Kinky Boots in China: About drag queens and not about drag queens

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Ladies, gentlemen and those who have yet to make up their minds, "Kinky Boots" is in town.

Starting this July, the award-winning musical visited Shanghai and Guangzhou, and will finish its first China tour in Beijing in September.

Directed and choreographed by Jerry Mitchell, the musical made its Broadway debut in 2013 with music and lyrics by American musician Cyndi Lauper. The storyline is based on the 2005 British movie "Kinky Boots," which is inspired by a true story.

Flawed Charlie and bright Lola

The musical tells a story about Charlie, a factory owner struggling to save his family business, and Lola, a drag queen with a widely exciting idea. Throughout the show, the unexpected pair learns to embrace their differences and eventually save the factory.

Charlie, Lance Bordelon (L) and Lola, Jos N. Banks (R). /CGTN Photo

Lance Bordelon, the actor behind Charlie, sees the factory owner as a flawed person. "He doesn't have all the answers but wants to do right."

"There are so many things that we've presented on TV or on stage are people that have figured everything out," Bordelon said. "And that is not always real."

Bordelon told CGTN that Charlie is a mess at the beginning, and has to find the answers in the show.

"To be able to sort of fall apart on stage and to let my walls down as Charlie is cathartic for an actor," he said.

Lance Bordelon (L) and Jos N. Banks (R) in costumes. /CDELive Photo

The actor who brought the fabulous drag queen Lola to life is Jos N. Banks. Drag queens are males who dress in women's clothing, often for the purpose of entertainment.

"Most of the characters have an arc within the story in the timeline," said Banks, adding that Lola, on the other hand, has already had her pivotal point where she realized who she is as a person before the audiences meet her.

"We are all watching literally Lola's positive effects and energy and love for all of humanity," Banks said.

"Things start getting brighter, the set even changes, everyone around her, their costumes start to get brighter and more playful, and it's just because of Lola's positive effects."

Boys in heels

Lola and her fellow drag performers, the "Angels," have to dance in high heels throughout the show, and some of the "Angels" even need to do flips and splits with the unstable shoes.

The six-inch heel, which is the highest in the show. /Photo provided by Jos N. Banks

The highest heel in the show is the blue pair that Lola wears during the song "Sex Is in the Heel."

"It is six inches (15cm) tall, and I wear it with the all-blue number in the show," Banks told CGTN.

The actors were asked to keep the high heels on for the entirety of rehearsal. The only time they were able to free their feet was during the one-hour lunch breaks.

Stage photo during the song "Sex Is in the Heel." /CDELive Photo

"We were all like 'oh no, please let us take them off'," Banks told CGTN. "But we appreciate it so much now because it's like a second skin."

Unlike Banks, Bordelon, who only wears the heels toward the end, still can't handle them expertly even after approaching more than 250 shows.

"There are shows where I'm like, 'Wow this really hurts', 'I'm really not too great at this'," Bordelon laughed.

What is a real man like?

A recent discussion in China said that Chinese boys are getting more girly in terms of their looks and behavior. Some netizens see it as an unhealthy phenomenon and has negative influence on society.

The discussion is mainly about the meaning of masculinity, which echoes with one of the themes of the show.

Stage photo of "Kinky Boots". /CDELive Photo

"I'm from a really small town in a really conservative place in the US, and I grew up my whole life with very strong men telling the world who they are and who they want to be seen as," said Bordelon.

He believes that a real man doesn't have to be super masculine or muscular. "Getting up in the morning, looking in the mirror, and loving who that person is, that is who a real man is."

"We all have certain levels of masculine energy and feminine energy," said Banks, adding that he thinks people can't thoroughly know themselves without exploring both sides.

"I think that we all have to know our strengths and weaknesses, to know what it is that we have to offer this world," Banks told CGTN.

A musical that deaf audiences can enjoy

Sign language interpreter works during the show. /Photo provided by Zheng Xiaosan

One thing that makes the show's China tour special is the adoption of sign language interpreters for the first time in the country's show business.

"The interpreters have to convey not only the language but also the music and culture through their facial expressions and body movements," Zheng Xiaosan, leader of the interpretation team, who's also suffered from impaired hearing, told CGTN via social media app WeChat.

Each city on the tour has one show designated for deaf audiences. The front-row seats are reserved, and a spotlight is focused on the interpreter, so the deaf audience members to see clearly and enjoy the performance thoroughly.

(Video edited by Wang Zeyu)