Cafe de Paris – 14 February 2018. By Claire Roderick
There was glitter, glamour and romance aplenty at the Café de Paris this Valentine’s Day for the Strictly Ballroom the Musical launch party.
The iconic story of bad boy of ballroom Scott and his inexperienced partner Fran has touched the hearts and funny bones for decades, with its mix of cute kitsch and crassness that only the Australians can pull off – and this show looks like a sure-fire winner. With book by Baz Luhrmann and Craig Pearce, and costumes by Catherine Martin, what could possibly go wrong?
Will Young hosted proceedings with his usual self-deprecating humour, looking perfect for his specially written role as band leader Wally Strand, serenading the crowd with a beautiful version of Time After Time as Jonny Labey and Zizi Strallen gave us a glimpse of their dance chemistry as Scott and Fran. Fernando Mira, as Fran’s father, then wowed us with a fiery and powerful Pasodoble.
Drew McOnie spoke passionately about the effect the original film had on his dancing, and the parallels between Scott and him, while Catherine Martin recalled the effect the original show, with its spirit of revolution, had on audiences in Bratislava before the Wall came down. There was a whole lot of love in the room – which reached its heights as the cast (with gloriously OTT costume and hair) danced around Will Young to Love Is In The Air. The smiles on everyone’s faces said it all.
And with all that fizz and love, let’s take a moment to toast the professionalism of the British press – not one of us screamed “FRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN” or “SSSCCCOOOOOOOOOOTT” (out loud).
Previews begin 29th March 2018 at the Piccadilly Theatre – this will be one of THE shows of the year.