Flashdance

Review by: Paul Towers, 26 March 2018

Flashdance the Musical by Tom Hedley & Robert Cary with music and lyrics by Robbie Roth & Robert Cary

A Selladoor production

DeMontfort Hall 26 – 31 March 2018

“Joanne Clifton, a phenomenal dancer”

The original film starring Jennifer Beals (with Marine Jahan doing some of the dancing while a male dancer called Crazy Legs did the iconic audition sequence) was an unqualified disaster according to critics at the time of release (1983). However over the years it has gained a cult following, especially for late night date night cinema showings.

While the stage musical follows the film fairly accurately there is no need for any body doubles or stunt performers. Some aspects of the story have had to be skipped but there was a quite relevant addition of drug taking added in. The show includes all the music numbers from the film along with a whole load of extra songs designed to move the story along.

Based on a true story, this is a tale of a lowly female steel worker who dreamed of being a dancer and applied to a dance college to learn.

As Alex, Joanne Clifton, ex of Strictly, the show has a phenomenal dancer with a great voice and who can actually act. As Nick Hurley, her rich lover, Ben Adams, previously of boyband A1, sings up a storm. The amazing ensemble dancers/singer/actors dance their socks off in a multitude of costumes while swinging the mobile sections of the vast set around as needed. As this show is set in the 80’s, the decade that taste forgot, the cast are kitted out in lots of lycra, leg warmers and layered shorts. Did we really go out in public in stuff like that? I am afraid some of us did.

The live band means that pauses can be left for well deserved applause.

Flashdance continues at DeMontfort Hall all this week and then continues touring. Full details on www.flashdanceuktour.co.uk. Some tickets are still available on https://goo.gl/DjM4Dy