Majolica in the Movies: Kinky Boots

If you at all watched the Tony Awards a couple weeks ago you couldn't help but see that the awards show was totally dominated this year by a musical called Kinky Boots. With a book by Harvey Fierstein (Torch Song Trilogy) and music by the irrepressible Cyndi Lauper (Girls Just Want to Have Fun), Kinky Boots is currently the hottest ticket on Broadway.

The musical is based on a 2006 movie also called Kinky Boots which itself is based on a documentary by the BBC. It is the true story of a British shoe manufacturer who saved his family shoe making factory by changing the focus of the business by catering to the fetish cross-dressing shoe market.
The movie stars Joel Edgarton as the desperate factory owner and Chiwetel Ejiofor as Lola the transvestite who becomes the inspiration as well as the designer of the first line of kinky boots. A wilder true story is hard to imagine but it's really a charming movie. Much to our surprise though, majolica too finds its way into in this unorthodox story in an extremely unorthodox way!

In a scene that takes place in Lola's rented room she sits at her dresser in a robe with her wig on a wig rest. When her landlady comes into the room she removes the wig from the rest and pops it on her head. And what does Lola use as a wig rest? Why, a Sarreguemines majolica face jug of course!

I  must admit it made me chuckle when I saw it. It seemed so in character with the Lola persona to use a majolica pitcher as a wig rest that it was brilliant!

Sarreguemines majolica grotesque jug

Of course the story all comes to a happy ending with everyone wiser for the experience by learning tolerance.

What a joy it was to find the pitcher in this sweet movie. To view the trailer go here.