The album was recorded March 14, 15 and 25. It is produced by Lauper, William Wittman and Stephen Oremus. The musical opened to strong critical reviews April 4 at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre.
Based on the 2005 film of the same title, the Northampton, U.K.-set musical has a new book by Tony winner Fierstein (Torch Song Trilogy, La Cage aux Folles, Newsies) and music and lyrics by Grammy Award-winning "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" and "True Colors" songwriter Lauper.
Tony Award winner Jerry Mitchell (2004's La Cage aux Folles, Legally Blonde, Catch Me If You Can) directed and choreographed the production.
Kinky Boots earned 13 Tony Award nominations, including Best Musical, Best Original Score, Best Book, Best Direction, Best Choreography, Best Orchestrations, Best Costume Design, Best Scenic Design, Best Lighting Design, Best Sound Design, Best Actor (Stark Sands, Billy Porter) and Best Featured Actress (Annaleigh Ashford). Billy Porter (Grease, Angels in America, Smokey Joe’s Café) stars as outgrageous drag performer Lola, who in an upended Cinderella moment, accidentally knocks out her hero with a stiletto boot. Stark Sands (American Idiot, Twelfth Night, Journey's End) plays Charlie, the working-class guy whose encounter with Lola's broken heel sparks a business proposition that changes both of their lives.
The cast also features Annaleigh Ashford (Rent, Legally Blonde), Celina Carvajal (Spiegelworld's Empire), Daniel Sherman (Desire Under the Elms), Marcus Neville (The Full Monty), Paul Canaan (Legally Blonde), Kevin Smith Kirkwood (How to Save the World…), Kyle Taylor Parker (In the Heights), Kyle Post (Rent), Charlie Sutton (How To Succeed...), Joey Taranto (Rock of Ages), Andy Kelso (Mamma Mia!), Tory Ross (Cry-Baby), Jennifer Perry (Mamma Mia!), Josh Caggiano (Les Miserables), Aaron Bantum (Finian's Rainbow), Adinah Alexander (The Wedding Singer), Eric Anderson (South Pacific), Eugene Barry-Hill (The Lion King), Stephen Berger (The Pajama Game), Caroline Bowman (Wicked), Sandra DeNise (Shrek), Eric Leviton (Seussical), Ellyn Marie Marsh (Priscilla Queen of the Desert), John Jeffrey Martin (Hairspray), Nathan Peck (La Cage aux Folles), Robert Pendilla (Wicked), Lucia Spina (South Pacific), Sebastian Hedges Thomas (Priscilla Queen of the Desert), Marquise Neal, Cole Bullock (South Pacific), Jonah Halperin and Timothy Ware.
Here's how it's billed: "In Kinky Boots, Charlie Price (Sands) has suddenly inherited his father’s shoe 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 (Porter). 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, this unlikely pair finds that they have more in common than they ever dreamed possible… and discovers that when you change your mind about someone, you can change your whole world."
Musical supervision, arrangements and orchestrations for Kinky Boots are by Tony Award winner Stephen Oremus (The Book of Mormon, Wicked).
The track list follows:
1. "Price & Son Theme"/"The Most Beautiful Thing in the World"
2. "Take What You Got"
3. "The Land of Lola"
4. "Charlie's Soliloquy"
5. "Step One"
6. "Sex Is In The Heel"
7. "The History of Wrong Guys"
8. "I'm Not My Father's Son"
9. "Everybody Say Yeah"
10. "What A Woman Wants"
11. "In This Corner"
12. "Charlie's Soliloquy Reprise"
13. "The Soul of a Man"
14. "Hold Me in Your Heart"
15. "Raise You Up"/"Just Be"
Designing the production are Tony nominee David Rockwell (scenic design), Tony Award winner Gregg Barnes (costume design), Tony Award winner Kenneth Posner (lighting design), John Shivers (sound design), Josh Marquette (hair design) and Randy Houston Mercer (make-up design).
Kinky Boots is produced on Broadway by Daryl Roth and Hal Luftig, James L. Nederlander, Terry Allen Kramer, Independent Presenters Network, CJ E&M, Jayne Baron Sherman, Just for Laughs Theatricals/Judith Ann Abrams, Yasuhiro Kawana, Jane Bergère, Allan S. Gordon & Adam S. Gordon, Ken Davenport, Hunter Arnold, Lucy and Phil Suarez, Bryan Bantry, Ron Fierstein and Dorsey Regal, Jim Kierstead/Gregory Rae, BB Group/Christina Papagjika, Michael DeSantis/Patrick Baugh, Brian Smith/Tom and Connie Walsh, Warren Trepp, and Jujamcyn Theaters.
