After the success of last year’s trip to Melbourne to see
three big musicals I decided to do it all again this year with Strictly
Ballroom the first cab off the rank. This time I was in the front row at Her
Majesty’s Theatre, just across the aisle from the centre block so I was in a
prime position. The show exhibited all the strengths and eccentricities of its
creative driving forces – sumptuous costumes and set design by multiple Oscar
winner Catherine Martin and the joyous, over the top, at times tacky, but
nothing less than entertaining flourishes of her husband, one Baz Luhrmann. It
looked fantastic, sounded great with the orchestra (Musical Director Daniel
Edmonds) playing the pastiche of styles and mix of original numbers and pop
classics very well, and was superbly lit by Hugh Vanstone.
The show had quite a long first half with two expertly
crafted sequences and another standout scene and was much stronger than the
second half which lacked narrative propulsion. The finale ensured the audience
went home happy though with the massed cast singing the by now iconic Love Is In The Air and inviting audience
members on stage to dance/shuffle with them.
The story is a simple one – Scott Hastings longs to win a
major dance competition but wants to do so using his own steps much to the
horror of his dance partner who dumps him, his family and the establishment
headed up by Barry Fife. In steps dorky beginner Fran who becomes Scott’s
partner and with the assistance of her passionate family they become a force to
be reckoned with.
Thomas Lacey was terrific as Scott, nowhere more so than in
a tremendous early set piece, Shooting Star
where he is on stage alone practising dance moves. No backdrops, no set, simply
lit up in the darkness. In that moment he commanded the stage and I was unsure
what he going to do which gave it a real edge. Then he bursts into song and
frenetic dance as movable mirrors reflected his moves and alternatively become
transparent to reveal other male dancers mimicking his steps. Beautifully lit,
the sweat was flying off him in a short, sharp, stunning sequence.
Phoebe Panaretos was a likeable Fran and while her dancing
wasn’t as strong she had a wonderful singing voice that was first revealed in
the beautifully constructed Time After
Time sequence. The well-known Cyndi Lauper song was used to great effect. Firstly,
as Scott recites the lyrics to an awkward Fran while going through a set of dance
moves and then comes to full life on the rooftop, hills hoist and all, as they
burst into song with the cast down below giving added punch. It teased then built
and built until it was classic Luhrmann as he combined song and dance to
emphasis a major turning point in the story. Fran’s transformation from dorky
beginner to potential serious dance partner was pure Baz with that unabashedly joyful
and romantic style he also used on the rooftops of Paris in Moulin Rouge!
The second sequence that was even more impressive was the
one that ended the first half – A Life
Lived in Fear where Abuela (Natalie Gamsu) and Rico (Fernando Mira) show
Scott the true meaning of how to dance with passion. Gamsu and Mira were
outstanding; the former a commanding presence as Fran’s grandmother, the latter
with crisp authority in the dance moves. Again, the sequence builds slowly beat
by beat until the majority of the company join in to deliver a devastatingly
good climax of movement, music and vocals.
Herein lies the problem with the show – nothing in the
second half delivers anything even close to these highpoints in the first half.
In fact, for the majority of its length, the second half spins its wheel with a
complete lack of narrative propulsion. We know the trajectory of the story and
the end of the first act has us primed for that climax. Yet it is delayed by
the use of some fleetingly fun audience participation as two people are pulled
up on stage at the restart; to a dream sequence as Barry Fife (a charming ‘villain’
as played by Robert Grubb) frets about ‘new steps’; to a long flashback
sequence featuring Darren Gilshenan as Scott’s dad. Not that these aren’t funny
and without charm but they are tangential to the main narrative and mean that
the show’s greatest assets, Lacey and Panaretos are sidelined for large chunks.
The climax when it finally comes is also disappointing.
Unlike those earlier sequences that were such beautifully constructed and executed
examples of storytelling, this is full of colour and movement as the couples
dance off but is unfocussed which diffuses the drama and the stakes. It kind of
happens in a burst of energy and then it’s over. The finale rallies to deliver
the crowd pleasing John Paul Young song with the audience invited on stage.
Props also to the three cast members who belted out a reprise of Love Is A Leap Of Faith as the stage was cleared
and the curtain closed.
It was an entertaining spectacle and I did laugh a lot but that
second half is very problematic in its current configuration. Special mention
to Heather Mitchell who gave a hilariously over-the-top performance as Scott’s
mum Shirley and to the stunning Nadia Coote who exemplified the excellent
dancing and gorgeous costuming as Tina Sparkle.
Directed by Baz Luhrmann, Book by Luhrmann and Craig Pearce,
Original Score and Arrangements by Elliott Wheeler, Set and Costume Designer
Catherine Martin.
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