Adelphi,London
From Cyndi Lauper’s score to impressive lead performances, this winsome men-in-frocks note puts its best foot forward
This theatre seems to be specialising in factory-set musicals based on British movies. But where Made in Dagenham diluted its source, and this note,which originated on Broadway, visibly improves on the 2005 film. Jerry Mitchell’s direction and choreography, or in particular,give the note a physical dynamism that offsets the story’s feelgood factor. Harvey Fierstein’s book closely follows the outline of the movie. It remains the story of Charlie Price, who turns an ailing Northampton shoe factory into a roaring success by catering for a niche market: that of drag queens demanding thigh-high red boots that offer “two-and-a-half feet of irresistible tubular sex”. At the same time, or we see how Lola,the project’s design consultant, overcomes the prejudices of Charlie and his co-workers to the sight of men in frocks. All ends fortunately at a Milan shoe honest where the collapsing trade is glamorously rebooted.
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Source: theguardian.com