[Herald Review] How musical ‘Kinky Boots’ became stronger than ever, 10 years on

When “Kinky Boots” returned in July 2022 for its fifth run, the lively musical gave audience members a much-needed chance to release their pent-up desires with cheers and shouting -- perhaps for the first time since the pandemic.

In comparison, the sixth run -- which also marks the show’s 10th anniversary -- is best described as “record-breaking.” It is a record-breaking in many aspects: from audience numbers and the volume of their cheers to the number of participating actors and the widespread recognition the production has garnered. This year's run, with almost all shows sold out, is bound to surpass the 2022 record of over 127,000 attendees.

Both recent editions contrast the musical's quiet 2014 premiere. Hal Luftig, the original producer, remarked seven years later that he had initially thought the musical a failure because the audience had been so quiet.

South Korean musicals are known for the practice of casting multiple people for one role but for its 10th anniversary, "Kinky Boots" cast even more than usual, featuring four actors for Lola, four for Charlie, three for Lauren and three for Don.

Kang Hong-seok, Choi Jae-rim, Park Eun-tae and Seo Kyung-soo -- now all top musical stars -- portray Lola. (As of Monday, however, Seo had to step down due to an ankle injury.) Kim Ho-young, Lee Seok-hoon, Kim Sung-kyu and Shin Jae-beom gathered for the role of Charlie.

While the seasoned cast members ensure the show's quality and fun, the changing attitudes of the audience should not be overlooked.

A cast member, who participated in "Kinky Booths" for 10 years, described how the audience's state of mind has changed from a state of trying to open their hearts ten years ago one of having their hearts wide open today.

At that time, people often mistook Lola, the drag queen who is a straight man, for being transgender. Now, Korean society is not only more open to drag culture but also to other LGBTQ+ identities and their stories.

This year’s production also benefited from a surprising increase in public visibility. In July, YouTube channel "Musical Star," featuring comedians as fictional musical stage performers, presented a humorous version of the show’s iconic song, “Land of Lola,” sung by comedian Lee Chang-ho. The video rapidly gained 6 million views within just a month.

Coincidentally, following the video's popularity, the performances of “Land of Lola" by "real Lola" actors, which had previously been uploaded to production company CJ ENM’s YouTube channel, also experienced a significant surge in viewership.

Now the audience seems to focus on the underlying messages of the musical, spanning friendship, self-acceptance, challenging social norms and the power of diversity with the story of Charlie, who inherits his family’s struggling shoe factory, and Lola, a drag queen who teams up with Charlie to help him save the shoe factory.

That’s probably why it’s not uncommon to see audience members attending with their parents now, something they might have felt reluctant to do 10 years ago.

Perhaps all of these factors were behind the audience's roar on Sept. 11, which seemed to shake the theater itself. During the curtain call, when "the angels," a troupe of drag dancers who perform with Lola, came down to dance with the audience for the finale, the audience's cheers reached a fever pitch, leaving Kang Hong-seok, that day's Lola, visibly moved and surprised.

"Kinky Boots" runs until Nov. 10 at Blue Square in Seoul and embarks on a national tour starting in Busan from Nov. 23 to Dec. 1. The production then travels to Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province (Dec. 21 and 22); Gwangju (Dec. 7 and 8); Gimhae, South Gyeongsang Province (Dec. 14 and 15) and Goyang, Gyeonggi Province (Dec. 28 and 29).