With a score by Cyndi Lauper and a book by Harvey Fierstein, Kinky Boots is based on the true story of Charlie Price, his family's failing footwear factory and a fierce drag queen, Lola.
Getting to play drag queen Lola is a dream come true for Newtion Matthews. He's a big fan of the character, saying: "For people who haven't yet met the fabulous being that is Lola, she is a sex kitten, a fighter, unapologetically black and unapologetically queer. She's fantastic."
The show won Tony Awards for Best Musical and Best Original Score for Cyndi Lauper, as well as for Billy Porter as Best Actor in a Musical for his portrayal of Lola on Broadway. It also won Best New Musical at the Olivier Awards, where Matt Henry was named Best Actor in a Musical for playing Lola in the West End production.
Billy and Matt's shoes are big ones to fill, but Newtion is thrilled to be following in their footsteps. "Even though we have never crossed paths, I consider Billy Porter to be my auntie in life and Matt Henry is my industry brother. My first ever job out of drama school was with Matt at Shakespeare's Globe, so I've known him for years and watched him grace the West End as Lola."
Newtion's own credits include Once on This Island, Get Up Stand Up and Camelot in Concert. This is his first time in Kinky Boots. "But I always put the manifestation out there of being Lola. I would be lying if I said it wasn't daunting, but it's far more exciting to get the chance to get into the meat and gristle and the guts and glory of it all."
Dan Partridge plays Charlie Price and says of the show: "The main thing that drew me to it was the exploration and unpacking of masculine identities. It's something that I'm personally quite passionate about - the way that men communicate with one another and the way that men identify in a community."
Factory worker Lauren, who's been unlucky in love and has a crush on Charlie, is played by Courtney Bowman. "She's really relatable to a lot of people," Courtney says of the character, "especially if they've had tragic times in their love lives. She's such a fun working class girl, so it's kind of like holding up a mirror to myself, and that also makes her great fun to play. She's a bit weird at times, awkward and quirky."
The themes, she feels, are universal. "It tackles prejudice and homophobia, but's also about family and acceptance. Everyone's got a pair of boots that they're dealing with, whether literally or metaphorically. The message of tolerance and self-belief is delivered brilliantly by Cyndi's music and Harvey's dialogue."
KINKY BOOTS is on at New Theatre Oxford 22-26 July
For tickets and more information, head to atgtickets.com
