The London return of the musical, which celebrates friendship and individuality, follows a record-breaking UK, Ireland, and European tour that concludes later this year.
Johannes Radebe for Kinky Boots. Photo by Charlie Flint.
Directed by Curve's Artistic Director Nikoali Foster (My Fair Lady), Strictly Come Dancing star Johannes Radebe will reprise his role as Lola.
The Broadway and West End phenomenon, which closed at the Adelphi Theatre in 2019 after completing 1,400 performances, Kinky Boots will play at the London Coliseum for 17 weeks early next year.
Johannes Radebe said: "I left my township in Zamdela at the age of 21 to dance in the ensemble on a cruise ship. Every night we did ABBA. That was my dream come true. Never then, nor since then, was it in my wildest dreams that I would have the opportunity to star in a musical in London’s West End. And not just any musical - my favourite musical. Kinky Boots. My involvement in Kinky Boots has been six years in the making, and Lola was the only role I ever wanted to play. Harvey Fierstein and Cyndi Lauper have written a show about accepting people for who they are, and the love our production has received across the UK has been overwhelming, beautiful and life changing. The theatre community has welcomed me, and I am having the time of my life. It is the greatest honour and responsibility to bring this show to the world famous, iconic London Coliseum. I’ll be walking in the footsteps of theatre and entertainment giants who have performed on that stage, and I’ll be doing it in my own sequined pair of red leather Kinky Boots. I cannot wait! Thank you and see you next year."
Kinky Boots is a musical about Charlie Price, a man who inherits his family's struggling shoe factory and forms an unlikely partnership with Lola, a drag performer. Together, they create a line of bold, high-heeled boots for drag queens to save the business. The show is known for celebrating themes of acceptance, identity, and embracing change.
The creative team includes choreography by Leah Hill, set and costume design by Robert Jones, Lola and the Angels’ costume design by Tom Rogers, musical supervision by George Dyer, lighting design by Ben Cracknell, sound design by Adam Fisher, casting by Harry Blumenau CDG CDA, wigs, hair and make-up design by Campbell Young Associates, with production management by Setting Line.
The casting will be announced soon.
Kinky Boots will play at the London Coliseum from 17 March to 11 July 2026.
