Kinky Boots has been click-clacking its way across the Atlantic since 2012. With music by Cyndi Lauper, it's all about embracing one's true colours. Six Tony wins (including Best Musical), three Olivier Awards, and a Number 1 cast album later, it begs the question - how did it come to be so fierce?

Steve's Story

Founded in 1898 in Earl Barton, WJ Brookes shoemaking factory was a family business, making 4,000 pairs of traditional men's shoes a week, which no one seemed to want. Steve Pateman joined in 1979, but by the 90s, the factory was on the brink of bankruptcy.

But one call would change everything for the struggling shoe factory owner.

When a shop owner in Folkestone asked Steve to make thigh-high boots in men's sizes for drag queens, it was a gamble - but one which led to Steve learning to walk in six-inch stiletto heels, shaving his legs, and ultimately going from Barton to Broadway with his story!

This inspired the 2005 British film Kinky Boots, which starred Joel Edgerton as Charlie and Chiwetel Ejiofor as Lola. Ejiofor's performance earned him a Golden Globe nomination, and the film grossed $9.9 million at the box office worldwide.

The Story of Kinky Boots

Set in provincial Northampton, England, London-bound Charlie Price is surprised to suddenly inherit his beloved father's shoe factory - and even more surprised to find that handmade men's dress shoes are no longer quite as in vogue as they used to be. Facing closure, a dejected Charlie chances upon Lola - the charismatic, brassy, and fabulous drag queen - and finds himself forming an unlikely business partnership, creating custom shoes for drag queens, which will change their lives forever...

Did you know: Lola has become one of the most beloved characters in musical theatre. Billy Porter's performance as Lola in the original Broadway production earned him the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical.