I went to a screening of the musical Kinky Boots at the cinema. I really enjoyed this production, as it was a different take on drag culture to Priscilla, looking at more modern, less camp drag, but had a similar message about accepting everyone for who they are. This musical had more both crying and laughing throughout, and it was nice to also see it on screen, as then we could really see the costumes up close, which was useful from my perspective to see all the fine details in the costumes.
The musical opens up in the Price Factory. Charlie, the new factory owner, appears in traditional factory-clothes, which are quite boring and typical. He is dressed similarly to the other workers, in comparison to his father, who was clearly dressed smarter, to show he had more influence and dominance than Charlie has. Lauren is also the only factory worker dressed in stripes which stands out, to show she also holds importance, although this doesn’t come about until a little later on. She also contrasts hugely to Charlie’s girlfriend Nicola, who is dressed in all black and primarily skirts, whereas she is in jeans and colourful stripes, showing their contrasting personalities.
When Lola appears at the club, she matches well with her entourage, the Angels, however, her look is bigger and more extravagant to clearly show her as the leader of the group. When she arrives at the factory, her bright blue outfit stands out to show that she is very different to the factory workers, and the white coats of the Angels also stand out against the more drab, dirty colours worn by the workers. The Angels also have a pop of colour underneath their coats and in their shoes to really show their lively personalities, and also to draw attention to their shoes, which are the key focus of the whole musical.
When Lola then appears as Simon to try and fit in better, he still stands out massively, as he is dressed a lot smarter than the rest of the workers in a waistcoat, and wears very bright colours by comparison. However, when he is surrounded by his Angels in the final scene of Act 1, he fits in again with their colourful outfits, and their personalities are really seen through their garments, as they feel more accepted as the shoes are finished.
At the start of Act 2, Lola appears in leopard print, to show her growing confidence with her new shoes. Nicola also appears in a pair of red heels as she and Lola are both turned away by Charlie’s obsession with his work, showing how the two are in a similar situation, however the very different styles of shoes shows how different their personalities really are. Lola then appears in the care home in a long, white dress, which makes her look ethereal, and the white sleeve really emphasises her movement, making her look like a real angel, which perhaps mimics the death within the care home, and also her father, who is elderly and sick. Finally, they reach Milan to exhibit the shoes, and Lauren appears in a blazer and dress, with her hair up, showing her transition as a character to a more professional woman. In the final catwalk, the Angels costumes are very dramatic, and each match the boots perfectly. Lots also portray English symbols to show their clear roots and backgrounds. In the finale, all of the actors appear onstage in boots, to show the acceptance of the drag community in society, and all those who are different, showing a willingness to embrace other ways of life.
Overall, I really enjoyed this production, and thought some of the subtle costume elements were very clever in revealing the characters relationships with one another as well as how they were feeling. I also noted how well the set and costume worked together, with each group of people fitting extremely well into their own setting but not into each other, until the end when they all seemed to fit into the final setting, to show they are united as one. I also found it interesting how much emphasis was put onto the shoes in the costumes, especially with Lola and the Angels, as this is the key basis for the storyline of the show, so your eye is really drawn to them. This really helped me to consider how all parts of the costume are key to storytelling, and how all must work in harmony to draw the eye one way or another.
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