At what point do you know you’ve done enough with your theater production? Is it after you sell out on all the nights of the run? Or maybe after winning Olivier, Tony and Grammy awards? Weird boots has achieved all those things, but its director Nikolai Foster still wants more. The acclaimed performance has now returned and resumed at the Coliseum in London.
The story centers on Charlie Price, played from 2010 The X Factor-winner Matt Cardle, who is torn between his father’s failing shoe factory in Northampton and a promising life in London. While in the capital he crosses paths with an extremely glamorous drag queen, Lola, played perfectly by Johannes Radebe of Strictly Come Dancing. It’s a story of prejudice, acceptance and cooperation, as the two begin working together to save Charlie’s father’s company.
Dressed head to toe in fire truck red sequins, gowns and satins designed by Robert Jones and Tom Rogers, Lola easily dwarfs the other actors on stage. Its musical sequences are larger than life and will make you consider signing up for a burlesque class (conveniently, there’s a burlesque studio 10 minutes from the theater). The atmosphere changes noticeably and the neon stage lights designed by Ben Cracknell seem to glow like Radebe hunts on stage against a backdrop of a factory-turned-concert venue with a plumbing stage and a bright red boot.
But Lola’s power makes the other characters a bit bland. Cardle’s vocals are immaculate, but it’s hard to relate to; others blend into the background, becoming part of the factory furniture rather than adding texture to the script – although credit must be given to George (Scott Page) and Lauren (Courtney Bowman) who inject humor through their comedy dell’arte sequences.
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New production i Weird boots it can be bold and dazzling – sometimes literally – but the change was not necessary. Radebe, with his infectious energy, proves that the courage of the show comes from the actors more than from the bright stage lights or the extravagant costumes of the drag queens.
(Further reading: John Proctor is the Villain is a thrilling interpretation of the teenagers in The Crucible)
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