The Tony Award-winning Best Musical of 2013, Kinky Boots, is currently in a four-week run at the Orpheum Theater, and it's a show that's guaranteed to attract the adoration of drag fans everywhere. It is, unlike Priscilla Queen of the Desert, possibly the first modern drag musical — taking for granted that Priscilla is really just a dolled up, Australian version of the grandmother of drag musicals, La Cage Aux Folles. So, rather than dealing with homosexuality, prejudice, and the novelty of drag as its core, Kinky Boots is actually more a story of love, small-town struggle, and shoe design, with a healthy dash of drag bravado thrown in.

The story, based on the 2005 British film of the same name, is pretty simple: A shoe factory owner's son, left to figure out what to do with a failing business in Northhampton, England, decides to retool the operation to aim for the niche market of drag queens and cross-dressers and make sexy, "kinky" boots with high heels that can support a man's weight.

The music and lyrics were written by Cyndi Lauper, marking the pop diva's first foray into musical theater (she was the first woman ever to win the Best Score Tony without a writing partner), and it's no doubt an impressive effort. Lauper's songs sound, most certainly, like some of the best of rock musicals of the past 20 years with the noted exception that the score is short on truly memorable, hummable melodies. (My favorite of the bunch, actually, is a song that almost feels like it could have been cut, sung by a character we only ever meet once, in Act 1, the rollicking guitar number "Take What You Got.") That said, there are some terrific, foot-tapping drag numbers sung by the character of Lola/Simon, like her opening number "Land of Lola," "Sex Is in the Heel," and "Raise You Up."

Leading the cast is Steven Booth as Charlie, the aforementioned factory owner's son turned factory owner, and the wildly talented Kyle Taylor Parker as Lola, but both get to do the majority of their best work in Act 1. Also great is Lindsay Nicole Chambers as the sort of second-fiddle female lead (the lead would be Lola), who does great comic work as Lauren. Act 2 feels a bit more plodding, with a fair amount of tedious plot stuff to wrap up, and unless you've never seen a drag show before there's nothing especially zany or interesting about the big drag finale. Choreographer Jerry Mitchell does great work with Lola and her "girls," but the rest of the cast of non-dancers look a bit less enthusiastic throughout.

It's a relief, truly, to see a show concerning gay people that ultimately isn't really about their gayness — rather Simon/Lola's sexuality is just one of a number of traits you learn about this well rounded character, and the real thrust of the show is about making boots and saving a factory. When Charlie first meets Lola, in fact, he seems completely unfazed by the drag thing, which may be the funniest part — he just sees dollar signs.

So while Kinky Boots may never make it into the pantheon of American musical classics, it's nonetheless a warm, funny, and endearing show with plenty to smile at, and your elderly aunt is guaranteed to think that all those men in dresses are just terrific.

Kinky Boots plays at the Orpheum through December 28. Get tickets here.