![](https://www.sardinesmagazine.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Olivia-Fines-Stephanie-and-Richard-Winsor-Tony-Saturday-Night-Fever-UK-Tour-2019-Photos-by-Paul-Coltas-3945-1.jpg)
Show: Saturday Night Fever
Society: London (professional shows)
Venue: Peacock Theatre (Sadler's Wells) Portugal Street, London WC2A 2HT
Credits: Stage adaptation is by Robert Stigwood in collaboration with Bill Oakes. Featuring the music of the Bee Gees. Produced and directed by Bill Kenwright
Type: Sardines
Author: Samantha Cartwright
Performance Date: 16/02/2022
Saturday Night Fever
Samantha Cartwright | 17 Feb 2022 23:58pm
Image: Olivia Fines (Stephanie) and Richard Winsor (Tony), Saturday Night Fever – UK Tour 2019 – Photo: Paul Coltas
A musical based on the iconic film from the 1970s, Saturday Night Fever. We are invited to follow the journey of Tony Mareno an aspiring dancer who is feeling stuck in a rut working in a hardware store and living with his parents. The only outlet he has is going to the local disco once a week with his friends, this is where he can work on his passions, dancing and women.
Whilst at first glance this production appears fun, sexy and exciting, big group dance numbers displaying huge glitter balls dazzle us, it very quickly becomes dark as we discover not every part of this lifestyle is as shiny as first perceived. There is an undercurrent of deep emotional subplots, abusive parents, abortion and suicide to name but a few.
Parts of the dialogue are dated, as of course they would be as its set in the 1970s but it somehow feels wrong and maybe just not needed in a musical in 2022, women being asked to choose between being a bitch or a nice girl is one example. The misogyny runs strong throughout, as it does in the film version and whilst I respect the need to stay true to the original it feels uncomfortable. In one scene a group of men sexually assault a visibly vulnerable woman and within a few seconds the same characters are strutting their stuff on the dance floor and we are all cheering them on. I feel conflicted, I want to join in the fun but I’m not quite recovered from the emotion of the previous scene.
Bill Deamer provides the choreography and with a show that has some sort of dancing in every scene this wouldn’t have been a simple task. The big production numbers which include nearly every cast member are a delight to see, a huge mirror is lowered at the rear of the dance floor creating a window to the back view of the stage, this is a stroke of genius, not only does it give the illusion of double the amount of cast but it allows a view not normally available. I do enjoy the routines and dance along in my chair with the rest of the audience but I will say sometimes it seems almost too polished; the raw passion from the film is missing. Everything is just so. I would normally applaud everything being so well rehearsed and it’s clear the dancers are extremely talented, but a little bit more natural passion and energy is needed for this setting.
The staging is imaginative and allows the scenes to change effortlessly. The lighting design (Nick Richings) is stunning especially during the disco; the atmosphere created by these effects permit us to feel very much included in the performance
The real stars of the night for me are the singers who imitate the Bee Gees – Ake Byrom, James Hudson and Oliver Thomson. They are situated on a platform very high up at the back of the stage alongside the band. Their vocal talents are being used in every single song; most numbers are solely them. To say they are brilliant is an understatement.
Saturday Night Fever is a classic and if you like the film, you will love the musical.