This story is an editorial and does not necessarily reflect the views of The Campus.
High heels, humor and hot drag queens are exactly what “Kinky Boots” the musical brought to the Warner Theatre in Erie on Tuesday, March 10, and Wednesday, March 11. The story follows Charlie, who inherits his late father’s dying shoe business with lots of workers but no financial hope to remain open. Late one night while walking home from the bar, Charlie defends a woman, Lola, who was being pestered by men on the street. Charlie is knocked out accidentally by Lola’s boot in self defense, after which she brings him to the club where he is introduced to the world of drag queens. Lauren, a worker from the shoe factory, encourages Charlie to pivot the shoe business to a more niche market, like sexy red boots for drag queens. Together, Lola and Charlie work to save his company, change perspectives and create an iconic boot.
Noah Silverman, who played Charlie in the Warner Theatre performance, did an outstanding job during this performance. Even though Charlie is not as flashy or comedic as some of the other characters, he has a very endearing nature, which Silverman portrayed naturally.
Charlie’s big solo, “Soul of a Man,” was an incredible moment for not only the character’s arc, but also for the audience’s ears. Silverman’s voice sounded soft yet powerful especially when delivering difficult belts at the end of the song with ease.
Silverman had such great chemistry with the other lead, Omari Collins, that I was really being sold this story: The two come from entirely separate worlds, yet they were able to come together and learn from each other.
The minute that the drag queens entered the stage, I was sat. They were feminine, fabulous and fierce, and every number they were in, the theater just lit up. The ensemble of drag queens was constantly performing at every single moment doing cartwheels, kicks, backhandsprings, jump splits. The athleticism was superb; in one of the numbers each queen is swinging on a moving conveyor belt, split kicking before getting off.
Omari Collins, whose drag name is “Scarlett D. Von’Du,” played Lola and was a striking triple threat. During Lola’s first song, “Land of Lola,” Collins was dancing constantly while hitting every single note.
Collins was able to deliver not only beautiful vocals and dance, but also incredible acting. The most comical and heavy moments were displayed by Collins’ performance of Lola. One moment the audience is laughing because of Lola’s ability to humble a homophobe, and the next moment the audience is crying because of the hardships she faces as a minority.
I got chills during the scene where Charlie is arguing with Lola about her Angels — the drag queens from the club — displaying the new boots in the fashion show. Charlie had taken a sudden turn under the pressure that he might fail the family business by letting them walk, so Lola stands up for her and her community that is giving the shoe business new life. Charlie insults Lola, saying, “You say you wanted to be treated like a man, then start acting like one. I’m sorry but sometimes the truth hurts.” Lola replies, “The truth?” with such raw anger and hurt that you could hear a pin drop in the audience when she stormed off stage.
Since I had no prior knowledge of the show, the character Lauren really took me by surprise. The number, “The History of Wrong Guys,” is Lauren’s solo, and the actress Sophia Gunter absolutely nailed the performance. After the audience just found out that Lauren discovered her crush on Charlie, she breaks out into a dramatic song about diving head first into this bad choice, even though she could get hurt like in times past. “The History of Wrong Guys” starts out with this funky beat created by 1980s singer songwriter icon Cyndi Lauper. This beat set the tone for the song and let us hear the hesitation in newfound love.
Gunter did an outstanding job executing the comedy of the song through facials, tone and choreography. One of my favorite moments was when she puts shoes from the factory on her hands and hovers them above her head in this perfectly awkward stance. It captured exactly how I act in any situation that involves socializing with a man, mostly acting normal but then accidentally striking an exploding movement of passion. Finally, I’ve been introduced to a weird girl character who’s navigating her new hyperfixation; she’s my spirit animal.
The lighting and set design for the show created a beautiful atmosphere. Mind you, the set is a factory for most of the show — yet it was extremely visually pleasing. There were different levels in the construction of the set to give the illusion of an office, while the lights were vibrant with color and actively changing. During one of Lola’s solos, “Hold Me in your Heart,” lights projected into the audience in an immersive fashion matching the powerful moment in the scene.
Dance Captain Robert Miller and Assistant Dance Captain Brianna Clark did an incredible job with the movement happening on stage. The dancing during “Sex Is in the Heel” was my absolute favorite, with sharp, jazzy and fun choreography.
A moment in the performance that stood out to me was the boxing scene. Lola accepts a challenge to box Don, an ignorant worker at the company, played by Jason Daniel Chacon. During the boxing match everyone is moving in slow motion including Lola and Don, creating an entertaining visual. As punches are landing heavily, camera lights flash from the side of the stage. During each round in the ring the audience gets a different perspective of the match. This visual was created by one of Lola’s Angels who changed where she would hold the angle of the ring rope.
This cast and crew made watching “Kinky Boots” for the first time such an enjoyable experience. I didn’t know I could get emotional listening to a song about manufacturing sex appeal into a shoe, but here we are. It was a breath of fresh air to watch a show about the importance of individuality in a climate today where sometimes hate gets the spotlight more than love. The atmosphere of the Warner Theatre was welcoming and beautiful. I cannot wait to go back!
