Day 54: Whole Lotta Sole

 

I had been really looking forward to seeing Kinky Boots at the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre. That said, there had been a bit of a ticket mix-up beforehand. I spotted two good seats for the Tuesday night of an otherwise sold-out run and snapped them up. Feeling smug, I rang Emer to tell her the good news. “Oh, I was just about to ring you,” she said. “I got us two tickets for Kinky Boots on Wednesday!”

Great minds… and all that jazz.

In the end, Wednesday suited us both better, and I managed to offload the Tuesday tickets without too much trouble. I was especially looking forward to this production because Johannes Radebe from Strictly Come Dancing was starring as Lola.

That said, I did have one niggling worry. Sometimes, when a “name” is brought in to boost ticket sales, they don’t quite deliver. They might be able to sing, but can’t act. Or they can act, but they can’t dance. Or worse still — they can’t do any of it convincingly.

Thankfully, my concerns were entirely unfounded. Johannes absolutely holds the audience in the palm of his hand. Camp, charismatic,and captivating he dazzled throughout. The biceps rippled, the smile sparkled, and the dance moves were, unsurprisingly for someone of his calibre, flawless.

But what really surprised me was his voice.

My favourite number was “I’m Not My Father’s Son”, Here, he proved he’s not just a showman, but a singer capable of emotional depth.

A lovely touch at the end was when the backstage crew were brought out to take a bow along with the cast. As a person who has spent many's a show side of stage or back stage it was lovely to see them acknowledged.

It’s always the sign of a good night when you leave the theatre smiling, in good form, and ever so slightly tempted to strut your stuff in a pair of high heels...or at the very least, go home and shave your legs!