The instances are few and far between that Victoria is favoured over Vancouver for touring Broadway productions, with it usually falling to our local theatre troupes to put on a local reproduction of the material. However, with Kinky Boots, local theatre company Broadway in Victoria have managed to land a big one. This fun-filled musical is based on the 2005 film of the same name in which Chiwetel Ejiofor played the towering drag queen Lola. The source material was then reworked by none other than the gravel-voiced Harvey Fierstein (remember how much he loved a good musical number in Mrs. Doubtfire?) and had its music and lyrics penned by the inimitable Cyndi Lauper, whose song “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” has been a mainstay of drag queens for decades.
“Kinky Boots is a story for everyone,” says actor Dargan Cole. “It’s about this guy named Charlie, whose family owns a shoe factory, and basically Charlie’s dad ends up passing away, and so it is his responsibility to upkeep and run the shoe factory and, unfortunately, things don’t start going so smoothly, and he’s in a bit of a pinch. To save the factory from closure… he meets this drag queen named Lola, who, basically, is in need of help of trying to [find] a shoe that can uphold him. The two form a relationship and they work together to solve each other’s problems, and they sort of realize that they’re not so different from each other, and it’s just really a really heartwarming story, and it’s quite a ride.”
The cast is led by New York City drag queen Scarlett D. Von’Du in the role of Lola, the formidable drag queen who’s here to save the day. Playing opposite her is Broadway alumnus Noah Silverman as factory owner Charlie Price; Silverman is known for his turn in The Book of Mormon. While the cast does boast some bigger talent such as these, it’s also a launch pad, a sort of incubator for theatrical newcomers like Cole who have proven their merit, and now just need to build their name.
“It is unbelievable, actually,” says Cole. “I come to work every day and I’m just stunned by the level of talent, [as well as] just the level of kindness. It’s my first tour. This cast has been such a gift because I’m just getting to soak up all the knowledge that is surrounding me, because lots of our cast members have been on several tours. It’s been a great learning process.”
On top of being, by all accounts, a rollicking good time at the theatre full of uplifting songs and acrobatic choreography, Kinky Boots is also a timely message of acceptance and understanding.
“I think it’s really important, especially during 2026,” says Cole. “You know, the story has been being told for many years now. It was on Broadway for quite a time, it’s been touring for quite a time, and the fact that it’s still relevant just means that it needs to keep happening. So that’s what we’re doing, and it is a joy to help change people’s minds. As it says in the finale, ‘You change the world when you change your mind,’ and I really do believe that, and I am really proud to say that to everyone now, on stage.”
Kinky Boots
Various times, Tuesday July 7 to Sunday, July 12
$78.25 and up, Royal Theatre
rmts.bc.ca