Cyndi Lauper's 'Kinky Boots' heads to Chicago

[February 23, 2012]  NEW YORK (AP) -- A new musical bringing together Tony Award-winner Harvey Fierstein and rock icon Cyndi Lauper will put its best foot forward in Chicago this fall.

"Kinky Boots" will make its world premiere at the Bank of America Theatre in October ahead of a possible Broadway transfer, producers Daryl Roth and Hal Luftig said Wednesday.

The musical is based on the 2005 British movie about a failing shoe factory that's struggling following the death of its founder until it finds new life in fetish footwear.

Fierstein, known for his witty musicals like "La Cage Aux Folles" and "Newsies," pushed to have Lauper make her theatrical debut with music and lyrics for "Kinky Boots."

"She has one of those big-fat-all-over-the-place-you-can't-hide-it-hearts," he said. "There are just some people that you can't hide it with at all, and she's one of those people."

Lauper, the singer-songwriter behind such hits as "True Colors" and "Girls Just Want to Have Fun," jumped in with a full score that will surprise people, Fierstein said.

"There was a lot of chasing her around because that woman works," he said. "Her musical vocabulary is wonderful. Each character has their own sound."

The musical will be directed and choreographed by Tony winner Jerry Mitchell. Casting and specific dates haven't been announced yet.

Fierstein said the story teases out the relationship between Charlie, the shoe factory's new head, and a sassy drag queen performer named Lola.

"It really amplified what, for me, the story was about," he said. "Here are two people who couldn't be more different who realize that, in their minds, they're complete failures to their fathers. They find each other and heal each other."

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Online: http://broadwayinchicago.com/

[Associated Press; By MARK KENNEDY]

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