Torrance Theatre Company follow’s last summer’s professional-caliber The Addams Family with the 2013 Tony-winning Best Musical Kinky Boots, though this time round the results are considerably more mixed.

Like the 2005 British movie on which it is based, Kinky Boots The Musical recounts the true-story-inspired tale of a couldn’t-be-odder couple of 20something English lads: straight-laced Charlie (Zachary Quinn), owner of a floundering Northhampton shoe factory he has just inherited from his recently deceased father, and flamboyant drag queen Lola née Simon (Steven Flowers), whose need for a stiletto heel strong enough to support a fully-grown man-in-sequins provides Charlie with an idea that might just give the family business new life.

Also along for the ride are factory workers Lauren (Samantha Labrecque), who’s got an eye for her new boss; George (Daniel Koh), who’s been Charlie’s father’s right-hand-man for years; and Don (Bradley Weaver), an ornery bloke with homophobic dislike for men in drag.

Last but not least are Lola’s backup performers, aka her “Angels.” (Think La Cage Aux Folles’s Les Cagelles but in an English factory town).

Proving that coming-of-age stories can extend well into a character’s twenties, Kinky Boots follows its mismatched heroes on their parallel paths to true adulthood, demonstrating along that way that you don’t have to be manly to be a man. You simply need to accept others for who they are, something more easily imagined than done.

Book writer Harvey Fierstein (Tony-nominated for Kinky Boots) knows a thing or two about drag, and his latest hero(ine)-in-spangles joins Torch Song’ Trilogy’s Arnold and La Cage Aux Folles’s Albin in three-dimensional, six-inch-stilettoed fabulousness as pop legend Cyndi Lauper serves up a dozen or so of her instantly infectious songs.

By far the show’s biggest assets at the James Armstrong Theatre are its two leading men, whom Cary Jordahl has cast and directed to memorable effect.

The ever so likable Quinn may be a half-decade younger than Charlie (he’s still a junior at New York’s Pace University) but he projects the confidence and stage presence of a far more experienced performer, sings terrifically, and demonstrates topnotch acting chops to boot.

 Flowers, a longtime ensemble staple at Santa Monica’s Morgan-Wixson Theatre, invests Lola with depth, sass, inner strength, and rafters-reaching vocals, in particular a tear-inducing “Hold Me In Your Arms” and a gut-punching “Not My Father’s Son,” duetted with an equally power-piped Quinn.

Labrecque makes for a feisty, sympathetic Lauren, but on Opening Night had the misfortune of remaining seemingly unmiked (and therefore often inaudible) even after intermission, and though Weaver effectively captures Dan’s surliness, he’s not the burly, physically imposing 40ish bear whom the writers intended.

Major supporting roles are in the capable hands of Allie Boettcher (Pat), Koh, Maura Lefevre (Nicola), and Lisa Meert (Trish).

Kylie Christensen, Steven Didrick (Mr. Price), Amber Florin, Matt Garber, Danny Gaitan, Jack Gebele (Richard), Sabrina Harris, Andre Heimos (Simon Sr.), Ryan Kann, Eileen Cherry O’Donnell, Cameron Plank (Harry), Daniella Zappacosta, and Ashley Zarate make for a credible bunch of factory workers, and Roseli and Trey are child charmers.

Last but not least are Lola’s Angels, roles reinvented by the fabulous Andres de Dios, Niko Montelibano, Brett Popiel, Daniel Scipio, Christopher Tiernan, and Jose Tovar.

Choreographer Montelibano scores points for tailoring moves to fit a cast likely composed more of movers than trained dancers, and to everyone’s credit, both the Act One closer (“Everybody Say Yeah”) and the evening’s grand finale (“Raise You Up/Just Be”) are bona fide showstoppers, with Stephen Amundson eliciting top-notch vocal harmonies and musical director Bradley Hampton conducting a professional-sounding eleven-piece orchestra.

Front Row Theatrical’s rented set looks good under Steve Giltner’s lighting, and costume designer Bradley Allen Lock’s bevy of factory and drag wear add up to an eye-catching mix of drab and fab, with additional design credits shared by Michael Aldapa (hair and makeup) and Kyle Lukas (props).

Unfortunately (and presumably not as sound designer Gilly Moon and sound engineer Amelia Sheldon had planned), Opening Night was marred by numerous distracting sound glitches. (In addition to the un-amped Lauren, Lola’s mike sent out ear-piercing pops throughout much of Act One and volume levels were too often insufficient for spoken dialog to be heard.)

Shea Glenn is assistant choreographer. Edgard De Dios is stage manager and Jorge Macias is assistant stage manager. Miss Clair Voyance is drag consultant. James Callaghan is assistant lighting designer. Julia Bacon is board operator.

Torrance Theatre Company merits a round of applause for securing the rights to a show that’s scarcely been staged locally since its Second National Tour closed a few years back, and 2022’s The Addams Family revealed the heights a community theater is capable of attaining.

This time round, however, Kinky Boots doesn’t soar nearly as high.

Reviewer’s apology: As originally posted, my review of Kinky Boots at Torrance Theatre Company contained words that were hurtful to members of the Kinky Boots cast. I should have applauded the production’s embrace of body diversity, but I did not. I am truly sorry about this. What I wrote was inconsiderate of people’s feelings and the need we all have to be seen and appreciated for who we are. In finding fault with, instead of celebrating these casting choices, I failed at that, and people were hurt by my failure. To all who who felt harmed by my words, please accept my deepest apologies. I will strive to do better in the future.
SS

James Armstrong Theatre, 3330 Civic Center Dr., Torrance.
www.torrancetheatrecompany.com

–Steven Stanley
August 5, 2023
Photos: Mickey Elliot

Tags: Cyndi Lauper, Harvey Fierstein, James Armstrong Theatre, Los Angeles Theater Review, Torrance Theatre Company