Kinky Boots: Real life Charlie Price comments on the film’s impact on Northampton and cross dressing community

After winning six Tony Awards, a grammy, a Golden Globe and widespread critical acclaim, Kinky Boots has become a global sensation.

Quoting Cyndi Lauper, composer of Kinky Boots’ soundtrack, the film shows that you can “change the world when you change your mind”.

Kinky Boots character Charlie Price’s real life counterpart is Steve Pateman, who was the owner of the Northampton-based WJ Brookes shoe factory throughout the 1990s. The unlikely Earls Barton factory would soon become the birthplace of the Kinky Boots story.

Being set in Northampton, Kinky boots has provided a moment of global recognition for the town.

Steve said: “People all over the world know about Northampton now, which is phenomenal. It’s known worldwide.”

The former factory owner regrets missing the opportunity to mention Earls Barton in the film. Due to the public stigma around cross dressing and drag artists at the time, he made the decision to set the film more broadly in Northampton.

“If the film wasn’t received in a good way, such a small village would have been tainted,” he added.

“Now I get it in the neck from people” He imitates them, whining: “You shouldn’t have done that, Earls Barton would’ve been known across the world.”

Despite this, Steve says he is proud of his contribution to putting Northampton in the limelight.

“How could you not be, I’ve inspired something that’s gone around the world.”

The people of WJ Brookes at the time were more than accommodating to their newfound clients.

“People who met them around the factory instantly took to them, they’re great people and they wear their heart on their sleeve.”

However, Steve had to keep things under wraps during the film’s production due to the public’s then negative perspective on cross-dressing and drag artists.

“None of the characters in the film could have the same names as those who worked for me, we didn’t know how it was going to be accepted.”

Fortunately, the reception of the film was a resounding success. Kinky Boots played a large part in the acceptance of cross-dressing and drag artists and Steve is proud of his contribution.

He continued: “My story has changed the lives of millions and it’s helped so many people.

“The community now is so much more accepted and respected.

“The way that we’ve managed to get acceptance for transgender and crossdressers is so heartwarming.”

Since the film’s release in 2005, Kinky Boots has been transformed into a musical theatre production. It first opened on Broadway in 2013, and since then has won several awards and nominations and been on a US and UK tour.

Kinky Boots is returning to Northampton from October 24 to 28. The Royal & Derngate Theatre is holding an amateur production by the Northampton Musical Theatre Company with tickets priced from £19. More details can be found at the Royal & Derngate website.