The music of Cyndi Lauper in Kinky Boots

I caught the Tony Awards telecast four years ago and I still recall how good it felt to see Cyndi Lauper win the Best Musical Score trophy for her work in Kinky Boots. Cyndi is a big Grammy, Emmy, VMA-winning pop star with hits like Girls Just Want To Have Fun and Time After Time. It was heartwarming to see Broadway giving her unconditional acceptance and bestowing on her its ultimate honor, a Tony Award.

But then Lauper is no ordinary pop star. As the title of her debut album in 1984 clearly stated, She’s So Unusual. So in a way, I think it was right that when she decided to write music for the theater, it was for something like Kinky Boots. Given her history as a humanitarian, the plight of workers in a financially struggling shoe factory would have certainly caught her attention. That the factory was saved by a transvestite named Lola is like a huge bonus for an outspoken LGBT activist like her. Add to these the Tony and you can say that Cyndi and Kinky were a match made in heaven.

 Cyndi started out singing with a cover band during the early ’80s. But her unique vocals, a kind of country plaint crossed with rebellious punk and eccentric style like orange dyed hair and striped knee socks with high heels, made her a natural for the solo spot. That happened with She’s So Unusual which also had hits like She Bop, All Through The Night and Money Changes Everything. Later outings yielded True Colors, Change Of Heart, I Drove All Night and others. From there, Cyndi also ventured into acting, the movies, Life With Mikey, theater, The Three penny Opera and on television, Mad About You for which she won an Emmy.

Aside from all these though, Cyndi’s other preoccupation is the quest for gender equality. Her True Colors is considered a theme for the LGBT movement. Not only that, she has also composed songs like Ballad Of Cleo And Joe, about a drag queen and his double life; Say A Prayer, dedicated to a friend who died from AIDS; and Above The Clouds for a gay youth who was beaten to death. And her commitment does not only include her music. She is also active in raising funds for medical treatment for gays and building homes for homeless gay youths. It was therefore no surprise that Harvey Fierstein thought of Cyndi to write the music for Kinky Boots.

 Harvey is this big theater figure, a Tony-winning actor and playwright for the likes of Hairspray, La Cage aux Foiles and Torch Song Trilogy. He wrote the book for the musical Kinky Boots, which was based on a British film of the same title.

Set in an economically struggling town, it is about Charlie, a young man who inherits a shoe factory that is losing business because nobody buys conservative brogues anymore. He becomes friends with Lola who convinces him to go instead into making high-heeled boots for transvestites. Those kinky boots save the business and the jobs of many. It also causes Charlie and the workers to see Lola and her friends in a different light.

 Kinky Boots is about passion and acceptance, two things that Cyndi has been consistent about in her career. She certainly reached new highs with her work in this musical. In fact, aside from the Tony and her win at the Outer Critics Circle Awards, reviews have been unanimous in saying that her music contributed a lot into making Kinky Boots a success.

We will soon get the chance to find that out for ourselves. Kinky Boots directed by Bobby Garcia is coming to the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium at the RCBC Plaza in Makati on June 30. For details, call Ticketworld 891-9999. The cast is led by Laurence Morssman as Charlie, Yannah Laurel as Lauren, Tricia Canilao as Nicola and hold your horses, Nyoy Volante as Lola. 

Now pop singer Nyoy is an excellent actor. I have yet to see him disappoint on stage. He was brilliant in his last outing as Frankie Valli of The Four Seasons in Jersey Boys. But Lola seems like a stretch even for somebody so talented. So I am really, really curious about how he will do this. And he has to wear those kinky red patent leather boots, too, in the show. Okay now, make that another reason to watch this show.