Kinky Boots previews

[Younger Brother]

Posted: 3/2/13 at 4:23pm

Is anybody going to see the first preview of Kinky Boots tomorrow? I'm really excited to see how it's different to the Chicago production. Apparently there is a new song for Lola?

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 3/2/13 at 4:44pm

I'll be there. I'm interested in hearing the score and hope the show is good.

[Up In One]

Posted: 3/2/13 at 7:04pm

Ill be there too, sounds like (from the video interviews on this site) that there's a new song called Step One which replaces Come To The Rescue for Stark Sands. I think the new Lola song might replace her second number Black Widow, Cyndi tweeted something about a rewrite of that song. Jerry Mitchell mentioned choreography changes and the costume designer suggested the drag queen costumes were being changed. It's going to be an exciting night, loved the show in Chicago, love when a show is making changes to get even better rather than to fix or save something.

[Marlothom]

Posted: 3/2/13 at 8:23pm

Excited to see it later in the week - wondering if they have enhanced the role of Nicola, as it was greatly reduced by the end of the Chicago run. I was surprised the actress was still with the show.

[Up In One]

Posted: 3/2/13 at 9:12pm

Can you elaborate? Had they cut her song towards the end?

[Marlothom]

Posted: 3/2/13 at 9:24pm

Yes. They had cut her song and various scenes towards the end of the run, not her fault, the role was just so poorly written, and getting in the way of the Stark/Annaleigh's relationship which everyone loved. I wonder if they have made her more integrated to the theme of the show, meaning, "she changes too." Since in Chicago, she just magically appears in white boots and belts her face off in the last song.

[lachlanw88]

Posted: 3/3/13 at 2:48pm

I got rush tickets for tonight looking forward to it !

[Okiekat]

Posted: 3/3/13 at 4:29pm

Going tonight. I got a rush ticket this afternoon. If anyone is interested, my general rush ticket is partial view on the second row.

[Marlothom]

Posted: 3/3/13 at 6:38pm

if it's anything like Chicago, you'll miss some views of awesome shoes/boots and a soccer ball rolling on the stage at the top of the show. Great show to see up front.

[CapnHook]

Posted: 3/3/13 at 8:26pm

1st act is over, and I felt compelled to comment here to share how much I am LOVING it! More thoughts later tonight. Act 1 finale had treadmill choreography thats a showstopper!

LOOK OUT, MATILDA!

[CapnHook]

Posted: 3/3/13 at 9:37pm

Show just ended. MAN, this show is a SHINING STAR!

Billy Porter has an act 2 song that stopped the show for 2 minutes. He steals the show.

More thoughts later. I wish there was a midnight show, cause I'd go back again tonight!

[Marlothom]

Posted: 3/3/13 at 9:54pm

Great to hear - "Hold me in your heart" always made me weep in Chicago.

[Godolphin]

Posted: 3/3/13 at 10:10pm

The show was amazing, that is, what I saw of it.
I could not fit in the seats, I was in row H of the mezzanine in the middle. I'm 6ft 1 and slim but the leg space was terrible, if I sat completely upright I could not put my feet flat on the floor. I was on my tiptoes and in pain through the entire first act.

I had severe cramps so could not stay for the second act.
My friend bought me the ticket, if you wonder why I was not sitting on an aisle seat.
But I will go again and get a front row mezzanine or I think row G was better leg space and of course an aisle seat.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 3/3/13 at 10:12pm

So you just left? Did you ask an usher for help with another seat?

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 3/3/13 at 10:16pm

I could not fit in the seats, I was in row H of the mezzanine in the middle. I'm 6ft 1 and slim but the leg space was terrible, if I sat completely upright I could not put my feet flat on the floor. I was on my tiptoes and in pain through the entire first act.

That's pretty much exactly where I saw when I saw Hair and I'm 6ft 3... I was just fine.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 3/3/13 at 10:16pm

Or ask if you could just stand in the back?

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 3/3/13 at 10:17pm

I have to disagree with CapnHook. It was by no means terrible, but I didn't find it very good either. The main issue is that it's so damn derivative of a handful of shows that I felt like I was watching a paint-by-numbers generic show.

Kinky Boots is basically Billy Elliot with generous portions of Full Monty and La Cage, with just a dash of Priscilla at the end.

The show starts out like Bonnie & Clyde though: the two leads are played by younger selves to give us a glimpse into their childhoods. Young Billy Porter is just like Billy Elliot and his friend Michael. He is being forced to take boxing lessons when he'd really rather being wearing women's shoes. Young Stark Sands is being groomed to take over the family business. The opening number has very repetitive lyrics, but is energetic.

Stark grows up and has a fiancee. She's a total shrew (of course), and we're given no indication of what he ever saw in her. This is convenient so we can root for the girl who really likes him, played by Annaleigh Ashford. I wonder which of these women Stark is going to end up with...

Enter Billy Porter as Zaza, I mean Lola, who is about to perform a number with her Cagelles a la Sally Bowles. She sings two non-plot numbers in a row (Don't Tell Mama and Mein Herr) with the girls and has some fun with the audience. These songs are fun pop tunes, but really do nothing to advance the show along.

