine changes in emotion from confidence to sadness. His vocals are more hit and miss; songs like the power ballad "Hold Me In Your Heart" are just a bit too big for him, but he attacks them all with huge energy and passion. Radebe holds onto his strong South African accent, which works well with his tart ripostes, but seems odd in the context that the script still claims that he is from Clacton.

Matt Cardle shows off some nice vocals as Charlie; his "Soul of a Man" is heartfelt and has a beautiful tone. In many ways it's a hard part to make an impression with; Charlie is a pretty anodyne character, until he suddenly explodes with bigoted venom at Lola and then has some sort of personal reassessment. Cardle manages this all fairly well and has good chemistry with Radebe.

Courtney Bowman is lovably goofy as Lauren, with the best vocals of the show. Her version of "The History of Wrong Guys" is as funny as it should be and it's clear she is having a great time in the role. Scott Paige is excellent value as factory manager George, becoming progressively more camp as the show goes on. Jessica Daley is underused as an opinionated Trish.

There's sparkle and glitter aplenty, with brilliantly extra outfits for Lola and some wonderful wigs. But overall, if you aren't looking at Radebe, there is a lack of necessary energy to the show. Unusually the diverse group of Lola's Angels add little and some of the ensemble work feels flat. 

The London Coliseum is a vast space to fill and Robert Jones's detailed, but static set fills it well enough. However, it extends too far back, meaning that Nikolai Foster's directorial decisions to place pivotal scenes in the back spaces loses all connection with the audience. Lola's introduction to the show where she is accosted by thugs on the street and fights back is almost impossible to see and the scenes set in the factory's men's toilet and office make the actors look tiny, even from the front of the stalls.

The main issue with this show is the sound, which is tinny and echoing throughout. It's a shame, as the musical direction is great, embracing all the pop energy of Lauper's music.

The show remains a celebration of queer joy and pride in being different, but other aspects have not dated so well. Now drag is so mainstream, its subversive aspect is more or less irrelevant and the off-colour jokes about 'nancy boys' and transvestites feel out of place on stage in 2026, even if they remain a stark reality for some members of the LGBTQ+ community. 

Fans of Strictly will flock to this show, regardless of the reviews and the whooping standing ovation shows that Radebe is box office gold, even if the show itself needs polishing.

Kinky Boots is at the London Coliseum until 11 July

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