Worthing Musical Theatre Company brings Kinky Boots The Musical to the stage

Based on a true story and set in a fictional shoe factory in Northampton, it’s the tale of Charlie Price reluctantly inheriting his father's factory which is on the verge of bankruptcy. Trying to live up to his father's legacy and save his family business, Charlie finds inspiration in the form of Lola, a fabulous entertainer in need of some sturdy stilettos. Lola turns out to be the one person who can help Charlie become the man he’s meant to be. As they work to turn the factory around, the unlikely pair find that they have more in common than they ever dreamed possible…

As company chairman Tim Kimber says, it's turning out to be a very timely show for just now: “It's particularly pertinent at the moment because the theme running throughout the show is the triumph of love and unity and diversity over bigotry and hatred. It is the triumph basically of love winning through. It's about a shoe factory in Northampton and the shoe factory is on hard times. I play Mr Price the original owner who is a very down to earth, salt of the earth guy from Northampton who runs this factory which he loves and he loves his staff and he loves what he's doing. I sing the opening song with my (on-stage) son Charlie and it's a song about how shoes are the most beautiful thing in the world.”

For Tim, it’s a wonderful opportunity to perform with his grandson Seth Anderson who is playing young Charlie in the show: “I'm really excited about it, and he is really excited about it. I can't say that I've got a big part in the show though. I come on for ten minutes and then I die and then the young Charlie becomes the older Charlie who is going to become the owner of the factory.

“The shoe factory is really up against it and is facing closure. But Lola, a drag queen, sees a gap in the market for making boots for drag queens out there. He comes up with a plan but is facing opposition both to the idea and to himself because of who he is and what he is but in the end there's a happy ending because Lola wins the day. Everyone sees that Lola is right and the factory is saved.”

As Worthing Musical Theatre Company chairman, Tim sees his role as making sure that everything keeps going: “It's about making sure the governance arrangements are in place but the great thing is that you see the fruits of your labours and you really see things being done well. We had a big break with Covid but since then we have had a run of really good shows. The first show back was My Fair Lady which was critically and a box office success and then we did Our House which was another huge success. School Of Rock last September was the most extraordinary thing. It is very unusual for the Pavilion to be sold out for every show and we had standing ovations for every performance. We did Kipps in March just gone. It was a critical success but not so much at the box office but with this show we have very high hopes of really big audiences. The company is going from strength to strength.”