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Post by anthony40 on Jul 8, 2022 10:24:02 GMT
Did we know that Kevin Clifton's co-star will be Maisie Smith, with co-choregraphy by Jason Gilkison? I knew. And Jason Gilkison is Australian, like Craig Revel Horwood |
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Post by TallPaul on Jul 8, 2022 10:27:39 GMT
Sharing is caring, anthony40 , or were you bound by some sort of Australian code of honour?  |
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Post by anthony40 on Jul 8, 2022 11:12:44 GMT
Craig Revel Horwood was on The One Show last week discussing it.
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Post by Figaro on Jul 8, 2022 11:22:43 GMT
Did we know that Kevin Clifton's co-star will be Maisie Smith, with co-choregraphy by Jason Gilkison? I knew. And Jason Gilkison is Australian, like Craig Revel Horwood Kevin and Masie have been doing the media rounds for a couple of weeks. |
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Post by anthony40 on Jul 8, 2022 11:25:41 GMT
According to Craig Revel Horwood, Kevin Clifton left Strictly for this production and to play the role of Scott.
"Oh my God! Tina Sparkle is not going to dance with Scott in the Pan-Pacific Championships!"
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Post by danb on Jul 8, 2022 11:39:03 GMT
I suspect it was all BBC contract related, then C19 messed it up, so poor Kevin has had to soil himself with Rock of Ages to stay solvent waiting for this to happen. (I know that the SITR producers wanted Kevin from the get go but he was only available for bits of it).
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Post by justfran on Jul 8, 2022 12:11:32 GMT
Hoping she can prove me wrong but I’m not sure Maisie is the right casting for this role.
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Post by danb on Jul 8, 2022 12:44:05 GMT
She can definitely scrape her hair back into a bun. That’s all I’ve got.
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Post by anita on Jul 9, 2022 9:03:16 GMT
Who will be "Wally"?
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Post by Being Alive on Jul 9, 2022 9:09:56 GMT
I wonder if they've taken that character out tbh and gone back a little more to the structure it had at West Yorkshire Playhouse? |
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Post by peggysue on Oct 11, 2022 11:29:24 GMT
I saw the WYP show a few years ago which I loved so was looking forward to the new tour with Kevin Clifton. Went last night to see it in Sunderland and was so disappointed. Kevin was great but there was no chemistry between him and Maisie Smith. A few of the cast tended to shout which wasn't at all necessary. None of the new songs (not from the film) were that memorable either. The show was late starting and after interval as well. No reasons were given. It might have been better if it had a different director. Not a show I could recommend and would have left at interval if Kevin Clifton wasn't in it.
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Post by justfran on Oct 11, 2022 19:32:49 GMT
Oh dear, where to start with this new production?! I knew I shouldn't have trusted something by Craig Revel Horwood after sitting through his version of Chess. I absolutely love the film, have seen it so many times I know the script. I really enjoyed the stage show in Leeds a few years ago, which had such a quality cast but this was like a very poor relative. Almost every choice in it was awful - the set is weird and reminded me of a Hobbit house, it looks like wooden arches, with a few bits that move on & off and it completely shrinks the stage. The floor space is tiny so not much room for the couples to dance around (I appreciate it is touring to various size venues but the Sunderland Empire has quite a large stage which wasn't utilised). Costumes look quite cheap. There are random parts they have made quite smutty now, for no good reason - for example, when Fran cleans the floor and then Liz walks through and slips, her dress is pulled off so she is left standing in her underwear. Why? There is unnecessary swearing (multiple uses of the F word). While the film was funny and warm, this almost seemed like a joke version of it. The only redeeming part was Kevin Clifton. He had a believable Australian accent and I was pleasantly surprised by his singing voice, he's clearly put work into wanting to be in musicals. Beautiful Surprise was a decent duet between the leads, the best of the new songs. I know he's wanted to do this show for a long time so I feel quite sorry for him at the quality of this production, he (and the fans of Strictly Ballroom) deserves better.
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Post by david on Oct 19, 2022 15:23:07 GMT
Saw this on Monday night in Liverpool as one of the last pre-COVID shows that I had booked for. With a late start due to some technical issues and Kevin Clifton absent, I really didn't get much out of this show unfortunately. This is my first CRH directed show I've seen and having read what other board members have written about this production; I cannot really disagree with any of the comments posted.
I really enjoyed the choreography, especially the ensemble numbers that utilised the large Empire stage well. Jose Agudo as Rico was excellent, and his dancing was certainly a positive of the show.
With respect to the score, with the new songs added from the existing film numbers, the duet between Scott and Fran in Act 2 "Beautiful Surprise" was the most enjoyable to listen to in what was otherwise a forgettable score.
I have no idea what the set design from Mark Walters was trying to achieve. The set didn't really look anything like a ballroom and the bits of set pushed in from the side to represent Fran's house looked cheap.
Cast-wise, we had Edwin Ray on as Scott who had at least some chemistry with Maisie Smith. Both danced and sang well. The rest of the cast were ok, though I didn't need all the shouting of the lines by some of the cast.
Overall, as a film to stage adaptation, I don't think it worked very well. The heart and soul from the film seemed to have been lost in this production.
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Post by zsazsa on Jun 10, 2023 17:31:03 GMT
I couldn’t find a thread for this.
Saw this in Glasgow this afternoon. I had seen the show during it’s west end run with Matt Cardle and, while not perfect, was enjoyable, funny and moving in some places.
This version on tour was a disappointment in comparison. It is less juke box with only Time After Time, Perhaps Perhaps Perhaps and Love Is In The Air remaining. Original songs have been added and are dismal and forgettable.
The only saving grace were the two leads Kevin Clifton and Faye Brooks who try to bring some sparkle to an otherwise dull show.
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Jun 10, 2023 18:13:23 GMT
Merged
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Post by stevej678 on Jun 30, 2023 8:11:50 GMT
Enjoyed this last night at The Lowry. It's great to see it back closer to the Leeds production than the abomination that appeared in the West End.
My first time seeing Faye Brookes on stage and she was quite the revelation. Great comic timing, I loved the awkward and goofy characterisation she brought to Fran. Her vocals and dancing were both terrific and she had great chemistry with Kevin Clifton. She certainly deserved the standing ovation received at the curtain call.
It's by no means a great musical but it is a good night of throwaway fun. The cast looked to be having a ball and that enthusiasm was infectious.
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