Must be stilettos

I went off to see the show Kinky Boots last night. This is part of the season at the Fisher Theater of Broadway in Detroit. If you aren't a fan of Broadway musicals this one would do nothing to change your opinion, even if it did win a Tony Award for best musical back in 2013. It was loud. Most of the dance scenes were glitzy. Most of the story points and the ending were obvious (though not as bad as Starlight Express which I saw maybe 25 years ago). The volume for the star's big emotional crisis song was so bad I couldn't understand a word of the song (though the rest of the songs were understandable).

So why did I go? Because the story is about my people. And its central message is one of mine: respect for others and an appreciation of their differences. Charlie reluctantly inherits the family shoe factory when his father dies. That's when he discovers the place is losing money. He encounters drag queen Lola who has problems with her boots because they aren't designed to support a man's weight. Lola sings the boots must be stilettos because sex is in the heel. Charlie realizes serving this niche market can save his company. Bringing sassy Lola and her dancing angels to the factory definitely stirs things up. The show tackles homophobia – from Don, one of the factory workers, from Lola's father, and late in the show from Charlie. There were sweet moments, such as how Lola handles Don (how that was done was a surprise). Another was a song by Lauren, one of Charlie's employees who has eyes for the boss even though he has a girlfriend (this outcome was not a surprise). So, yeah, I enjoyed myself and I'm glad I went.