Strictly Come Dancing At The Professionals Festival Theatre, Edinburgh Review

Reviewed by Lynsey

Fans of the smash hit BBC1 TV show will not be disappointed with this year’s Strictly Come Dancing- The Professionals Tour. Directed by Strictly’s very own Creative Director Jason Gilkison, the stage production brought all the glamour we see on TV to the stage.

I took my five year old daughter who is a huge fan of the much loved dance contest. I wasn’t sure how she would get on watching it life on stage. But I had nothing to worry about – she loved every minute of it!

They dancers are called “the Pro’s” for very good reason. They were all just magnificent. The line-up consisted of 9 of the show’s favourites; Dianne Buswell; Nadiya Bychkova; Graziano Di Prima; Karen Hauer; Katya Jones; Neil Jones; Gorka Marquez; Luba Mushtuk and Kai Widdrington. Cameron Lombard was supposed to be there but unfortunately didn’t make it so a choreographer from the show stepped in and was fab.

The energy on stage was electrifying. The Professionals presence was breath-taking. And Graziano’s hips are beyond crazy. The choreography was so original and was paired perfectly with the fantastic song choices which the band performed so well. You felt every ball kick and held your breath through the some of the really emotional routines all while singing along to some classics.

The stage setting was exactly as you would expect – glitzy and glamourous. You felt that you had just walked into a giant glitter ball. And the outfits deserve a show of their own. They were just stunning. An outfit change for each song. And with a little personal twist they brought the routines alive with colour and sparkle.

As an ex-dancer I was swept up in the dancing as was my little dancing queen but for those of you that enjoy the stories, stumbles and personalities of the armature celebrities of the TV show will I think still enjoy the production. With all the same amount of sparkle, attitude and energy the stage production really puts on a great night’s entertainment.

The Festival Theatre was the perfect venue for the show. It is a modern very spacious theatre with a few bars to choose from which provides a nice space to socialise before and during the interval of the show. Being in the city centre it also has an array of bars and restaurants around it for pre and post show drinks and food. It is easily accessible by public transport and is surrounded by on street parking however spaces close by can at times be difficult to find but you should definitely find one within a 5 minute walk.

We had a superb night watching award winning world class dancers perform this spectacular dance extravaganza. In the words of Craig Revel Horwood it was just fabulous darling. Ticket prices start from £35.50 which I think is a small price to pay for a great night out. I would definitely recommend to friends and family of all ages even those that don’t watch the TV show.

Rating: Giving the entire evening a very glitzy 5 out of 5 stars

To book tickets at this theatre, please visit Edinburgh Theatre Tickets & Listings – Capital Theatres