Auckland’s Civic Theatre has been transformed into a confetti-filled funderland for the red carpet arrival of Tony Award-winning musical Kinky Boots this week.

That’s right, Auckland city has turned red with glam, mayhem and sex appeal combined, in this audience favourite brought to life by its creative team: writer Harvey Fierstein and rockstar Cyndi Lauper.

Audiences play a crucial part of the show, rocking out in sparkles up and down Queen Street for a buzzing and cocktail-filled opening night on Thursday, ready for a packed show filled with style, heart and sequins.

The world first fell in love with our leading character, Charlie from Northampton (played in Auckland by Nic Kyle), in the 2005 British film of the same name, where Charlie is a non-leading man in his own life thanks to the inherited pressure of running a shoe factory; where the last thing he wants to hear is “Let’s make boots!”

When Charlie meets Lola from London (aka Simon from Clacton, played by the irresistible Stewart Adam McKensy) in desperate need of quality ‘kinky boots’, their stars align and the pair set a plan in motion to change hearts and fashion in the process.

The winner of six Tony awards and 13 nominations, Kinky Boots’ continued fandom is testament to the heart and sole in this show, from its dream writing team to perfected direction by David Adkins, magical musical direction by Zac Johns and a charming multi-purpose industrial set by Harold Moot, plus genius costume and design by Stephen Robertson.

My favourite fashion moment is Lola’s Angels strutting around the Price & Son factory in swirling pink plaid trench coats, each with their own unique lining in every shade of the rainbow.

Nic Kyle portrays all the depth you will love and hate in Charlie – a “spoilt twit waiting for the world to be handed to him” – but ultimately changes that perception and finds for himself that a good pair of shoes really does change your life.

Other show stand-outs include Nomi Cohen playing hilarious Lauren’s heartfelt ‘The History of Wrong Guys’, and Jocelyn Scott’s soulful solo in the ‘Price & Son’ song’s funeral rendition. Everything this cast touches turns to glitter and gold!

The talented cast – and crew – master every quick set change and belt every number, with favourites being the stadium-worthy ‘Soul of a Man’, energetic ‘Take What You Got’, and ‘Hold Me In Your Heart’sequined solo by Stewart Adam McKensy as Lola, who gives original Broadway cast member Billy Porter’s rendition a run for his stockings.

Since Kinky Boots, Billy has embarked on an incredible career of performances and music that inspire, uplift, and create a call to action wherever he goes – just like Kinky Boots does. As he revealed on The Graham Norton Show, “We can’t wait for future generations, we have to be the change, the time is now.”

I hope audiences flock to Kinky Boots and kick their own walls down wherever they go: this star-studded cast shows us how it’s done. Just don’t forget to turn your phone off, because I wouldn’t want Don (the charmingly terrifying Patrick Jennings) to throw any more punches than those beautifully choreographed by the fabulous James Luck.

“What a man leaves behind ain’t what’s in his pockets, sometimes it’s what he inspires in others,” he teaches us, and our roaring, applauding audience is here for the journey – to the quickest standing ovation I have ever seen. You’ll have to see the show for yourself to see why.

Forget your “executised” life and get Kinkified, jump into your dreams and find an escape here at Kinky Boots while you can. You will laugh out loud, love out loud and feel all the more sexy for it. So get those tickets now before the love sells out!

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