We’ve been back from London for a week now, so I suppose it’s about time I started writing about what we got up to whilst we were away. We went down last Thursday, and on the Thursday evening, we went to see Kinky Boots at the London Coliseum.
When Christine and I are in London, we usually try to see a show there too. Sometimes it’s planned – we booked the tickets for Kinky Boots a week in advance, and have done the same with Matilda, Wicked and The Play That Goes Wrong in the past. And other times, like when we went to see We Will Rock You, we picked up last minute cheap seats on the afternoon of the show.
The plot of Kinky Boots
Kinky Boots was originally a film which same out in 2005, and is based on a true story that was featured in the BBC2 documentary series Trouble at the Top. It follows the story of Charlie Price, who inherits his family’s shoemaking business in Northampton. The business is falling on hard times; though the shoes it makes are good quality, it can’t compete with cheaper imports and is about to go bust. But a chance meeting with a drag queen, Lola, sees Charlie finding a niche – making high quality boots for drag artists.
As you would expect from a musical that features drag artists, it’s very camp, but also touches on homophobia and transphobia.
The musical of Kinky Boots premiered in Chicago in 2012, and moved to Broadway the following year. The actor Billy Porter earned a Tony award for his portrayal of Lola, and he sings on the official soundtrack. The music was written by Cindy Lauper, but it’s not a jukebox musical – the songs were written for the show, so there’s no renditions of Girls Just Wanna Have Fun. The music is really good, and I appreciate musicals that have new music written for them as opposed to jukebox musicals.
Kinky Boots in the West End
Its first London run was in 2015, where it ran for four years at the Adelphi Theatre, closing in 2019.
This time, it’s at the London Coliseum, which is the largest theatre in the West End seating 2,359 people. Normally the Coliseum is the home of the English National Opera, so Kinky Boots probably attracts a rather different crowd. The role of Charlie Price is played by X-Factor winner Matt Cardle, with the South African actor Johannes Radebe playing Lola.
We really enjoyed the show. There’s some sad bits, but (as mentioned) the music is excellent and it’s well put-together, with great use of lighting.
Kinky Boots is on a limited run, which, as it stands, ends in mid-July. Tickets start from £25; we bought the £35 tickets for the upper circle, which is the third of four tiers in the London Coliseum. The view was pretty good from our seats.
If you’re looking to save a little bit of money on tickets, then Official London Theatre charges a lower booking fee than booking direct with the theatre, and they accept Theatre Tokens. If you’re a member of a site like JamDoughnut or EverUp (referral link) then you can buy Theatre Tokens at a discount.
Accessibility
Accessibility at the London Coliseum is pretty good, as the theatre was extensively renovated in the early 2000s. There is lift access to most floors, and wheelchair spaces are available. There are disabled and unisex toilets available, but there isn’t a Changing Places toilet. That being said, the London Coliseum is only a short walk/wheel away from Trafalgar Square where there are Changing Places toilets in the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery, although they will only be available during the gallery opening times.
There are special showings with captions, audio descriptions and British Sign Language interpretation in April and May.
The nearest tube stations are Leicester Square and Charing Cross, and it’s not too far from Embankment station either.