Harvey Fierstein Talks About His Kinky Boots

By Maggie Hellwig in Arts & Entertainment on Oct 9, 2012 3:30PM

Early next week, The Trib Nation's Press Pass series is showcasing one of Broadway's best playwrights, and one of film's quirkiest actors. On Oct. 16, Harvey Fierstein will be at the Music Box with Tribune theater critic Chris Jones.

Kids of the 90s and early 2000s know Harvey Fierstein's face and his unmistakably raspy voice. He was the adorable make-up artist who transformed Robin Williams into Mrs. Doubtfire, Jeff Goldblum's over-bearing Jewish father in Independence Day, and Merv Green in Death to Smoochy. The actor has made himself known on and off Broadway not just as a performer, but also as a Tony Award-winning playwright. He won Tonys for Torch Song Trilogy in 1983, La Cage aux Folles in 1984, and more recently he seized the day (and a Tony nomination) by adapting Newsies into a Broadway play.

Jones and Fierstein will chat about the writer's latest Broadway script—Kinky Boots—now playing in Chicago. The protagonist, Charlie Price, inherits his late father's nearly bankrupt shoe factory and is forced to save it. Price's salvation comes in the form of the entertainer Lola, who inspires him to revamp and sass-up the factory. With all the music composed by Cyndi Lauper, we're quite certain that the play will be anything other than dull. The conversation also promises to lean toward Fierstein's long-standing support for gay rights, as reflected in his writing and multi-faceted involvement in the entertainment business.

We suggest getting the tickets as soon as you can; it should make for a busy event on a Tuesday night. When you arrive, don't forget your inalienable right to strut your stuff in some kinky boots, or in whatever attires you so choose.

Tuesday, Oct. 16, Music Box Theatre: 3733 N. Southport Ave., 7 p.m., tickets: $20 and available for purchase here.