A big problem thus far is that almost zero conflict has arisen, and indeed the entire show is essentially conflict free. When minor issues do come up they are quickly solved and prove to be rather inconsequential.

Stark then sings a song called "Step One" which I SWEAR is a One Direction song. Stark has inherited his father's struggling shoe factory. He fears it will have to close down, but he realizes he could save it by making boots for drag queens and take advantage of the niche market. This is mid-way through act one and that pretty much does it for the plot.

Porter gets a big "I'm Telling you I Am What I Am and I. Am. Chaaaaaaaaaaaanging!" number at the end; it did receive extremely enthusiastic response, but I didn't think it was that well-written of song, even if he did perform it very well.

The best song was near the end of act one. It was a simple and sweet ballad Porter sang about his relationship with his father. It wasn't overblown and let us see another side to Lola that had previously been all flash and surface. (Unfortunately the cue line about Porter's homophobic father had to do with him getting lung cancer- I guess fags really did get him in the end.)

The saving grace for me were the performances. Annaleigh is fun and winning in her only solo. Stark got stronger as the night went on and vocally was perfect. Porter steals the show works his costumes and wigs like no other. He is giving a fantastic performance, even if I didn't care that much for the material. I think he'll be a strong contender for the Tony actually. He's kind of like Norbert was in Catch Me If You Can. He sizzles up the stage and walks away with everything he can.

The music is very Top 40, which works better for Lola than the other characters, and the melodies are all pleasant and hummable. The lyrics are often vague and not character specific, but never make you cringe either.

The sets and costumes looked expensive. Everything was very polished and professional. It is a very respectable production, but I didn't go nuts for it at all.

[wicked4l]

Posted: 3/3/13 at 10:18pm

Just got back, the show was FANTASTIC! Stark Sands' voice soars! He is wonderful! Annaleigh Ashford is fantastic as usual. Billy Porter is a STAR! Score is fierce, some stronger than others. But overall, great fun! Costumes for the Angels are STUNNING! I really loved it! Left with a huge smile on my face!

[mentaltenant]

Posted: 3/3/13 at 10:20pm

"the music is very Top 40"

...you saw who wrote it, right? Come on.

[Godolphin]

Posted: 3/3/13 at 10:23pm

The ushers were very kind, it was a sold out show, no seats available.
So they let me stand on the side, but that is when I started cramping up, not sure why then, probably dehydrated as well.

[ACL2006]

Posted: 3/3/13 at 10:26pm

the Hirschfeld does have standing room available, couldn't the ushers let you more there as I doubt they sold SRO.

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 3/3/13 at 10:28pm

Mentaltenant, Yes, but not every pop composer who has tackled Broadway has written in a Top 40 style. Promises, Promises is very character driven and theatrical. Drood couldn't be any less Top 40, and I wouldn't say any of Elton John's scores are overly Top 40 either.

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 3/3/13 at 10:43pm

Elton's Aida and Lion King are more Easy Listening than top 40

I didn't think Whizzer's comment that the score was very top 40 was meant to be a negative in and of itself, or a shocking confession, but rather just describing the music. *shrug*

(though I do think in the case of Promises Promises that was largely a reflection of the Bacharach/David songs of the time. With a few exceptions, they didn't really change their style for the musical--David's lyrics were always pretty much full of characterization, etc as well and Bacharach of course was obsessive about making the sound sound as close as humanly possible to the pop records he produced.)

Cyndi Lauper has experimented with less, well, pop music in the songs she writes in the past--I wonder if it was her idea to go in this direction for this musical. It makes sense for the drag queen act numbers, but I think I wouldhave liked to have heard a wider mix (I mean even Michael Gore who was only for his huge top 40 hits really seemed to want to vary his style for Carrie--whether people think he succeeded or not.)

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 3/3/13 at 10:44pm

I must echo Whizzer's comments. Given the buzz from out of town, I was expecting much better. It took the best of Billy Elliot, Dreamgirls, and La Cage, but those three are far superior. The whole thing seemed very cliched and preachy to me, and I blame Harvey Firestein for that along with the source material. In my mind, he has lost his touch, but you wouldn't be able to tell due to the insane reaction from tonight's heavily comped audience.

None of the musical numbers really wowed me. I was waiting for a "Solidarity" or a "You Can't Stop the Beat" or even an "I Am What I Am." There were many knock offs tonight, but none soared to that level of theatrical magic.

Just to be clear, I did not hate the show. I was just ready to be more impressed, and I was not. Even though I didn't care for the material, the performances from Ashford, Sands and Porter were all fantastic and they all (along with the ensemble) are giving it their all and deserve a lot of credit.

The last time I remember such an enthusiastic audience response at a first preview was for 9 TO 5, and remember how long that show lasted? Let's wait for the reviews on this one...and audience reactions mid-week a month into the run. I don't think they will be as fooled as tonight's audience sounded.

[Marlothom]

Posted: 3/3/13 at 10:48pm

From those that saw it - 2 big issues that I hope have been fixed since Chicago:
1. Starks drastic mood change from "go team go" at end of Act 1 to "factory dictator" in Act 2.

2. the fiancee role having more substance - they had reduced it quite a bit in Chicago, but wondered if they have gone back with better material for NY.