Strictly Ballroom The Musical at the Piccadilly Theatre London Review

Reviewed by Sabrina Fancy

Baz Luhrmann’s first film, Strictly Ballroom was a raging success back in 1984. When I found out it was made into a musical, I was curious to see if it would translate well onto stage, or would be 2 left feet?

Set in Australia, Strictly Ballroom The Musical follows Scott Hastings and his struggle to establish his personal style of dance on his quest to win the pan-pacific grand prix dancing championship. Scott’s ‘new ‘steps are not strictly ballroom, and he is denounced by Australian federation head Barry Fife. After being dumped by his dance partner for his wild moves, he teams up with nerdy, awkward Fran and they train against the odds to compete in the dance championships.

There were so many things to love about this production. The ultra-talented Will Young is one of them. After seeing this production, I could see why he’s achieved worldwide fame, having belted out 40 well-known songs. He carried this production with his amazing range of vocals. The majority of the songs were from the 80’s ranging from Cyndi Lauper’s Time after time to REM and Sting and were beautifully performed.

The time barely registered as the stage was engulfed with dancing couples in bright colourful costumes, shimmering sequins and ostrich feathers. It was really a delight for the senses. The dance moves were not all strictly ballroom and there were a mix of various genres such as Flamenco. The dances are high energy and shamelessly exaggerated for the comedic value which it successfully delivered. Everything was beautifully arranged by director and choreographer Drew McOnie. I was in awe of the energy and elegance of all of the dancers.

Mixing the cut throat satirical world of over the top competitive ballroom dancing with a romance resulted in many laugh out loud moments. It was intentionally completely over the top, hyperbolic and hilarious. This show is not political, nor are there any profound messages which is exactly what I wanted – a light escape!

This production was very true to the film with a few extras thrown in and it delighted me. Yes – it’s silly, and ridiculous at times but I left the show feeling uplifted and with a smile on my face. If you’re a Will Young fan then you don’t want to miss this as sings beautifully throughout the show as well as acting as the narrator. You don’t have to be into ballroom dancing to enjoy this – just a sense of humour.

So, will I be joining ballroom dancing classes in an attempt to recreate the scenes in the movie? Probably not. But I will be re-watching the film Strictly Ballroom until I can see this production again.

Rating: 5/5

Tickets cost from £15 to £99.50 (plus £3.50 transaction fee).

Strictly Ballroom: The Musical is at the Piccadilly Theatre in London from 29 March to 20 October 2018, for more information or to book tickets visit www.thepiccadillytheatre.com or call the box office on 0844 871 7630.

Piccadilly Theatre, 16 Denman Street, London, W1D 7DY | 0844 871 7630