This 2014 musical adaptation by Baz Luhrmann and Craig Pearce of Luhrmann’s much-loved 1992 filmStrictly Ballroom, has moments of absolute pleasure and delight however sadly simply as a lot of bum-numbing boredom.
It’s the story of maverick ballroom pioneer Scott Hastings (Kevin Clifton). Confined by the foundations of dancing federation tyrant Barry Fife (Gary Davis), all Scott needs is the liberty to bop his personal steps. Within the face of a lot opposition, Scott finds Fran (Faye Brooks) a neophyte dancer to fulfil his desires, however the highway to freedom is a rocky one.
Any faults with the manufacturing are the guide and music. The solid are top-notch, managing to take care of the important ranges of power all through, there’s not a weak hyperlink amongst them. They put on the faux tan and dodgy wigs with aplomb. The accents all through are a good stab at Aussie, Clifton’s is especially spectacular. The feminine ensemble’s dance abilities are on-point and Clifton, a trophy-winning alumnus ofStrictly Come Dancing, is after all excellent. Excellent too is Jose Agudo as Fran’s dad Rico, his Flamenco routine is an absolute show-stopper, one which brings the home down.
It’s the over-long first act with its largely forgettable tunes and the place the filler outweighs the implausible, that makes for a little bit of a bum-numbing bore. This musical has been largely re-worked over its a number of iterations. The primary largely comprising well-known and much-love hits has been changed with a number of acquainted hits (Cindy Lauper’sTime After Time and John Paul Younger’s Love is within the Air – now synonymous with the unique film) however the remainder is padded out with principally forgettable tunes from the likes of Sia, David Foster and Eddie Good. They add little to shifting the story alongside and the lyrics are sometimes misplaced. This can be a common drawback with the dialogue as an entire typically drowned by background music. That stated, the stay band are marvellous.
There’s a implausible solid and a few eye-popping visuals to feast your eyes on, however it was by no means going to face as much as the basic film (it’s loads to stay as much as). Regardless of its faults,Strictly Ballroom is an entertaining piece of fluff that gives a much-needed diversion in these uninteresting days. Effectively price catching.
Runs till 10 June 2023 | Picture: Contributed
