<\/p>\n
His father has died, leaving Charlie in charge of a Northampton, England, shoe factory he really doesn\u2019t want to run. The young man spends some time in a London pub, talking over his problems with a friend.<\/p>\n
When he leaves the pub, he notices a skirmish. It looks like a woman is in trouble. Charlie rushes to her aid and is knocked unconscious. So maybe he\u2019s not the best street fighter in the world, but you can\u2019t deny he\u2019s chivalrous.<\/p>\n
\u201cCharlie is a really good guy at the heart of it,\u201d said Noah Silverman, the actor who plays Charlie in the touring version of the Tony Award-winning musical \u201cKinky Boots,\u201d which Broadway in Scranton will bring to the Scranton Cultural Center Feb. 13-15.<\/p>\n
\u201cOutside of the bar, he sees a fight going on and he\u2019s just trying to protect someone who\u2019s in danger.\u201d<\/p>\n
When Charles regains consciousness, he finds he is in the dressing room of the woman he tried to rescue. The damsel in distress is actually a drag queen named Lola.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are two people with completely different lives, from completely different worlds,\u201d Silverman said.<\/p>\n
Buy that doesn\u2019t mean they can\u2019t be friends.<\/p>\n
In fact, after Lola explains how difficult it is for a drag queen to find a boot flamboyant enough to catch the eye but also sturdy enough not to fall apart, Charlie eventually realizes that the family shoe factory, which has fallen on hard financial times, might be revived by catering to this niche market.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a beautiful, beautiful story about two people who come together and find they have similarities and they create something amazing,\u201d Silverman said.<\/p>\n
The musical features big, show-stopping ensemble numbers, and Silverman especially enjoys \u201cEverybody Say Yeah,\u201d which takes place at the shoe factory. \u201cFactories have conveyor belts,\u201d the actor pointed out, and it was a lot of fun to incorporate them into that number.<\/p>\n
\u201cI overall love the music,\u201d Silverman said, noting it was written by pop icon Cyndi Lauper while Harvey Fierstein wrote the book. \u201cThe songs are so much fun. They\u2019ll have you jumping up and down and dancing with us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Musically speaking, the show also features ballads, with some of the most poignant focusing on the difficult relationships both Lola \u2014 whose given name is Simon \u2014 and Charlie have had with their fathers.<\/p>\n
Charlie\u2019s dad was disappointed that he wasn\u2019t enthusiastic about the shoe business. Simon\u2019s dad was angry that his son was too fascinated with sparkly high heels and all that entailed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey both do have tough relationships with their dads. That\u2019s where they come together,\u201d Silverman said. \u201cThey find a way to kind of love themselves and then find connection and love with their fathers. It\u2019s really beautiful, as they help each other through that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of people in this world can relate to problems in relationships \u2026 or moments when they feel they might not really belong \u2026 or that other people think they\u2019re weird,\u201d Silverman said, noting that as the show travels the country, it draws audience members \u201cfrom all walks of life. This show is for everyone,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s about coming together, finding similarities, lifting each other up and fully accepting each other for who we are.\u201d<\/p>\n
There is a point in the show when Charlie dons a pair of \u201ckinky boots,\u201d himself, and Silverman estimates the heels are 6 inches high. It doesn\u2019t sound like they would be easy to walk in, but he takes them in stride.<\/p>\n
\u201cI really only have to wear them for about 10 minutes,\u201d he said with a laugh. \u201cCompared to some of my friends who have to wear heels for the whole show, it\u2019s nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n