"Kinky Boots" by Carlton Operatic Society.

Nottingham Theatre Royal.

It's time to get your boots out for the lads...and the gals as well, of course in this brilliantly fun musical.

Based on the 2005 film "Kinky Boots", written by Geoff Deane, who used to be in the band Modern Romance - remember them? - and Tim Firth of Calendar Girls fame, and inspired by true events. The musical tells the story of Charlie Price, who having inherited Price & Son, a shoe factory from his father, forms an unlikely partnership with cabaret performer and drag queen Lola to produce a line of high-heeled boots and save the business. In the process, Charlie and Lola discover that they are not so different after all.

Charlie Price is played by Mark Coffey-Bainbridge. This part is made for Mark as the character is a down to earth young man, which is exactly what Mark is. Mark is a natural actor, I should know, I've reviewed him many times before and always brings warmth to whatever character he plays. Another thing that makes him perfect for the role is his voice. He has a very contemporary voice, sounding good in all styles, whether it be a big ballad like "The Soul Of A Man" or a gospel stomper like "Everybody say Yeah", he just nails it.

Lizzie Fenner plays Nicola, Charlie's fiancé who wants to drag him away from making shoes and settle in London. Lizzie gets this character just right; not too bossy but just enough to show she cares for him, and those red wedding shoes!

Lauren, who has recently been executised by Charlie, is played by Cathy Hyde. I love that sense of fun she provides as Lauren when she discovers that she has a crush on her boss. We all remember that feeling of daft euphoria in the first throes of fancying someone, as shown in "The History Of Wrong Guys".

Mr Price Snr is played by Adam Collishaw opens the show as he is sitting with Young Charlie, who is played by two young actors by the names of Harley Butler and James Breen, depending on which performance you see. I saw James on opening night. Their song "The Most Beautiful Thing In The World" sets the tone. I've seen James before, but in this production, he shows off a very clear voice as well as some nifty moves. He's a really confident performer.

Young Lola is played by Jacob Jacques-Phillips throughout the run, and yet again we see another very confident young actor/singer/dancer. This is his first show, but I have a feeling it won't be his last with the talent and confidence he has.

Simon Snr, Simon being Lola's real name, is played by Ray Samuel Mcleod, and another cheeky little cameo for Ray.

Lola is played by Steffi Moore, and this is her debut for Carlton Operatic. There's no denying that Steffi has stage presence, and while technically the vocals may not be as strong as some of the other actors, Steffi doesn't half put oomph into her songs. But also note that she has a great deal of passion in the vocals for "Not My Father's Son", one of my favourite songs from the soundtrack. Steffi captured the vulnerability of the part as Simon, as well as the boss confidence when dressed as Lola.

Lola's Angels are played by David Page (Paige Turner), Connor Gough (Ella Gance), Louis Barnes-cupit (Izzy Straight), Mannie Gregg (Mannie Quinn), Mason Hart (Polly Amore), Sam Turpin (Uma Backhurts) - Love the character names, by the way! All embraced their feminine side and with the wigs, make-up and costumes, they made excellent drag queens.

Cliff Hart plays Don, the alpha male of the factory, and is one of the characters that I always enjoy in this story due to the U Turn Don makes, but without losing any of that alpha male standing. And you know, he had absolutely no issues walking in those heels at the end of the show!

Bara Erhayiem plays George, the Price's right-hand man. I did not recognise Bara in this part due to the wig, make-up and the accent. I've seen Bara before and know what a good character actor he is, which made his role ever the more believable.

It's a very big cast which includes as the factory workers Laura Ellis (Pat), Claire Collishaw (Trish), Hannah Cupit (Marge), Daniella Anderson (Melanie), Wendy Austin-Boulton (Kelly), Adam Collishaw (Big Mike), Poppy Cook (Jeannie), Rebekah Daley (Hilda), Elliot Deakin (Pete), Ella Greenwood (Sandra), Sarah Hill (Eunice), Kelly Lucken (Audrey), Patrick McChrystal (Bernie/Harry), Celine McKeowen (Brenda), Eva Sheppard (Kim), Laura Thurman - recently seen with the Royal Shakespeare Company locally (Tanya), Helen Tunnicliff (Daisy) and Bethany Wear (Florence).

James Ellison plays Richard Bailey, the man who was hired to try and take over the Price factory for housing.

The show is choreographed by Kristian Cunningham and is his debut for Carlton Operatic. Anyone who knows Kristian and his work ethic will know that he expects the best, and he got it, and so did we.

Directed by Rachael Rees, this show is an almost non-stop high energy piece of theatre with a wonderful message to deliver, and Rachael made sure that we got it loud and clear. It was fast, but in the quieter moments, she also made sure that they stood out as much as the faster sections.

I did think that in the boxing ring scene, with it being done in slow motion, the wide gaps left with the thrown punches could have been reduced, for realism you understand. Apart from that, this scene was very well choreographed. I know, I'm being picky!

Musical Director is Christopher Rees, so I knew we'd have no issues at all with Chris at the helm of this eleven piece orchestra, who delivered a solid backing. There are some brilliantly catchy songs in this soundtrack; "Land Of Lola", "Sex Is In The Heel", "What A Woman Wants", "Raise You Up/Just Be" among the others that I've already mentioned.

The set is a professional one, supplied by Scenic Projects. It was like they had transported a whole factory work area on to the stage in this multi level set. Plus, you have that Milan catwalk to consider, where we saw all the cast paraded in red shiny heeled boots.

Costumes are by Triple C, and there are some really fancy pieces of thread here. Lola's white costume for her care home performance was stunning and Steffi looked incredible in it for her performance of "Hold Me In Your Heart". Plus, all of the costumes for the Angels were wonderful. Wigs were supplied by Wig Art Theatrical, and I know how painstaking these wigs are to create, but they look incredible.

On the Lighting Design is another man who you can trust to present a visually exciting presentation, Tom Mowat.

Sound Design is by Rob Kettridge, and like Tom with the lighting, you expect a classy sound design, which is exactly what we had.

There were a couple of small things that could have been tighter, but it's opening night, and probably no-one would have noticed them bar me, but you know what I'm like, I'm picky. That said, nothing could detract from this wonderful musical and it's in-built message of accepting someone for who they are; one of the simplest of messages, but one that not everyone seems to understand.

"Kinky Boots" is at the Nottingham Theatre Royal until Saturday 3 June, so strut on down and get yo'self a ticket for one of the most soulful, heart-warming and fun shows on stage.