EntertainmentTheatre

Last Night a DJ Saved my Life at the Winter Gardens Blackpool Review

lastnightadjsavedmylifeLast Night a DJ
Saved my Life
Winter Gardens, Blackpool

16 October to 1 November 2015

www.wintergardensblackpool.co.uk

Reviewed by Catherine Joyce

We were lucky enough to go to the first night of Last Night a DJ Saved my Life, a new musical starring David Hasselhoff, Kim Tiddy and Shane Richie Jr. There has been a lot of publicity about this show and after seeing a report on the local news we were looking forward to seeing it. As the world famous Blackpool Illuminations are currently on, Blackpool looked amazing as we drove to the theatre. Blackpool is really busy at this time of year so do allow plenty of time to get there.

David Hasseloff plays Ross, a struggling Ibiza club owner and DJ who hasn’t yet embraced the 1990’s rave culture. On top of that his teenage daughter Penny (Stephanie Webber) who he hasn’t seen for three years has come to visit. Ross is shocked to find the little girl he remembers is all grown up and he isn’t happy with her new romance with Rik the Club 18-30 holiday rep. Ross also has to introduce Penny to Mandy, his much younger girlfriend which understandably doesn’t go well!

DJSavedMyLife1
David Hasselhoff as Ross, Kim Tiddy as girlfriend Mandy and Tam Ryan as Jose
in Last Night A DJ Saved My Life
Photo Credit Linda Lusardi

As the show is about a DJ it was very appropriate that before the show started one of the cast members came on stage and warmed up the audience with a few tunes and some banter. The audience was a real mix of ages and he soon had everyone laughing so we knew we were in for a great night.

Set in the early 90’s the show is an almost non-stop medley of dance floor hits which support a strong, although simple, storyline packed full of humour. I have never visited Ibiza but the party atmosphere was just how I expected it to be. The sets really are effective, making use of three huge video screens to quickly move from one location to another. This worked especially well with the beach scenes and you really felt you were out in Ibiza in the sun.

DJSavedMyLife2
David Hasselhoff in Last Night A DJ Saved My Life
Photo Credit Linda Lusardi

One especially effective scene was when Ross mistakenly took an ecstasy tablet and was whisked off into a weird and wonderful few minutes where the cast went wild cavorting around the stage in a wheeling series of dances. I don’t know what the effects of ecstasy are but it really got the message across.

The songs in the show have obviously been carefully selected and complement the storyline. Sometimes in musicals the story is stretched to fit around the songs of a particular artist which can lead to a weak or poor story but in this musical the storyline comes first and the music simply strengthens the show.

David Hasselhoff magnificently portrays Ross and even though he was really struggling with a leg injury he put on a fantastic performance. One of David’s most famous roles is a lifeguard on Baywatch and the audience loved the Baywatch link in the show.

All the cast were amazing however Jose, the stereotypical Spanish bartender needs a special mention as he added a huge amount of humour to the night.

DJCastShotLindaLusardi
Last Night A DJ Saved My Night Cast Shot
Photo Credit Linda Lusardi

The costumes, designed by Linda Lusardi, evoked the spirit of the 90’s with plenty of fluorescents and the odd shell suit.

The performance really got the audience going, there was lots of clapping and foot tapping going on. At the start of the night we had been encouraged to sing along but although I knew the tunes, many of the songs were dance hits and not really sing-along songs.

At the end of the show the whole cast came onto the stage for one last blast through a medley of dance hits with huge beach balls flying around the theatre. This was great fun and a perfect end to an excellent show.

The show is on until the 1st November and it is really worth a visit to Blackpool to see this fun show.

Rating: 4.5/5

Tickets from £20 – Kids Go Free with a full paying adult (booking fees may apply)

Last Night a DJ Saved My Life is at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool until 1 November 2015. For more information or to book tickets click here or call the box office on 0844 856 1111.

Winter Gardens & Opera House Theatre, 97 Church Street, Blackpool, Lancashire, FY1 1HL

4 half Star

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