They measure 2-and-a-half feet from floor to high thigh once you add in their 6” stiletto substructure, and are made of cherry red patent leather that screams glam the instant they roll off the conveyor belt of Price and Son “shoe factory” at Broadway’s Al Hirschfeld Theatre. They are the title characters in the sensational new musical Kinky Boots—brought to you by the dream team of Harvey Fierstein (book), Cyndi Lauper (music/lyrics), and Jerry Mitchell (director/choreographer).

Above: Sands and Porter

It’s pretty much a given that the gods of musical theatre—“men, women and ‘those who have yet to decide’”—are breaking out the champagne in their celestial loge.

Modeled after the 2005 film of the same name—which was based on actual events that took place in this blue-collar town 60 miles outside of London—Kinky Boots is a musical about acceptance, loyalty, thinking outside the box, and customized femme fatale footwear for men—specifically, male drag performers. The catalyst for the storyline surrounding Charlie Price (Stark Sands)—the “and Son” who inherits the nearly bankrupt factory from his father—is Lola, the flamboyant headliner at the Blue Angel Nightclub played by Billy Porter.

For Porter, whose Broadway resumé includes Miss Saigon and Smokey Joe’s Café, Lola is, without question, earmarked to be his breakout role—just ask anyone who’s caught a performance of Kinky Boots here or during its critically acclaimed pre-Broadway run in Chicago where, according to Sands and Porter, the musical underwent some radical revamping.

“We put in 45 new pages during our [time] there based on reactions and suggestions,” says Sands, who was costarring in Broadway’s American Idiot when Mitchell first approached him about the project.

Billy Porter and The Angels (L-R: Kyle Post, Kevin Smith Kirkwood, Joey Taranto, and Paul Canaan)

Porter adds that, originally, in the early scenes featuring Lola and her “Angels,” Gregg Barnes’ costumes designs “were much more couture and fabulous. The creators felt that audiences would not be able to get into Lola and the drag queens because the look was just too fierce.” As a result, the costumes were changed to gradually become more over-the-top glamorous, with all cast memberss working the towering footwear by the finale. “But there are only seven of us who have to look good doing it. That’s the whole point.”

When asked whether he has any experience strutting in stilettos, Porter responds, “I’ve walked in heels in my life. Have I walked this often and consistently? No.” He concedes that doing so eight shows a week has led to greater emphasis on working out his feet and calves.

Stark Sands

Sands is enjoying playing yin to Porter’s yang. “Being onstage with Billy is so much fun, and for me it’s a relief to have my job be the guy in the middle, reacting.”

Fans of the film will find that Fierstein’s script closely follows the trajectory of the movie, from Charlie’s angst at having to implement layoffs to his accidental encounter with Lola that leads to changing the factory’s inventory from men’s oxfords to men’s cha-cha heels. But there’s a key difference that sets the musical apart: Charlie and Simon (Lola’s out-of-drag persona) bond over the reality that neither one lived up to his father’s expectations.

This pivotal moment comes during the stirring number, “I’m Not My Father’s Son,” a song that sets the stage for the show’s ultimate message of how acceptance can lead to great things. It’s no accident the show’s mantra is, “When you change your mind about someone, you can change your whole world.”

Not a bad foundation for a mega musical that has the perfect blend of heart (a Fierstein signature), talent (the whole cast shines) and glitz-driven “trans-formations.” Lauper’s ingenious score makes you wonder why she’s never written for Broadway before, and Tony winner Jerry Mitchell is a genius who is, as Porter puts it, “one of the last Broadway directors who understands how uniquely American the musical theatre form is.”

One final note: the title can be misleading. Some theatregoers might equate “kinky” with edginess, even fetishism, but the two stars both suggest that this “kinky” should can be read as “fun,” because, as Sands explains, “it’s a show you to which you can take your 10 year old. And because it’s about acceptance and self-acceptance, it’s something everyone can relate to.”

Kinky Boots is playing at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre, 302 W. 45th St. For tickets, call 212-239-6200 or click here.

Photos: © Matthew Murphy