Musicals have always brought impossible dreams to life onstage, from cats that can talk to humans who can sing in public without feeling weird. Escape from reality with this deal to see Kinky Boots at Al Hirschfeld Theatre. Start by choosing a date and showtime between March 5 and March 23 from the drop-down menus above. Next, choose from the following seating options:

• For $69, you get one ticket for seating in mezzanine rows L–O (up to a $107.75 value, including all fees).
• For $99, you get one ticket for seating in orchestra rows S–W or mezzanine rows A–K (up to a $147.75 value, including all fees).<p>

The Plot

Kinky Boots has drawn raves from numerous publications, including the Chicago Sun-Times, Time Out Chicago, and the Chicago Tribune, which lauds the “fresh-and-zesty … score.” Adapted from the 2005 film of the same name (itself based on a true story), Kinky Boots centers its story on Charlie Price, who has never liked shoes all that much and inherits his father’s shoe factory with a sense of resignation. The failing business forces him to lay off many of his employees, including the beautiful and vivacious Lauren, but he still can’t bring himself to abandon what has been in the family for generations. When Charlie serendipitously strikes up a friendship with Lola—an upfront and fearless drag queen fed up with the flimsy heels of women’s footwear—he builds his new ally a pair of glossy boots from the sole up and realizes he has stumbled on an oft-forgotten but ravenously shoe-hungry market. Rehiring Lauren and recruiting Lola to the cause, Charlie aims to reinvigorate the family business—even if that means donning a pair of kinky boots himself.<p>

Behind the Scenes

Some of the biggest names in Broadway and pop culture form this wacky yet heartfelt production’s creative team. Scribed by pop star Cyndi Lauper, the score seamlessly shifts from classically orchestrated showstoppers to disco-flavored anthems and pop tunes that, in the words of star Billy Porter, “sound like something that could be on the radio today.” No stranger himself to works involving gender bending, Harvey Fierstein penned the book. The raspy-voiced Broadway icon continues to carry the storytelling torch he first ignited with Torch Song Trilogy, a series of three soliloquies that also showcased drag culture. Rounding out the behind-the-curtain ranks is director and choreographer Jerry Mitchell, whose fancy footwork has earned seven Tony nominations, along with two wins.

The Players

Kinky Boots assembles a cast of familiar faces with diverse theater and television resumés to embody its eclectic characters. Stark Sands, a Tony Award nominee for his role in Journey’s End, endears himself to audiences as he wears the shoes of protagonist Charlie, and Annaleigh Ashford calls upon her stage time as one of the original cast members of Legally Blonde: The Musical to shine in the role of Lauren. No stranger to the Broadway stage, former Grease star Porter channels all things glamorous as he takes on the role of the lovable drag queen, Lola.

Source Material

Kinky Boots is based on the true story of Steve Pateman, the inheritor of Great Britain’s W. J. Brooks shoe factory. Profiled in the BBC2 program Trouble at the Top, Pateman managed to keep his struggling business afloat by manufacturing women’s boots made for men’s feet so that he wouldn’t have to cut his entire workforce.