Back in Chicago, 'Kinky Boots' reveals a better show

The "Kinky Boots" now playing at the Cadillac Palace Theatre is by far a better show structurally than what opened to critics during its pre-Broadway world premiere run at Chicago's Bank of America Theatre back in 2012. But the touring production of the six-time Tony Award-winning musical has its own arguable drawbacks that keep this very entertaining parable of courage and acceptance from fitting as comfortably as it could back in Chicago.

"Kinky Boots" is based on the 2005 Miramax indie film of the same name, which in turn was inspired by a stranger-than-fiction incident of a British shoe factory in Northampton that was able to prevent shutting down when it switched to manufacturing women's fetish footwear to be worn by men.

"Kinky Boots" lead producers Daryl Roth and Hal Luftig certainly took a chance on Grammy Award-winning pop star Cyndi Lauper to write her first theater score. But Lauper rose to the challenge and won a Tony Award for her pop-infused score, which shines alongside the adapted script by playwright Harvey Fierstein ("Newsies," "La Cage aux Folles") and director/choreographer Jerry Mitchell's flashy staging.

Those who caught "Kinky Boots" locally before will note the many changes Lauper and company made to the musical to make it better. "Step One" is a far superior replacement song than "Charlie to the Rescue" to genuinely show the inner doubts of the reluctant hero Charlie Price (Steven Booth) as he attempts to implement the show's seemingly crazy premise into action to save his family's struggling shoe factory.

There's also some savvy tightening by featuring a reprise of "Land of Lola," the rousing production number that introduces the inspirational drag queen who goes by the name Lola (Kyle Taylor Parker). And a song for Charlie's money-minded fiancee Nicola (Grace Stockdale) was completely dropped and is not missed at all.

Yet even with all the improvements, "Kinky Boots" has questionable dramatic turns in Act II. A pub boxing match between Lola and the bullying shoe factory worker Don (Joe Coots) strains some credibility, as does Charlie's angry meltdown where he lashes out at employees and criticizes the very essence of Lola. There's also lingering financial questions behind the musical's rafter-raising finale set in Milan, Italy.

The touring production of "Kinky Boots" maintains all the flash of what's on Broadway, and audiences certainly get their money's worth especially with the eye-popping drag costumes designed by Gregg Barnes. The contrast between the dreary shoe factory and splashy London nightclubs is also expertly pronounced in David Rockwell's sets and Kenneth Posner's lighting design.

Yet from where I was seated, there were some sound issues that needed to be worked out. The intelligibility of many lyrics and lines got lost in the sound mix. And perhaps that sound issue affected my impressions of the touring cast, who possessed a noticeably lower star charisma than the musical's original cast.

Parker misses some of the initial arch haughtiness necessary for Lola, and his comic timing isn't as expertly honed as Billy Porter's was when he originated the Tony Award-winning role. And Booth's Charlie doesn't have the same spark that Stark Sands first brought to the role.

There's also something slightly rote in Lindsay Nicole Chambers' take on the promoted factory worker Lauren, who realizes her sudden attraction for Charlie in the hilariously questioning song "The History of Wrong Guys."

But perhaps I'm being too hard on the touring ensemble. It's always hard for actors to erase memories of performances that were tailor-made and built on other performers.

And since not everyone will have seen the original company of "Kinky Boots," what's offered via the touring company is undeniably polished and never less than professional.