THE LOWRY, SALFORD – UNTIL SATURDAY 1ST JULY 2023
REVIEWED BY MIA BOWEN
5*****
Strictly Ballroom danced its way into Salford last night and on opening night there was barely a spare seat in The Lowry as young, old, families and friends enjoyed two and half hours of exceptional singing, dancing and fun.
Strictly Ballroom The Musical is a musical theatre adaptation of the highly rated and critically acclaimed 1992 film, written and directed by Baz Luhrmann. Luhrmann is an Australian film director, producer, writer and actor, with projects spanning film, television, opera, theatre, music and recording industries. On the big screen he is best known for projects including William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet (1996), Moulin Rouge (2001), Australia (2008) and Elvis (2022).
If you are a devotee of, Strictly Come Dancing you will be very familiar with Craig Revel Horwood, his precise and over-fastidious nature but mostly his love and passion for the amateur ballroom dance championships. Horwood played an integral part in the direction and choreography of this musical, along with co-choreographer Jason Gilkison, they are a match made in ballroom heaven, bringing together traditional musical theatre performances and ballroom dancing.
The musical follows the story of Scott Hastings (Kevin Clifton) a rebellious young ballroom dancer, who refuses to stick to regulation ‘federation steps’ in a competition and stands to ruin his chances of winning the prestigious Pan Pacific Championships. He struggles to find a partner to help break conformity but then meets Fran (Faye Brookes), who is full of enthusiasm but a beginner at the dance school.
Kevin Clifton is best known for being a professional dancer on BBC One’s Strictly Come Dancing, he has also proven himself again and again as an accomplished musical theatre performer. He is joined by Faye Brookes best known for her role as Kate Connor in ITV1’s Coronation Street and being a contestant in the 2021 series of Dancing on Ice.
The standout moment of the show for me came at the end of act 1, when Scott visits Fran’s family gathering in the bar. Jose Agudo, as Fran’s father Rico, teaches Scott to dance from the heart. Agudo puts on a jaw dropping (literally) and commanding display of the Paso Doble. He was phenomenal and stole the show. I felt the energy raise in the build up to the entire cast putting on a powerful routine, offering us quite the spectacle.
A special mention must go to Mark Walters for his spectacular set and costume design. As soon as the lights came on, you were transported to the world of glitz and glamour of ballroom dancing. The costumes were bright, cheesy and an array of colours with sequins and not forgetting the hideously fitted wigs (true to the film) across many of the cast.
Strictly Ballroom is a lot of fun with some superb performances, strictly brilliant! You will be foxtrotting your way home.