Teen blogger: Kinky Boots has fabulous heels and a message of respect
© Matt Crockett
It's often explained by harassed parents, with a roll of the eyes, that their moody, monosyllabic teenagers are on another planet. But are they really? We decided to enlist the viewpoint of a bona fide teen to give her direct opinions and experience of going to the theatre and how it impacts or informs what is happening in her own life. Here we introduce Edie, whose first outing with her WhatsOnStage blogger hat on involved a trip to the high-heel saturated, cross-dressing extravaganza that is Kinky Boots. Here's what she made of it.
Before watching Kinky Boots, I hadn’t really heard anything about the show. I’d just seen the red, sparkly boots on the tube poster and wondered who would have the nerve to wear boots like that. But whoever it was, they were bound to be fabulous, and the show would be full of glitzy dance numbers. That was enough for me!
Waiting for the curtain to come up, however, I wasn’t really thinking about the show at all. Instead I was imagining having to cycle to school for the next week (my school is about ten miles from our house, by the way) because I’d lost my oyster card an hour before the show was due to start. To be honest, I wasn’t feeling very glitzy at all.
It reminded me you should respect people no matter how they want to express themselves
But my gloomy mood vanished as soon as Lola walked out on stage – this incredible drag queen who was completely hilarious and always spoke her mind, no matter what anyone else might think. As the show progressed, there were moments where I almost peed myself with laughter and others – like when Lola was singing to her dad, who didn’t accept him for who she was – that made me want to break down in tears.
In between there were lots more fabulous drag queens and glitzy dance numbers like I had imagined, so overall there was more fun and laughter than sadness in the show. But Lola’s story also had an important lesson: that you should respect people no matter how they want to express themselves. It made me think of a boy in my class at primary school who grew out his hair and now wears girls’ clothes. I really hope people are letting him be the person he wants to be at secondary school and he doesn’t have to go through some of the things that Lola did. And I hope lots and lots of people see the show, have a great time, and think about that message on their way home – preferably not on their bikes!
XOXO, Edie.
Edie is a fourteen year-old who loves to dance, play netball, kickbox and act. She loved going to see pantomimes in her early years and the show that had the biggest impact on her was Matilda the Musical, which she saw aged eight. She’s been obsessed with theatre ever since. She’s currently studying An Inspector Calls at school and thinks it’s really clever and gripping but could do with some songs…
Kinky Boots is currently booking at the Adelphi Theatre until 8 September.
