Everything you need to know about 'Kinky Boots'

Cyndi Lauper and Harvey Fierstein's musical about footwear and friendship returns to the West End starring Johannes Radebe and Matt Cardle.

Summary

• Cyndi Lauper and Harvey Fierstein's musical is a heartwarming underdog story based on true events
• The original production won six Tonys and three Oliviers
• Nikolai Foster's new production plays a 17-week run at the London Coliseum
• Johannes Radebe and Matt Cardle star as Lola and Charlie

There's no business like shoebusiness! Kinky Boots returns to London this spring in a new production directed by Nikolai Foster and starring Strictly Come Dancing’s Johannes Radebe and The X Factor’s Matt Cardle. One of the most popular and joyfully queer musicals of recent years, Kinky Boots is a multi-Tony and Olivier Award-winning sensation that has delighted audiences on Broadway, in the West End, regionally, and internationally.

With a score from pop legend Cyndi Lauper and a book by Broadway maestro Harvey Fierstein, this is a story about unlikely business partnerships and friendships, the complex relationships between fathers and sons, and the power of thinking outside the shoebox and deep within the heel!

The show plays from 17 March to 11 July 2026 at the majestic London Coliseum. Don’t miss this unexpected and utterly fabulous industrial revolution!

Book Kinky Boots tickets on LondonTheatre.co.uk.

What is Kinky Boots about?

Kinky Boots is about a Northampton-based shoe factory that has been passed down from father to son in the Price family for generations, but its latest scion, Charlie, isn’t interested. Not long after Charlie moves to London, however, his father dies, and he learns that the factory has been struggling. One evening, Charlie meets drag artist Lola, who struggles to find suitable high-heeled shoes for his performances. A bright idea is born, and Lola travels to Northampton with Charlie – but the new developments aren't popular with everyone at the factory. Will Charlie and Lola win them over – and can their business partnership and friendship survive?

Is Kinky Boots based on a true story?

Kinky Boots was inspired by a 1999 episode of the BBC2 fly-on-the-wall documentary series Trouble at the Top, which followed the the Northamptonshire-based family-owned shoe factory WJ Brooks Ltd. The factory survived financial peril by filling a gap in the market by producing high-heeled footwear for drag performers. The documentary then inspired the 2005 film Kinky Boots, starring Joel Edgerton as Charlie and Chiwetel Ejiofor as Lola, which in turn was the basis for the musical.

Who wrote Kinky Boots?

Kinky Boots is a quintessentially British underdog story, and yet the musical was first performed on Broadway and is written by Americans! The music and lyrics are by pop star and songwriter Cyndi Lauper, whose hits include “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun”, “Time After Time”, and “True Colors”. She has released 12 studio albums and has sold over 50 million records to date.

The book is written by actor, playwright, and screenwriter Harvey Fierstein. He won Tony Awards for writing and performing in Torch Song Trilogy, as well as for his book for La Cage aux Folles, and for originating the role of Edna Turnblad in Hairspray. He received a Lifetime Achievement Tony Award in 2025.

What is the production history of Kinky Boots?

Kinky Boots opened on Broadway on 4 April 2013, directed by Jerry Mitchell and starring Billy Porter as Lola, Stark Sands as Charlie, and Annaleigh Ashford as Lauren. Subsequent actors to play Lola included Wayne Brady, J. Harrison Ghee, Todrick Hall, and Alan Mingo Jr. The Broadway production closed on 7 April 2019 after over 2,500 performances, and it is the 25th longest-running Broadway musical to date.

The show opened in the West End at the Adelphi Theatre on 15 September 2015, led by Matt Henry as Lola, Killian Donnelly as Charlie, and Amy Lennox as Lauren. The production played for over 1,400 performances and toured in 2018-19.

A new production by Nikolai Foster toured the UK in 2025 starring Johannes Radebe and now arrives in the West End for a limited run this spring, with Radebe reprising the role of Lola.

What awards has Kinky Boots won?

At the 2013 Tony Awards, Kinky Boots received 13 nominations (one more than its primary rival, Matilda) and won six: Best Musical, Best Original Score, Best Actor in a Musical (Billy Porter), Best Sound Design of a Musical, Best Choreography, and Best Orchestrations.

In the West End, the show was nominated for six Olivier Awards and won three: Best Musical, Best Actor in a Musical (Matt Henry), and Best Costume Design.

Where is Kinky Boots being performed?

Kinky Boots in being performed at the London Coliseum on St Martin’s Lane, which is one of London’s most beautiful and ornate venues, designed by the renowned Edwardian theatre architect Frank Matcham. It is also the largest venue in the West End with 2,389 seats. It is the London home of English National Opera and English National Ballet and the venue frequently hosts musicals, including The Great Gatsby in 2025.

When is Kinky Boots being performed?

