Reviewed by Gina Lilley
“Through the symphony of our body parts comes the emotions of our hearts” – one of the first things said courtesy of some brilliant prose and poetry by Richard Marsh as we are drawn in to the setting for Tango Moderno.
You may think you are going to see Vincent Simone and Flavia Cacace dancing tango and indeed, tango is themed all the way through, but cleverly interwoven through all forms of artistic expression.
Unfortunately, Vincent has sustained an injury that means he isn’t currently performing so according to the lyrical tones of Tom Parsons we are told that it takes two men to fill Vinnies shoes……
And fill them, they do. Leonel di Cocco is a compact and suave dancer with meticulous footwork and smouldering attitude showing us some magnificent partnering of Flavia, leaving as always, the best until last.
Pasquale la Rocca is by contrast a much taller and more elegant man but again, engages us in his tender care of Flavia as he whisks her around the floor and they spread their love of dance around the other cast members. Incredibly watchable!
The music has been arranged and orchestrated by Chis Egan and we are led through the scenes with music as varied as Flight of the Bumblebee – amazingly played by Oliver Lewis to much cheering from the audience, to The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face beautifully sung by singer/dancer Rebecca Lisweski.
Tom Parsons saunters through the scenes like a strolling minstrel player with his guitar and narrates with eloquence and encourages us to lift our hearts and open our minds so we experience life to the full and dare to stand up on the floor and dance to express ourselves.
Certainly, he is very compelling and together with Rebecca Lisweski they give our ears a feast backed by the Band led by Musical Director Jonathan Taylor. Rebecca also dances, and it cannot go without mention her outstanding performance in Three Handed Woman, very funny indeed.
The choreography was created by Karen Bruce who also directed this stunning feast for the eyes, it really was difficult to know where to look at times, wanting to appreciate the singers but unable to take your eyes off the dancers and the stories they were telling.
A great mix of street, modern, jazz and tango intermingled in front of us and I cannot believe that anybody left the theatre in Milton Keynes last night (14 November) without a spring in their step and a smile on their face.
A must see – book your tickets now!
Rating: 5/5
Tickets cost from £20 to £58.50 (plus £2.85 transaction fee).
Tango Moderno is at Milton Keynes Theatre from 14-18 November 2017, for more information or to book tickets visit www.atgtickets.com/miltonkeynes or call the box office on 0844 8717652.
Milton Keynes Theatre, 500 Marlborough Gate, Milton Keynes, Bucks, MK9 3NZ
