| Kinky Boots at Stage 42 (overdue 1st preview report) (long with spoilers) | |
| Posted by: DanielVincent 01:24 pm EDT 08/18/22 | |
|
|
|
| I saw Kinky Boots’s first preview at Stage 42. I’ve been waiting to see if others would weigh in, but it seems like the show may have already exhausted the audience of devout theatergoers who post here, so I’ll share my thoughts for anyone who’s curious. Overall, the production is still incredibly effective--probably even more than Jersey Boys and Avenue Q were following their moves from Broadway to off-Broadway. (Side note: considering its off-Broadway origins, I always felt that Avenue Q should have been stronger than it was at New World Stages, but it never seemed to find the right cast and had an atrocious, overly aggressive sound mix.) With a couple of exceptions that someone unfamiliar with Kinky Boots's original run probably wouldn't even notice, it feels fairly identical to what we saw onstage at the Al Hirschfeld. As others noted below, the most readily apparent change is cutting Young Charlie and Young Lola. In the opening number, where Mr. Price used to walk out with his arm around young Charlie and ask him what the most beautiful thing in world is, we instead have Christian Douglas (Charlie) in a letterman jacket and holding a ball, a somewhat cringeworthy--but perhaps unavoidable--indication that he is "young." Would the moment be clocked as strange by someone unfamiliar with Kinky Boots? Probably not. They made no similar substitution for the moments with Young Lola, whose section was cut from "The Most Beautiful Thing in the World" in its entirety. Now, Nicola sings, "Don't you go anywhere 'cuz you belong to me," which, despite being a brief line, actually helped her to make more of an impression. I felt the loss of the child actors more in the finale when Lola sings "We're the same, Charlie boy, you and me," and the kids used to cross to their fathers for a conciliatory embrace. Arguably, it's an overly sentimental and/or manipulative moment, but it gets me every time--or at least it used to. Having Douglas and Callum Francis cross to their fathers just didn't have the same impact--particularly because we don't see Lola's Dad at any point earlier in the piece (except for in the short little scenelet following "Hold Me in Your Heart"). There are also some noticeable changes to the set design, which uses fewer substantives pieces and more painted drops. The drops are well made and probably wouldn’t strike newbies as cheap or insufficient. What I saw as the most important and favorable change was in Lola’s recurring address to her audience. Previously, it was “Ladies, gentleman, and those who have yet to make up their mind.” Now, in a seeming recognition of the more widespread understanding of genders that exist outside the traditional binary, the line has been revised to be, “Ladies, gentleman, they, them, and you.” I absolutely agree that the line had to be changed, but I wish Fierstein had come up with something a bit pithier. I’m hoping, but not optimistic, that it may have been revised during previews. (I had a similar hope regarding the end of “The History of Wrong Guys” after seeing the first preview on Broadway, but it obviously came to naught.) I’m happy to report that the cast is SENSATIONAL. In the 10 times I saw Kinky Boots on Broadway, I saw a variety of actors in the main roles. My favorite Lola remains J. Harrison Ghee (yes, I saw Billy Porter—several times), but Callum Francis is in a thrilling second place. He’s hilarious, vulnerable, extremely sexy, and sings and dances like a dream. Had he opened the show on Broadway, he would have been as deserving of the Tony as Porter, if not more so. Douglas, too, comes in as my second favorite Charlie: Killian Donnelly’s superlative vocals still land him in my #1 slot (yes, I saw Stark Sands—several times), but Douglas also sounds great and has a boyishness that helps give him a particularly dramatic arc. Not only are they each great as individuals, Francis and Douglas also have excellent chemistry as a pair and really make you believe in Lola and Charlie’s “bromance.” It has seemed like actresses playing Lauren are given less freedom to depart from Annaleigh Ashford’s choices than actors playing Lola and Charlie are given in comparison to Porter and Sands. Danielle Hope has probably deviated from the Ashford template more than anyone else—perhaps because she’s had the opportunity to work directly with Jerry Mitchell, who was sitting in front of me. Hope lands every punchline, emerges as a compelling romantic interest, and souds great…but her performance still mostly feels like an Ashford imitation…a very good one…but an imitation. Only Taylor Louderman really succeeded in illuminating different aspects of the character, but, for someone who isn’t looking at the show comparatively, Hope will still deservedly come off as a scene stealer. Sean Steele is a wonderful Don, and a much better singer than Kinky Boots Broadway lifer Daniel Stewart Sherman. And speaking of Kinky Boots lifers, Marcus Neville could teach a master class in keeping a performance fresh in a long run. He is as charming, earnest, and seemingly spontaneous as ever. I feel like the man is one of New York theatre’s underrated heroes. It’s hard not to think of Nicola as a thankless role (I wonder how our feelings about her would have changed had her solo number not been cut), but Brianna Stoute does well by her; she has an inherent likability that prevents her from becoming a one-note antagonist. And all the performers playing the Angels are terrific. It’s pretty amazing that Kevin Smith Kirkwood has been doing the show as long as he has because he still looks, sounds, and dances like a hungry up-and-comer fresh out of CCM or Michigan. If anyone knows how I can join his coven, I’m ready to sign up. It will be interesting to see if this off-Broadway production finds an audience. On one hand, it seems SO SOON for a revival, especially for a show with overtly queer content that will automatically disqualify it from a lot of tourists’ theatergoing options. On the other hand, it’s still a feel-good joy bomb with incredible heart and a beautiful, inclusive message. Will this production be enjoyable to those who didn’t like Kinky Boots the first time around? Definitely not. But anyone who was already a fan, and anyone who would have liked it in its Broadway iteration, will likely have an excellent time and may even shed a few tears. And, sadly, the positivity at the show’s center seems significantly more needed now than when Kinky Boots initially debuted. |
|
| reply | |
|
|
|
| Previous: | re: The fuss is she’s giving you Barbra - tandelor 09:04 pm EDT 08/18/22 |
| Next: | INTO THE WOODS seating advice - Pashacar 11:37 am EDT 08/18/22 |
| Thread: | |
Time to render: 0.008855 seconds.