Kinky Boots? This production is more like sensible shoes

While the musical “Kinky Boots” promises something exotic in its title, the national touring production slips on like a pair of safe and sensible shoes.

There’s certainly some flamboyance in the show now at the Community Center, especially if cross-dressing takes you to the edge, but the mechanics of the story are strictly by-the-numbers.

There are some toe-tapping, head-nodding tunes in Cyndi Lauper’s Tony-winning ’80s-themed score, but even those disco-friendly numbers feel a little tamped down.

Based on the 2005 British film, which was itself loosely adapted a true story, the straight young owner of a failing men’s shoe manufacturer joins forces with black drag queen to save the company. J. Harrison Ghee’s resourceful Lola, the drag queen with a heart of gold, gives the audience an underdog to root for while Rose Hemingway lights the stage as plucky Lauren, the factory girl with the crush on the boss. Curt Hansen’s Charlie is less compelling as the inheritor of the factory.

Directer and choreographer Jerry Mitchell does not seem particularly inspired here even though everything pretty much works out for everybody.

This story was originally published February 2, 2017 at 2:29 PM with the headline "Kinky Boots? This production is more like sensible shoes."