Hull New Theatre – until 11th March 2023
Reviewed by Dawn Bennett
5*****
Strictly Ballroom The Musical sparkled, salsa’d and shimmied into Hull New Theatre last night and it was absolutely Fab U Lous … darling!
Based on the book by Baz Luhrmann and Craig Pearce. It was co-choregraphed by Strictly Come Dancing royalty Jason Gilkison and Craig Revel Horwood (who is also the Director) it was a feast for the eyes. Having seen the 1992 film of the same name I knew what we were going to see but this production was so much more, more sequins, bigger dresses, the shortest shorts, amazing acting, dancing and singing!
The story is set at Shirley Hastings (Nikki Belsher) dance school in 1990’s Australia and follows the story of her son Scott (Kevin Clifton) and his journey to the Pan-Pacific Finals. Scott is a rebel and is wanting to do his own thing and not conform and dance the set steps that everyone else does, much to distain of the Australian Dance federation. Scott then meets Fran (played last night by Maddy Ambus) a beginner from the dance school and she agrees to dance his steps. We then get a glimpse of the trials and tribulations of the competitive dance world and all that goes with it.
This production is uplifting and all the cast were magnificent. All of the singing was a joy to listen to. Maddy Ambus was a brilliant Fran, her acting and dancing were so good but her singing was amazing and she’s defiantly one to watch! At the end of the first half Jose Agudo’s (who played Frans father Rico) Paso Doble stunned us into silence, it was a masterclass in Paso and it says in the programme that he began as a Flamenco dancer and you could tell… he was just wow! The band, conducted by Dustin Conrad, were outstanding, from the upbeat melodies to the guitar solos.
And what can I say about Kevin Clifton, who played Scott Hastings. He was a joy to watch and he was made to play this part. He was off the scale brilliant. I’ve seen actors who can sing and dance so well but Kevin is such an amazing dancer whos’ acting and singing skills are amazing. I knew he could dance after watching him (and voting for him!) many times on Strictly but who knew he could sing and act as well…defiantly a triple threat!
If you want a really good night out, go and see this show … if I could have given it 10 stars I would have!