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Kinky Boots

New York, NY

Theater

Kinky Boots tells the unlikely story of Charlie, a British kid who reluctantly inherits his father’s shoe factory. Rockwell Group worked with director and choreographer Jerry Mitchell to bring the story to life onstage with sets that magically transform from an aging factory floor into a glamorous fashion runway.

Project Category
Theater
Selected Awards
67th Annual Tony Awards: Nomination, Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Selected Press
Kinky Boots performance and factory set design on Broadway
How can a stage transform from a Northampton factory into the runways of Milan?

Kinky Boots is about the wonder and magic of transformation.

The portable sets easily transform from the factory floor to a London drag club. The goal was to create a single physical environment that could transform throughout the show.

kinky boots set design
Each piece of the set is used in more than one way as actors move platforms and machinery to reveal scenes in pubs and drag clubs.
kinky boots performance on broadway, set design
Heavy looking industrial scenery and props nevertheless seem to move weightlessly.

Close collaboration with the choreographer inspired the idea of a single set that would fluidly transition between scenes. Action flows at the pace of industrial manufacturing as working conveyor belts move dancers across the stage.

“Rockwell’s great ability is to change something from realistic into something theatrical.”

Jerry Mitchell
An early sketch from Kinky Boots
Kinky Boots performance and set design on Broadway
For the final scene in Milan, color-changing LEDs reveal multicolored shoe silhouettes.
Kinky Boots performance and set design on Broadway
A rolling, two-tiered office lets the cast create new configurations.
Kinky Boots boxing ring performance and set design on Broadway
Ropes and a shift in lighting quickly set the stage for a boxing match.
Kinky Boots performance and set design on Broadway
Red lighting imbues Lola's world with vibrancy and excitement. 1,200 LEDs flash and change in color to switch between Charlie and Lola's worlds.