Kinky Boots runs from 17 March to 11 July 2026. Performances take place from Monday to Saturday at 7:30pm, with matinees on Thursdays and Saturdays at 7:30pm.

How long is Kinky Boots?

Kinky Boots in 2 hours 20 minutes long.

Who is in the cast of Kinky Boots?

Kinky Boots is led by Strictly Come Dancing star Johannes Radebe as Lola. Radebe first played the role on the UK tour and now brings his fancy footwork and effervescent personality to the West End. He is joined by former X Factor winner and recording artist Matt Cardle as Charlie. Cardle made his West End debut in Memphis in 2015 and has gone on to perform in Jesus Christ Superstar, Strictly Ballroom, and & Juliet.

The cast also includes Tosh Wanogho-Maud (Titanique, Aint Too Proud) as Alternate Lola (26 March matinee and all Mondays from 30 March), Courtney Bowman (Pretty Woman, Legally Blonde), Billie-Kay (Burlesque) as Nicola, Billy Roberts (Military Wives the Musical) as Don, Rachel Izen (Funny Girl) as Pat, Jessica Daley (Military Wives) as Trish, Jonathan Dryden Taylor (The Wizard of Oz) as Mr Price, Scott Paige (I Should Be So Lucky) as George, and Liam Doyle (Heathers) as Harry.

The cast comprises Andy Barke, Kathryn Barnes, Cerys Burton, Kaya Farrugia, Nay-Nay, Keith Alexander, Nathan Daly, Kofi Dennis, Ru Fisher, Darnell Matthew-James, Liam McEvoy, Ashley-Jordon Packer, Cole Dunn, Annell Odartey, Jordan Isaac, and Tori McDougall.

The young company includes Sean Garcia Madiba, Noah Ronkainen Phillips and Rio-Blake Power as Young Lola and Archie John Allen, Joshua Beswick, Louis Cohen and Callum George as Young Charlie.

Who is in the Kinky Boots creative team?

Kinky Boots is directed by Nikolai Foster, who has been artistic director of Leicester’s Curve Theatre since 2015. Several of his productions have been seen in the West End, including A Chorus Line, The Wizard of Oz, and White Christmas. The show also features choreography by Leah Hill, set design by Robert Jones, costume design by Robert Jones and Tom Rogers, musical supervision by George Dyer, lighting design by Ben Cracknell, sound design by Adam Fisher, wigs, hair and make-up design by Campbell Young Associates, and musical direction by Grant Walsh.

Who are the characters in Kinky Boots?

Kinky Boots features the following cast of characters:

Charlie Price: the conflicted heir of a failing shoe factory.
Lola: a seemingly uninhibited drag artist who becomes Charlie’s business partner and friend.
Mr Price: Charlie's late father.
Nicola: Charlie’s materialistic girlfriend.
Lauren: an outspoken production worker and potential new love interest for Charlie.
George: the open-minded factory manager.
Don: the hostile factory foreman.
Pat and Trish: production workers, who quickly befriend Lola.
Angels: members of Lola’s back-up troupe.

What are the songs in Kinky Boots?

The score of Kinky Boots features the following numbers:

Act I

"Price & Son Theme" – Full Company
"The Most Beautiful Thing" – Full Company
"Take What You Got" – Harry, Charlie, Ensemble
"Land of Lola" – Lola, Angels
"Beware the Black Widow" — Lola, Angels
"I Come to the Rescue" – Charlie
"Sex Is in the Heel" – Lola, Pat, George, Angels, Ensemble
"The History of Wrong Guys" – Lauren
"Not My Father's Son" – Simon, Charlie
"Everybody Say Yeah" – Charlie, Simon, Angels, Ensemble

Act II

"Entr’acte/Price & Son Theme (Reprise)" – Full Company
"What a Woman Wants" – Simon, Pat, Don, Ensemble
"In This Corner" — Simon, Don, Pat, Trish, Angels, Ensemble
"So Long, Charlie" – Nicola
"The Soul of a Man" – Charlie
"Hold Me in Your Heart" – Lola
"Raise You Up/Just Be" – Full Company

What are some fun facts about Kinky Boots?

• Northamptonshire’s reputation as the shoemaking capital of Britain dates back to the mid-nineteenth century with the rise of factory production, but the tradition of artisanal shoemaking in the area can be traced back to the Middle Ages. The region boasted an abundance of the three essential raw materials: cattle for the leather, and oak bark and water from the Rive Nene to use in the tanning process.
• First-time Broadway songwriter Cyndi Lauper became the first woman to win the Tony for Best Original Score for her music and lyrics.
• The custom-made boots worn by the male ensemble in the show are extremely costly to make and intensive bootcamp training is required for the performers to learn to walk and dance in their glamorous footwear!

Book Kinky Boots tickets on LondonTheatre.co.uk.

Photo credit: Johannes Radebe in London. (Photo by Charlie Flint)