![](https://www.sardinesmagazine.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Photo©EllieKurttz_Strickly-Ballroom_PRO_002_Large-jpg.webp)
Show: Strictly Ballroom The Musical
Society: New Wimbledon Theatre (professional)
Venue: New Wimbledon Theatre. 93 The Broadway, London SW19 1QG
Credits: Book by Baz Luhrmann & Craig Pearce. Score and Arrangements by Elliot Wheeler. Directed and choreographed by Craig Revel Horwood. Produced by Phil McIntire Live by arrangement with Global Creatures,
Type: Sardines
Performance Date: 07/11/2022
Strictly Ballroom The Musical
Photos: Ellie Kurttz
What a fab-u-lous show, daaaahling!
Now you were just waiting for that one weren’t you!?
Throw in the names Craig Revel Horwood, Baz Luhrmann, Kevin Clifton and Maisie Smith and you quickly realise what a winning combination you’ve got. The show itself is unrecognisable from the West End run back in 2018. Then, Will Young (followed by Matt Cardle) starred as Wally Strand – a role specially written – as a kind of narrator. Young led a cast which included Zizi ‘Mary Poppins’ Strallen and Jonny Labey (EastEnders) as Fran and Scott Hastings respectively… not to mention Charlotte ‘Singin’ in the Rain’ Gooch as the mightily skilled and super-fit Tina Sparkle.
Cut to 2022 and the man who’s Australian show spawned the name of the BBC’s flagship Saturday night programme – has now had it directed by arguably the show’s grumpiest judge, starring the TV show’s ex-winner (opposite Stacey Dooley), Kevin Clifton, onstage with his winning partner for the Children in Need Strictly Come Dancing Special, Maisie Smith (who has played Tiffany Butcher in EastEnders for thirteen years)… Get your head around that, if you can!!
The reimagined tour is, not surprisingly, a sellout success and runs closely to the plot of Luhrmann’s debut movie, Strictly Ballroom. Scott Hasting’s is a highly talented amateur 80s ballroom dancer in a time when there probably were no professionals. Dancing was and still is his and his family’s life. He is even expected to scoop the top prize at the Pan Pacific Grand Prix. However, Scott doesn’t like to conform and wants to dance his own ‘illegal’ steps which would ruin his chances. His long-time partner, Liz (Agnes Pure), even walks out on their partnership because of Scott’s refusal to tow the line.
Meanwhile, beginner, Fran (Maisie Smith) sees her chance and takes it, much to the ridicule of her fellow dancers – and Scott’s overbearing mother, Shirley (Nikki ‘listen how loud I can scream’ Belsher). Why would Scott waste his big opportunity dancing with a nobody! Only his downtrodden father, Doug (Mark Sangster), seems strangely proud of his son. Shirley dances with the camp Les (Quinn Patrick) these days and what a revelation he is! This is the first time I’ve seen Patrick not performing the panto Dame arouns the festive season but he is so good. He can sing, dance, make you laugh and hold his Australian accent – unlike a few other cast members, which is exactly why the fifth star is missing.
Scott meets Fran’s Spanish family who turn out to also love dancing, especially her father, Rico (Jose Agudo), who teaches him how to really dance the Paso Doble… with passion. Agudo’s Flamenco dancing is quite superb. The rest is history (as they say) but the show is a feel-good rom-com so you can probably guess how things turn out. Dustin Conrad’s six-piece band handle the music with ease and it was nice to see them step out of the shadows to take a well-deserved bow at the curtain call. Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps plus Time After Time and Love is in the Air are all faithfully brought out and go some way to keep the screaming onlookers … well, screaming.
The only other reason the fifth star is missing (apart fom the coming and going of various accents) is down to Mark Walters’ design. The costumes are minimalist and excellent (of course) but the set looks like the inside of a pumpkin raher than the Australian surf which I am assured it is. Some of it clevely morphs into different scenes when some of the waves are pulled out to show their hidden attributes, but it is 2022. People want and expect to be wowed time after time (no pun intended).