After a string of pop hits in the 80s, a revival in the release of “Memphis Blues” in 2010, Cyndi Lauper has found a new home in musical theater. Tony award winning “Kinky Boots, ” the musical for which she wrote a dozen songs, is enjoying popularity on tour, as reported by the Detroit Free Press.
The musical is based on a 2005 British film about a conventional guy named Charlie whose shoe business is going bankrupt, until Lola the drag queen comes along to save the day, and the shoe business, with unique, exuberant kinky boots designed for drag queens. The two sing songs together and learn that they are more alike than different as they run the business together.
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Harvey Fierstein, who wrote the script for “La Cage Aux Folles” and “Torch Song trilogy” was working on the stage adaption for “Kinky Boots” when he contacted Cyndi Lauper to write the songs. While the musical received lackluster reviews at first, it went on to win Tonys for best musical and best original score. “I guess I credit the success of the score to the fact I didn’t know anything about writing for the stage. I took my cue from Harvey who said, ‘when there are no more words, you sing.’ That made sense to me.” The blend of musical styles including pop, rock and tango come from Lauper’s eclectic taste in music developed when listening to radio in the 60s.
