Theatre News

Kinky Boots strides to West End this summer

Director Jerry Mitchell is looking for an all-British cast for the production at the Adelphi Theatre

Andy Kelso and Billy Porter in Kinky Boots
Andy Kelso and Billy Porter in Kinky Boots on Broadway

It's been confirmed that Kinky Boots will open at the Adelphi Theatre in August, following the closure of fellow screen-to-stage musical Made in Dagenham.

The show, which premiered on Broadway in 2013 and has been long rumoured for a West End transfer, will begin previews on 21 August 2015 ahead of press night on 15 September, with booking opening on 2 March.

It features songs by pop star Cyndi Lauper, a book by Harvey Fierstein and direction/choreography by Jerry Mitchell.

Kinky Boots is adapted from the 2006 Brit flick that starred Chiwetel Ejiofor as a drag queen who helps an ailing shoe company design a new line of sturdy fetish footwear.

According to publicity material, "this joyous musical celebration is about the friendships we discover, the families we make and the belief that you can change the world when you change your mind."

The creative team are looking for an all-British cast for the London production.

Director Mitchell, whose other credits include Legally Blonde and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, said: "I am delighted to see this big-spirited musical arrive in London. Kinky Boots is very close to my heart, and I am really looking forward to staging it here with a British cast."

Producers Daryl Roth and Hal Luftig added: "We are thrilled and deeply honoured to be bringing Kinky Boots back home to British shores, where this inspirational story is set. The show is big-hearted and filled with joy and we trust that it will be warmly embraced by audiences in the UK."