The Toronto production of Kinky Boots extended multiple times, eventually closing on May 15, 2016, due to the Royal Alexandra Theatre's renovation.
Kinky Boots' West End production won three Olivier Awards, including Best New Musical and Best Actor in a Musical.
A Japanese production of Kinky Boots is scheduled to run from April 27 till June 9, 2025, at major theaters in Tokyo, Osaka, and Shibuya.
Kinky Boots' production in Buenos Aires, Argentina, opened in January 2020 but was temporarily closed due to the pandemic, later reopening in April 2022.
A Spanish production of Kinky Boots opened on October 5, 2021, at Espacio Delicias in Madrid with Tiago Barbosa as Lola.
Silas Holst, starring as Lola in the Danish production, won the Reumert Award for Best Actor.
The Danish production of Kinky Boots, which opened in 2022 at Det Ny Teater in Copenhagen, won a Reumert Award for Best Musical.
A Polish production of Kinky Boots premiered at Teatr Dramatyczny in Warsaw on July 7, 2017, featuring Krzysztof Szczepaniak as Lola.
Kinky Boots premiered on a Norwegian Cruise Line ship, the Norwegian Encore, as part of its onboard entertainment in November 2019.
The Australian production of the musical opened on October 12, 2016, at Her Majesty's Theatre in Melbourne and featured Callum Francis from the London production as Lola.
The Kinky Boots West End production opened on September 15, 2015, at the Adelphi Theatre in London and ran until January 12, 2019.
Kinky Boots clinched three Laurence Olivier Awards when it debuted on the West End in 2015, including for Best New Musical.
Musical Composition
The song 'Sex Is in the Heel' from Kinky Boots became the first Broadway song in 25 years to make the top 10 of the Billboard club charts.
The first song Cyndi Lauper wrote for 'Kinky Boots' was composed by conceiving the song, singing it into her iPhone, and then having it transcribed and orchestrated by Stephen Oremus.
The musical's cast album topped the Billboard Cast Albums Chart and also reached number fifty-one on the Billboard 200 chart.
Cyndi Lauper became the first woman alone to win a Tony for Best Score, showcasing her versatility as a composer beyond her pop music career.
Notable Tours
In 2014, Kinky Boots launched a national tour across the United States, receiving mostly positive reviews.
A non-replica UK and Ireland tour of Kinky Boots is set to open at the Curve, Leicester on January 17, 2025 with Johannes Radebe starring as Lola.
Production Facts
The musical was inspired by the 2005 British film Kinky Boots, which itself was based on a 1999 episode of the BBC documentary series Trouble at the Top.
Kinky Boots premiered on Broadway in April 2013 at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre after a successful preview in Chicago in 2012.
During the 2013 awards season, Kinky Boots won the Drama League Award for Distinguished Production of a Musical.
Billy Porter, who played Lola, won a Tony Award for Best Actor for his role in Kinky Boots.
The production received a total of 13 Tony nominations in 2013 and won 6, including Best Musical and Best Original Score by Cyndi Lauper.
Kinky Boots started Broadway previews on March 3, 2013, at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre and officially opened on April 4, 2013.
Notable Broadway replacements for key roles in 'Kinky Boots' included stars like Brendon Urie, Jake Shears, and Wayne Brady, showing the diverse casting approach of the production.
Director Jerry Mitchell and Scenic Designer David Rockwell are notable for their collaborative work on Hairspray, Catch Me If You Can, and Legally Blonde prior to Kinky Boots.
The musical is based on a real-life story about a struggling shoe factory that starts producing fetish footwear for men to stay in business.
The Broadway run of Kinky Boots grossed $319 million by its closing on April 7, 2019, after 2,507 performances.
After winning six Tony Awards, Kinky Boots saw a significant boost, selling $1.25 million in tickets the day after the Tonys.