Post by stevej678 on Jun 28, 2016 14:35:48 GMT
I saw the UK tour of Save the Last Dance for Me at the Palace Theatre in Manchester yesterday evening and wanted to share a few thoughts.
This is a show which premiered in 2012, quickly embarked on a second tour in 2013 and which is now travelling the length and breadth of the country once again. Set in the summer of 1963, the show follows two teenage girls as they embark on their first summer holiday without their parents, heading for the rain lashed sands of Lowestoft. Lovely! With a US Airforce base near their caravan, it's not long before the girls have a chance encounter with an airman and are invited to a dance at the base. A romantic comedy, set to a soundtrack of Pomus and Shuman hits, ensues from there.
With the same writers and creative team as Dreamboats and Petticoats, the premise of the show is familiar. I wouldn't claim to be a huge fan of jukebox musicals but somehow the Dreamboats franchise seems to be an exception to that rule. I caught the Dreamboats and Miniskirts tour last year, much preferring it to its hugely successful predecessor. Save the Last Dance for Me follows a different set of characters but many of the faces on stage are familiar, with two thirds of the Miniskirts cast hitting the road with this latest Bill Kenwright tour.
Playing the lead role of Marie is Elizabeth Carter. Dreamboats and Miniskirts followed Elizabeth's character Laura's rise to chart success and, as Elizabeth performs stunning renditions of songs such as Suspicion and This Magic Moment, it's hard not to feel that another 'star being born' moment is unfolding before your eyes. Elizabeth has the sweetness and innocence of Marie falling in love for the first time down to a T but it's her vocals where she shines even brighter. Simply sensational.
Former X Factor contestant Lola Saunders makes an impressive acting debut as Marie's sister Jennifer, showcasing powerhouse vocals, while Antony Costa brings great comic timing to the role of wide-boy Milton, his understated and smooth tones fitting the songs well. Among the rest of the cast, I enjoyed seeing Alan Howell move from record label boss in Dreamboats and Miniskirts to comical ice cream seller Carlos in this production. A very likeable performance. Wayne Robinson had the appropriate charisma and a strong soulful voice as Curtis, the object of Marie's affections, while Hannah Nicholas brought sass and charm aplenty to proceedings as Catherine. A scene featuring Hannah Nicholas, Anna Campkin and Antony Costa, as the latter discovers the difference between girls from Leeds and other parts of the UK (Didsbury, in this instance, in a nod to the Manchester audience) got the biggest laughs of the evening from the enthusiastic and responsive audience.
A show like Save the Last Dance for Me is always going to be primarily about the music and here the young cast and on-stage band deliver that with real verve, energy and style. Featuring hits such as Viva Las Vegas, Way Down Yonder in New Orleans, Then He Kissed Me, A Teenager in Love and Please Mr Postman, there's also standout a-capella arrangements of Sweets for My Sweet and Hushabye in which the entire cast showcase magical harmonies. The camaraderie on stage is tangible. There's plenty of impressively choreographed big dance numbers and while the story is predictably light and insubstantial, it does provide plenty of laughs, with enough gentle innuendo to make Mel and Sue proud.
Anyone familiar with the Dreamboats shows will have an idea what's in store watching Save the Last Dance for Me. The fairground images in the background of publicity material make it clear the aim is to emulate that winning formula. The happy ending can be seen coming a mile off but that's not really the point. The audience will arrive hoping to see a nostalgic feel-good show, packed with classic songs. Save the Last Dance for Me delivers that by the bucket load while also featuring fantastic dance routines, lots of humour and terrific, entertaining performances from a vibrant, outstanding company. The end result is two and a half hours of pure escapism which captures the magic of the early Sixties quite exquisitely. If there's such a thing as the perfect jukebox musical, perhaps this it.
This is a show which premiered in 2012, quickly embarked on a second tour in 2013 and which is now travelling the length and breadth of the country once again. Set in the summer of 1963, the show follows two teenage girls as they embark on their first summer holiday without their parents, heading for the rain lashed sands of Lowestoft. Lovely! With a US Airforce base near their caravan, it's not long before the girls have a chance encounter with an airman and are invited to a dance at the base. A romantic comedy, set to a soundtrack of Pomus and Shuman hits, ensues from there.
With the same writers and creative team as Dreamboats and Petticoats, the premise of the show is familiar. I wouldn't claim to be a huge fan of jukebox musicals but somehow the Dreamboats franchise seems to be an exception to that rule. I caught the Dreamboats and Miniskirts tour last year, much preferring it to its hugely successful predecessor. Save the Last Dance for Me follows a different set of characters but many of the faces on stage are familiar, with two thirds of the Miniskirts cast hitting the road with this latest Bill Kenwright tour.
Playing the lead role of Marie is Elizabeth Carter. Dreamboats and Miniskirts followed Elizabeth's character Laura's rise to chart success and, as Elizabeth performs stunning renditions of songs such as Suspicion and This Magic Moment, it's hard not to feel that another 'star being born' moment is unfolding before your eyes. Elizabeth has the sweetness and innocence of Marie falling in love for the first time down to a T but it's her vocals where she shines even brighter. Simply sensational.
Former X Factor contestant Lola Saunders makes an impressive acting debut as Marie's sister Jennifer, showcasing powerhouse vocals, while Antony Costa brings great comic timing to the role of wide-boy Milton, his understated and smooth tones fitting the songs well. Among the rest of the cast, I enjoyed seeing Alan Howell move from record label boss in Dreamboats and Miniskirts to comical ice cream seller Carlos in this production. A very likeable performance. Wayne Robinson had the appropriate charisma and a strong soulful voice as Curtis, the object of Marie's affections, while Hannah Nicholas brought sass and charm aplenty to proceedings as Catherine. A scene featuring Hannah Nicholas, Anna Campkin and Antony Costa, as the latter discovers the difference between girls from Leeds and other parts of the UK (Didsbury, in this instance, in a nod to the Manchester audience) got the biggest laughs of the evening from the enthusiastic and responsive audience.
A show like Save the Last Dance for Me is always going to be primarily about the music and here the young cast and on-stage band deliver that with real verve, energy and style. Featuring hits such as Viva Las Vegas, Way Down Yonder in New Orleans, Then He Kissed Me, A Teenager in Love and Please Mr Postman, there's also standout a-capella arrangements of Sweets for My Sweet and Hushabye in which the entire cast showcase magical harmonies. The camaraderie on stage is tangible. There's plenty of impressively choreographed big dance numbers and while the story is predictably light and insubstantial, it does provide plenty of laughs, with enough gentle innuendo to make Mel and Sue proud.
Anyone familiar with the Dreamboats shows will have an idea what's in store watching Save the Last Dance for Me. The fairground images in the background of publicity material make it clear the aim is to emulate that winning formula. The happy ending can be seen coming a mile off but that's not really the point. The audience will arrive hoping to see a nostalgic feel-good show, packed with classic songs. Save the Last Dance for Me delivers that by the bucket load while also featuring fantastic dance routines, lots of humour and terrific, entertaining performances from a vibrant, outstanding company. The end result is two and a half hours of pure escapism which captures the magic of the early Sixties quite exquisitely. If there's such a thing as the perfect jukebox musical, perhaps this it.