Richard Lund’s layered, contained performance as recent art school graduate Ken, assistant to abstract expressionist American painter Mark Rothko in the two-hander Red from Ad Astra.
Jayden Popik’s bold and powerful Queensland Theatre debut, as Declan in Mouthpiece, the company’s must-see return to the QPAC stage.
Best Staging
Set Designer Bill Haycock’s transformation of the Ad Astra’s small theatre space into an artist’s studio complete with an imposing set of replica canvasses, in John Logan’s Red.
Chloe Greaves’ detailed production design of fragmented country-house rooms jigsawed together for QUT’s early-in-March presentation of Anton Chekhov’s seminal Three Sisters.
Best Video Design
Nathan Sibthorpe’s stunning video projections, creating a sense of immersion into Queensland Theatre’s world premiere production of David Megarrity’s The Holidays.
Best Musical
Phoenix Ensemble’s dynamic September strut out of the super-fun 2012 musical Kinky Boots.
Top moment
When the rollicking Pirates of Penzance in Lynch & Paterson’s In Concert production sneak up on the Major-General’s house with Catlike Tread while singing at their top of their Tarantara lungs in the eponymous parodic Gilbert and Sullivan song.
“It feels contagious” is probably not the most popular of phrases these days, even in its appearance in electric disco anthem ‘Sex is in the Heel’ in which the characters of “Kinky Boots” are being asked to embrace the funked-up ostentation of its titular footwear. It is, however, a most apt way of encapsulating experience of Phoenix Ensemble’s production of the hit musical, which captures its joy in a balance of show-stopping numbers, sassy humour and contemplative emotion alike. With Cyndi Lauper’s music and lyrics, along with its hilarious, uplifting book by Broadway veteran Harvey Fierstein, the show delivers a strong message of acceptance, which the company delivers without moralising, making for a good time for all. Indeed, the on-stage energy of a cast finally able to perform again is infectious, ensuing that audience members leave the theatre abuzz above and beyond that of a usual opening night.
Based on the 2005 film, in turn drawing loosely on real events, the popular 2013 musical tells the uplifting story of Charlie Price (Alexander Thanasoulis), the fourth generation son in Northampton’s Price and Son shoemaking business, who reluctantly inherits the company, only to discover its financial difficulties. While in London with his obnoxious fiancée, Nicola (Carly Wilson), Charlie encounters Simon, in drag as the flamboyantly fabulous drag queen Lola (Joshua Brandon). The fabulous entertainer who is in need of some sturdier stilettos, becomes Charlie’s inspiration to not only turn around the business, but live up to his father’s legacy. As they work together, the unlikely pair find that they have more in common than they ever dreamed possible, soon discovering that, when you change your mind about someone, you can change your whole world.
Phoenix Ensemble shows never disappoint and “Kinky Boots” is certainly up there with the best, thanks to possibly the strongest principal cast the company has ever assembled. Joshua Brandon has some massive shoes to fill as the larger-than-life cabaret performer and drag queen Lola, given the dynamism with which the Tony Award-winning Billy Porter originated the role on Broadway and how Helpman Award-winning Callum Francis embodied it in its UK and Australian tours. And Brandon fills them with expertise, seemingly effortlessly showing audiences how sometimes the best way to fit in is to stand out. As sassy and showy as the character is, however, it is a role that inspires love and acceptance, celebrated in the show’s inspirational ‘Raise You Up’ with lyrics like, ‘Just be who you wanna be.’ In justice to this, Brandon captures Lola’s confident charisma, while also delivering upon the more intimate moments that show Simon’s emotion and integrity, such as in the thoughtful Lola and Charlie duet, ‘Not My Father’s Son’, which outlines their shared tormented feelings towards their fathers and also showcases the clear chemistry between the two leads.
“Kinky Boots” brings with it a heavy musical load for its leads and while the production is enriched by its all-around committed cast (especially the troupe of Lola’s Angels), there are two pivotal roles on which its success rests; Lola and Charlie. Like with Brandon’s Lola, Alexander Thanasoulis inhabits the complex role of the deceptively-unassuming Charlie, bringing to it the insecurity and sensitivity needed to ensure audience engagement with the heart-warming aspects of the narrative. And his vocals are excellent throughout. In particular, Act Two’s ‘Soul of a Man’, in which he struggles with the burden of his father’s legacy, is forlorn without being self-pitiful and particularly poignant on Father’s Day weekend.
Also of particular note is Lauren Ryan, who is delightful as dorky audience favourite Lauren, the supportive factory worker who just happens to be infatuated with Charlie. Her comic timing, especially in combination with the choreography in ‘The History of Wrong Guys’ makes for one of her many memorable appearances on-stage.
Under Sherryl-Lee Secomb and Shane Webb’s direction, all elements combine in an impressive production. Desney Toia-Sinapati and Amy-Rose Swindells’s choreography is effective in big, company numbers like Act One’s closer, ‘Everybody Say Yeah’, crescendoing in Act Two’s boxing scene where the factory’s homophonic foreman Don (Tristan Ham) challenges Lola to fight him in a boxing match at the pub, one of the best choreographed numbers seen in ‘the tin shed’ of the Beenleigh Ensemble’s Pavilion Theatre home. Justin Tubb-Hearne’s costumes are flashy and fun, while his set design works smoothly throughout.
While the music of “Kinky Boots” is catchy (Musical Director Benjamin Tubb-Hearne), it generally doesn’t help the storytelling in that typical musical way. But the escapism that the show provides at a time when we need it more than ever, means that this is of little concern. Similarly, it features some perhaps-problematic tropes and dialogue mentions. Still, the overwhelming feel-good atmosphere makes for a joyous night out, especially in delight of seeing others experience the musical for the first time. And, all things considered, it is easy to understand why the season of shows is already sold out.
