These boots were made for dancing

Six weeks ago, Amazon and FedEx shipments began arriving at Kelly Stuible-Clark’s front door. Her husband and daughter were excited — until she told them the only thing that would be arriving that way in the following weeks would be boots. Patent leather, sequin-covered, knee-high and stiletto — a cornucopia of footwear for audiences of Riverwalk Theatre’s upcoming production of ‘Kinky Boots’ to feast their eyes upon.

The musical tells the story of a young man, Charlie Price, who inherits a shoe factory on the edge of collapse. A unique, unexpected partnership unfolds as he transitions his new enterprise into a boot factory that designs and produces footwear for drag performers. 

“It’s all about being yourself,” said Stuible-Clark, who also directed Riverwalk’s production of “Rent” in 2016. “It’s a great celebration of bringing people together.”

The book was written by Harvey Fierstein, an award-winning actor, writer and director, with music by pop icon Cyndi Lauper. 

Anyone who’s been involved with drag knows that one of the most difficult things to find is women’s shoes in men’s sizes. Stuible-Clark called in the aid of Lansing drag legend Delicious.

“When I submitted to direct this show, I knew that I wanted somebody from the drag community to work on our drag design and costuming and be kind of an advisor to me. I mean, I’ve been to plenty of drag shows in my life, but that’s not a community that I work in,” Stuible-Clark said. “She’s just been such a godsend. We sat down and had a talk, and I was like, ‘So, where do you and all of your girls get your stuff?’”

Delicious introduced her to an online supplier. It was helpful, she said. 

She also reached out to other theaters in Michigan that have produced the show in the last 12 months, but none had what she was looking for. She then turned to Amazon. 

“My suggested searches are gonna be so interesting for a while because I’ve been Googling sexy, knee-high boots,” she said, laughing.

We’re not talking about a few pairs of boots either. The finale features every actor in “kinky boots” — that’s 26 unique pairs, nothing to sneeze at. 

So, she’s got boots large enough for men to wear. But most men don’t have a clue how to walk in heels, let alone dance in them. 

“My choreographer, Karen Perry, and I did a whole lot of walk-heel-toe, slightly cross one foot in front of the other to get your more feminine gait with the hips and everything,” Stuible-Clark said. 

To her surprise, many of the actors had purchased their own heels and had been practicing at home. The actors cast in drag-specific roles, she said, also had some experience and interest in drag already. 

While drag queen story hours and brunches have been the target of recent political protests, Stuible-Clark said she’s not expecting any such conflict. Nor does she have an age warning for the show. 

“My daughter is there at rehearsals every night,” she said. “There’s nothing I’m concerned about there.”

For her, the show is a joyous celebration and a way to move a step further from the dark days of COVID shutdowns. 

“The energy, joy and fun that this show brings to audiences is unmatched,” she said. “I just felt like now was the time to take on this massive show as we come back after the pandemic and share in the community of Riverwalk.”

Elaina Coscarella, who plays Lauren, a factory employee who helps Price along the way, says the show has “a message everyone can relate to, and one that should be embraced now more than ever.”

“I’m proud to be helping spread love and positivity through theater and hope our audience leaves feeling free to just be,” she said.