'We need to stop judging each other': cast of Kinky Boots speak out as beloved musical heads to Nottingham

The new production stars Strictly Come Dancing’s Johannes Radebe as Lola in some performances, alongside rising star Dan Partridge as Charlie Price, while Courtney Bowman will play Lauren.

Based on a true story and hit movie, the joy-filled sensation features Tony and Grammy-winning music and lyrics by pop favourite Cyndi Lauper.

After inheriting his family’s failing shoe factory and with a relationship on the rocks, life is proving to be very challenging for Charlie Price. That is until he meets Lola, a drag queen whose sparkle and unsteady heels might just hold the answer to saving the struggling business.

Joining the company are Newtion Matthews, playing Lola at certain performances and Simon Snr for all other performances, Kara Lily Hayworth as Nicola, Joe Caffrey as Don, Kathryn Barnes as Pat, Lucy Williamson as Trish, Jonathan Dryden Taylor as Mr Price, Scott Paige as George and Liam Doyle as Harry. The production has a life-affirming script by Tony Award winner Harvey Fierstein and is directed by Nikolai Foster.

Getting to play 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."

After a pre-Broadway run in Chicago, the musical opened on Broadway in 2013 and in the West End in 2015.

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. "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."

How is he finding the high heels? "I've had a few moments walking in heels in advance of being in Kinky Boots, including classes as a dancer. Now it's about strengthening the ankles and doing the exercises so that I'm able to really stomp it out."

The story has a personal resonance for the actor, who says: "I know all about being the queer child who wasn't always embraced and wasn't always accepted, who then grew into a teenager and a man who wasn't always embraced and accepted. At this chapter in my life, it's about understanding that acceptance has to come from yourself first.

"That's one of the things I've taken away from this show. The key message is: be unafraid to be unapologetic and if you're an ally be unafraid to be supportive. We may not look like each other but we all have an understanding of the human experience. We need to stop judging each other and we need to learn to accept each other."

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."

In the story, Charlie is a working-class man whose eyes are opened up to a wider world when he bumps into Lola, sees her perform in a London club and stumbles on the idea of a niche market for high heels specifically made for drag queens. "So you have these two polar opposite characters," Dan continues, "and you see how those worlds can cross and how they, and indeed we, can learn from one another."

As for the character of Charlie, Partridge days: "He's complicated. When we meet him he doesn't think very highly of himself, then throughout the show he finds his confidence. He's small- town-minded but he learns to open his mind and his heart. Once he meets Lola, his world is turned upside down and he's a brilliant character to play because there's so much to him."

Dan's other credits include Cats and Hairspray on tour and Mamma Mia! in the West End, so he's no stranger to musical theatre. Asked what makes Kinky Boots special, he says: "As Cyndi herself described the show to me, it's like a happy pill that makes people want to come back for more. You see the ugly side of bigotry and prejudice, then you see that actually everyone has a right to identify how they want. That journey is really beautiful."

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 winner of a WhatsOnStage Award for Best Performer in a Musical for Legally Blonde has also starred in Pretty Woman, Six and Everybody's Talking About Jamie. She played Lauren in a concert version of Kinky Boots and laughs: "That was a bit crazy because we only had a week to put the show together. Then when we performed it I was running off into the wings and looking at the script before running back on again. Getting to spend more time with Lauren now is great because I can really sink my teeth into it."

What does Bowman think makes Kinky Boots such a great piece of musical theatre? "For one thing, there's Cyndi's fantastic music and lyrics. Then there's Harvey's book, which has so much heart and grit. I love how Nikolai has stripped it all back to focus on the core of the story. Everyone will leave feeling moved and uplifted."

The themes, she feels, are universal. "It tackles prejudice and homophobia, but it'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."

The show is set in the mid-2000s, when drag was less mainstream. Choreographer Leah Hill said: "It wasn't as polished as it is now, so that's something which has been really interesting to dig into. The stakes for drag performers back then were higher, it was perhaps a bit more dangerous for those communities to perform, and I want to pay homage to that. It's beautiful where drag has landed, but it's important to show where it started."

Kinky Boots The Musical runs at the Theatre Royal from Tuesday July 1 to Saturday July 5. Visit trch.co.uk or call 0115 989 5555 to book.