The Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham – until Saturday 26th November 2022
Reviewed by Emma Millward
4****
Saturday Night Fever boogied into Birmingham’s Alexandra Theatre this week. Based on the storyline of the hit 1977 movie starring John Travolta, this jukebox musical features mostly songs written and performed by the Bee Gees. Directed by Bill Kenworthy, it tells the story of Tony Manero (Jack Wilcox), an Italian American man who lives in Brooklyn with his overbearing parents. His only break from reality is when he’s at the ‘2001 Odyssey’ discotheque, where he’s the king of the dance floor and admired by everyone.
As the curtain goes up, we are immediately immersed in the sights and sounds of New York, including the sound of the subway clattering in the distance. We get our first glimpse of Tony as he walks the famous strut through the streets from the original film’s opening scene, carrying paint cans back to the hardware store where he works. Jack Wilcox plays Tony with just the right amount of arrogant confidence and swagger necessary for such an iconic role. This was particularly evident in the approving whoops and wolf whistles from the audience during one particular scene when Tony is changing very slowly into the iconic white suit!
While he is dancing and romancing at the disco one Saturday night, Tony meets a talented dancer called Stephanie Mangano (played brilliantly by Rebekah Bryant). Unlike most of the other women at the disco, Stephanie rejects Tony’s sexual advances, but ultimately agrees to take part in an upcoming dance contest. Their rehearsals for the contest, including learning the dance routine to ‘More Than a Woman’, offer some comedic but also tender moments in the show.
The whole cast work well together as an ensemble. The two lead characters, of course, stand out. But other exceptional performances for me included Harry Goodson-Bevan as the doomed Bobby C, a man struggling with a major life decision for him and his pregnant Catholic girlfriend. His solo performance of the song ‘Tragedy’ was touching, but also had an unexpected nostalgic nod to the ‘Steps’ dance routine thrown in for good measure by choreographer Bill Deamer. Billie Hardy also shone as Annette, the smitten girl who is pushed aside by Tony, and ends up in the arms of his friends with disastrous results.
On stage throughout are talented musicians led by Musical Director Jeremy Wootton. Up in the rafters of the stage backdrop that doubles as the Brooklyn Bridge and the nightclub itself, they are joined by the show’s very own Bee Gees (Drew Gerry, Oliver Thomson, and AJ Jenks). All clad in shiny gold suits and Bee Gee appropriate wigs, they sing most of the songs in the show. Their vocals were pitch perfect, even on those well-known falsetto parts.
Although the catchy songs and the energetic dance routines are all very ‘feel good’, there is no denying this is a very adult show. Misogyny, racism, drug abuse, sexual assault and suicide are all themes heavily featured in the show. The derogatory language and violence has been toned down from the original film, but there is still a lot of offensive language and a recommended audience age of 14 years or older.
My only real criticism would be that the show seemed a bit rushed towards the end and the story seemed to finish rather abruptly. But the cast soon made up for this with an all-singing, all-dancing Bee Gees medley for an encore that got everyone up out of their seats dancing and singing along. Grab your tickets (and your dancing shoes) for the best disco in Brum this weekend!!