Critical Reaction

"[Cyndi Lauper] has created a love- and heat-seeking score that performs like a pop star on Ecstasy. Try to resist if you must. But for at least the first act of this tale of lost souls in the shoe business, you might as well just give it up to the audience-hugging charisma of her songs."
– The New York Times

"A warm, likable, brassy, sentimental, big-hearted and modestly scaled Broadway musical, Kinky Boots updates the issues of La Cage Aux Folles, touts acceptance and tolerance, stands behind a fresh-and-zesty Cyndi Lauper score, rolls out some mighty fine drag queens (with none of Arthur Laurents' infamous female interlopers) and adds a dose of Billy Elliot-esque, Brit-style, emotional-industrial grit, only without the off-putting profanity and the raw politics. ...In her first Broadway score, the pop icon Lauper proves adept at the crafting of not only a hook-heavy, accessible, oft-danceable score, but also of a very viable song-suite that will surprise some on Broadway with its diversity of styles, its melodic fortitude and its lyrical audacity."
– The Chicago Tribune

"The very model of a modern major musical. ...The musical holds up for the same reason Price & Son's products do: solid craftsmanship and care. Lauper is a musical-theater natural, combining bright, infectious melodies with simple but effective lyrics. As each act progresses, the energy rises palpably."
– TimeOut New York

"Lauper's first Broadway score is, like her, multicolored, surprising and fun. Songs trek from pop and English pub to R&B, soul and rock and beyond. They pack heart and hooks, add shading to characters and nudge the story forward."
– New York Daily News

"A well-fitted, well-staged toe-tapper in the contemporary big-Broadway idiom."
– New York Magazine

"The fact that [Cyndi Lauper's] infectious spirit shines through every number in her first Broadway musical score is unquestionably the chief asset of Kinky Boots. ...From the Price and Son radio jingle heard intermittently to the disco anthems of Lola and her leggy drag sisters... the toe-tapping songs show an impressive range of styles and are smoothly integrated into the story."
– The Hollywood Reporter

"Sweet, colorful and a little naughty! ...A big ol' love story about sons, the families we make and red patent leather. ...Harvey Fierstein spins theatrical magic!
– The Associated Press

"It's why the word fabulous was invented! ...Big Broadway in the best way! A splashy, bouncy, smart show with a heart, beltable songs and hilarious numbers."
– The Philadelphia Inquirer