A couple of months away travelling and a couple more laid up with pneumonia and I saw fewer shows in 2017 than in recent years (but still well into the double digits). Reflecting, it is clear that quality over quantity can be incredibly rewarding. And what quality there was on offer… so much so that my usual top five favourite, has been blown out to the following ten:
And honourable mention to the UK’s National Theatre Stage to Screen show Yerma… Gut-wrenching, phenomenal theatre thanks to Billie Piper’s devastatingly powerful performance.
And mention also to the following highlights:
Best performance:
Elaine Crombie as a hilarious house-slave in Queensland Theatre Company’s An Octoroon.
Merlynn Tong in her intimate and vulnerable one-woman work, Playlab’s Blue Bones
Cameron Hurry as badly behaved brother Valene in the darkly irreverent The Lonesome West by Troop Productions
Best AV – Spectate (Counterpilot, Metro Arts)
Most thought provoking –- Octoroon (Queensland Theatre, Brisbane Festival)
Best new work – Merlyn Tong’s Blue Bones (Playlab, Brisbane Powerhouse)
Most madcap – Chef (Persona Inc & Atobiz Ltd, Brisbane Powerhouse, Brisbane Festival)
Most immersive – Trainspotting Live (In Your Face Theatre, Brisbane Powerhouse)
Most moving – Once in Royal David’s City (Queensland Theatre)
2018 looks set to continue to showcase both the wonderful work of this state’s creatives and innovative works from both here and further afield. Festivals will continue to punctuate the cultural calendar, serving to oscillate audiences between feast and famine like a cultural bulimic… although with Brisbane Powerhouse’s Melt Festival moving to May (maybe at the same time as Anywhere Festival) it may be a shower than usual start to the year.
Kinky Boots (Michael Cassel by special arrangement with Daryl Roth and Hal Luftig in association with Cameron Mackintosh)
QPAC, Lyric Theatre
August 22 – October 22
“Kinky Boots” is a model of the modern major musical… spirited, triumphant and touching, with a stirring message regarding equal rights, identity and acceptance, that both advocates and stands as evidence of creativity as change agent. As such, the Tony Award winning musical brings Broadway to Brisbane boots and all with a superb cast and soaring score … and the result is simply sensational!
The story, adapted from 2005 movie (itself based on a true story), takes places in a British working class setting not unlike that of “Billy Elliot”. To workers in the long-established Northampton, England shoe factory Price & Son, a shoe is (according to the show’s opening number) ‘The Most Beautiful Thing’. But business is failing when, as the fourth-generation ‘son’ in the business, Charlie Price (Toby Francis) finds himself recalled from a new life in London after his father’s death.
As the factory’s now insecure owner, Charlie tries to live up to his father’s legacy, but is almost ready to accept defeat, until a chance meeting with drag queen Lola (Callum Francis), reveals a niche market that could save the factory… kinky boots for women who just happen to be men, beginning with a custom pair of red (not burgundy) ones for Lola herself because whatever Lola wants, Lola is likely to get. As Charlie and Lola work to bring the factory back from the brink of bankruptcy, the unlikely duo discover that they have more in common than they thought. As such, the show become more than just a formulaic story of underdog triumph, as it celebrates friendship, love and self-belief.
Helping cement the sentiment at show’s heart is Cyndi Lauper’s award winning score, which moves the narrative along while also capturing the story’s emotional extremes. Tapestried together, the range of songs work wonderfully. Highlights include the electric disco anthem ‘Sex is in the Heel’, performed by drag club headliner Lola and her backup ‘angels’ troupe of drag dancers as they try to explain the importance of sex appeal to Charlie and his factory workers, and the touching ballad, ‘I’m Not My Father’s Son’. The emotionally, affecting duet sees Lola (with introduction of her birth name Simon) lament the torment of being his own man and Charlie reflect on his attempt to disassociate himself from his father’s legacy, highlighting the similarities of the characters’ complex feelings and also the chemistry between the two leads.
Callum Francis is outstanding as the unashamedly outrageous, but also quietly vulnerable, Lola and it is easy to understand his win of the 2017 Helpman Award for Best Actor in a Musical. Not only does his dynamic performance engender an immediate rapport with the audience but his powerhouse vocals are absolutely on-point. Toby Francis, is charming as Charlie, the everyman alongside effervescent Lola. His vocals add lovely layers to ballads and upbeat numbers alike, making songs like Act Two’s ‘Soul of a Man’, in which he struggles with the weight of his father’s legacy, at-once heartfelt and powerful. There is plenty of comedy too, not just through Lola’s sassy comebacks but from Sophie Wright’s nuanced performance as feisty factory worker Lauren who longs for Charlie’s love. And her ‘The History of Wrong Guys’ number is perfect in its exploit of every comic opportunity.
Every aspect of “Kinky Boots” is on-point. Kenneth Posner’s lighting design easily transforms the stage from industrial factory to the fabulous, flamboyant land of Lola, allowing for full appreciation of Jerry Mitchell’s inventive choreography. And John Shivers’ sound design ensure that its musical theatre and pop soundtrack blend seamlessly.
As co-creator Harvey Fierstein has said, “Kinky Boots” is a joyous show, sure to leave you overwhelmed with happiness. Not only is there lots of colour and movement, but an overarching, uplifting message about how you can change the world if you change your mind, realised in the rousing full company finale, ‘Raise You Up/Just Be’ when the factory’s collection of boots hits the runway in Milan. Indeed, its drama, humour and pathos make it big-hearted entertainment of the highest calibre, making it a force of nature, not to be missed.
Blue Curtains Brisbane 