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Kinky Boots: 9 Reasons To Watch The West End Show That’s Taking The World By Storm

In case you missed the big, sparkly, glitter-encrusted memo, Kinky Boots has finally come to London’s West End and it is most definitely a show worth shouting about.

The musical follows the story of Charlie Price (Killian Donnelly), who is faced with the seemingly impossible task of saving his father’s shoe-manufacturing factory when he meets the wonderfully magnificent drag queen, Lola (Matt Henry).

Inspiration suddenly strikes and Charlie pours his heart and soul into creating the perfect, kinkiest women’s shoes for men with plenty of tears, laughter, and songs (written by none other than Cyndi Lauper) along the way.

If that fab storyline isn’t enough to convince you, perhaps these 9 reasons why YOU should get your booty down to Kinky Boots will:

1. It’s a true life story

Yep, the tale of Kinky Boots is genuinely based on a real life story; instead of Charlie Price it was Steve Pateman, and instead of a drag queen called Lola it was a random phone call from a fetish shoe shop.

Faced with closing his business following a decline in traditional shoes, Steve found his niche market with erotic footwear in men’s sizes and the rest, as they say, is history.

2. The talent

It’s all well and good having an amazing story, but if the cast and crew aren’t up to scratch then it’s pretty much a waste of everybody’s time. Thankfully, every aspect of Kinky Boots is dripping in the most elite talent possible; from the amazing songs, to the impressive staging, to the jaw-dropping performances.

Although Matt and Killian are the two leads, every character on that stage has a purpose, a story and full character development, which means that there is finally a show where you care about each character you are introduced to as much as the last - with none of the super talented actors breaking character even for a second.

3. It’s feel-good

Cyndi Lauper told us herself that she was honoured to be a part of Kinky Boots because it’s basically just one big “happy pill”, and we can’t deny it. By the end of the show every member of the audience is up and dancing on their feet, with the joyous atmosphere in the theatre almost electric.

4. It’ll also break your heart… At least a tiny bit

It’s far too easy to make an all-singing, all-dancing show that has the audience laughing and dancing without really giving it any substance, but the big plot twist to Kinky Boots is that your heart will break ever so slightly and there’s kind of a big chance that you might even shed a tear or two.

Don’t say we didn’t warn you.

Flashy, glamorous, and full of fun, the character of Lola could have so easily fallen flat and become a shallow, two-dimensional parody of itself, however, the story gives both Lola and Charlie a hidden depth and vulnerability, with some of the greatest performances coming from power ballads such as ‘Not My Father’s Son’ and ‘Soul Of A Man’.

5. There is redemption

Kinda tying in with that lovely ‘OMG IT’S A FUN, FEEL-GOOD MUSICAL WITH A COHESIVE STORYLINE AND DEEP-ROOTED PLOT’ theme, the thing that Cyndi loves so much about Kinky Boots is that there is redemption.

Speaking exclusively to Yahoo Celebrity UK, she explained: “There was a lot of redemption in the story, and I’m a sucker for redemption.

“I wanted people to be happy and go away inspired.”

And we don’t know about you, but we reckon she did a pretty fantastic job.

6. The music is SO varied

On top of leaving people inspired, Cyndi was also eager to make sure that the music was as varied as possible so that no member of the audience was left bored or fed up.

With the tracklist boasting everything from rock anthems to heartrending ballads, she explained to us: “This was one of those opportunities to make people tap their feet and make the rhythm bright and catchy and make them feel good with all different kinds of music.

“If one song ain’t your jam than the other might be, because you don’t know who the hell is going into the theatre so you want a bit of variety in the night. You don’t want to listen to the same thing over and over again, it’s too much.”

They’ve literally thought of everything.

7. There’s an important message

Underneath all of the sequins and glitz, there is a strong message running through the show that teaches every single member of the audience the importance of accepting yourself alongside accepting others.

Who doesn’t love a musical with a strong moral message, eh?

8. There isn’t anything like it

Catching up with Killian Donnelly, he exclusively told us that his biggest reason for people to watch the show is because there really isn’t anything like it on the stage right now.

He explained: “It’s something that’s never been on the West End before. It’s daring, it’s funny, and it’s incredibly uplifting.

“It’s a cliche, but it’s just the best night out.”

9. It’s coming home

Matt Henry agreed with his co-star, but also gave us his very own reason why you, yes YOU, should come and watch the show.

Referencing the fact that Kinky Boots has been all over the world but never in the West End, despite the fact it is a British story, he told us: “It’s based on a true story and it’s a British story.

“It deals with British community issues and coming together, friendships and relationships… And all of that is sugarcoated in glitter, so why not come?”

We literally can’t think of a single reason not to, babes - in fact, we’re off to book ourselves a ticket for every night for the forseeable future.

Kinky Boots is now showing at London’s Adelphi Theatre - click here for more info and to book your seats!