Kinky Boots The Musical: Kicking up the heels amid the gloom

If the constant wet weather and economic gloom is getting you down, there’s a bit of glitz and sparkle to brighten the mood with the New Zealand run of multi-award-winning musical Kinky Boots opening at Auckland’s Civic Theatre next Thursday.

Based on a true story set in England’s Midlands, the show features music by pop-sensation Cyndi Lauper and Tony award-winning writer Harvey Fierstein.

The story unites two very different people, Charlie - a factory owner struggling to save the family business - and Lola - a drag queen with a fabulously wild idea. With understanding and compassion, they embrace their differences, bringing Lola’s idea and Charlie’s ambition to fruition.

“It’s such a beautiful story of acceptance, and the different ways in which the different characters get there,” said Nomi Cohen, who plays Lauren, Charlie’s love interest.

Canadian Stewart Adam McKensy plays the larger-than-life character Lola, with locals Nik Kyle (Lord Farquaard in Shrek The Musical) and Nomi Cohen (recently in Chess The Musical) fronting the mostly Kiwi cast.

McKensy says it’s a dream role for him.

A cast member in full dress rehearsal mode preparing for opening night of Kinky Boots at the Civic Theatre. Photo / Jason Oxenham

“When anyone asks ‘Oh, what do you want to play?’ Lola just comes to mind,” McKensy said. “She’s a drag queen, so I get to play a drag queen and how fabulous is that?”

Director David Adkins (The Producers, Chicago, Miss Saigon to name a few shows he’s directed) said it took a while to pull the cast together.

“We were very specific on what we were looking for,” Adkins said. “The cast needed to be able to sing and they needed to be able to dance and, in many cases, (to be) very funny so they needed that comedic value.”

Adkins is thrilled with putting on a show at the Civic.

“Bringing a musical into the Civic is the best feeling in the world,” he said. “The Civic Theatre is amazing.

“Kinky Boots, being the kind of musical it is, being big and bright and bold, it fits so well on this stage.”

Nik Kyle agrees - “The Civic has this really special vibe. You can hear everything – it’s got great acoustics,” he said. “And in a theatre like this the audience are buzzing and we’re buzzing before the curtain goes up.”

And McKensy is amazed by Auckland’s jewel in the theatre crown, saying “Coming in here and then seeing the audience space – it was shocking! And especially to look up and to see the stars twinkling up there. You don’t get a lot of spaces where it’s intimate yet big at the same time.”

The show has been a big hit with critics, achieving 13 Tony nominations, six Tony awards and three Lawrence Olivier Awards.

McKensy said it’s a show you just don’t want to miss. “It’s just filled with love, laughter. It’s like none other and it’s the show you never knew you needed.”

• Kinky Boots The Musical opens at the Civic Theatre from Thursday. Tickets are available from Ticketmaster.