This energetic production is worth seeing for the dance routines, says Alice Cairns...
OUR VERDICT
White suit, jaunty legs, finger-pointing proudly to the sky – Saturday Night Fever is back! This stage adaptation of the classic 1977 film promises to plunge us back into the heady world of disco, complete with flares, retro bangers and glitter balls galore.
Our hero is Tony Manero, an angry young man with a consuming passion for disco. He spends his days working a dead-end job, and his evenings enduring passive-aggressive dinners with his dysfunctional family. But Tony’s living a double life. Come Saturday night, he dons his glad rags and heads to a trendy local club where disco reigns. On the dance-floor, Tony’s a king, batting away besotted beauties and strutting with his crew.
When Tony hears about a local dance competition, he instantly determines to win. But it soon becomes clear that the competition will cost Tony dearly: his devotion to his disco craft will lead him to neglect his friends, alienate his family and spurn a devoted girlfriend. Soon Tony’s chasing not only the thrill of the glitter ball but also the love of the beautiful, talented and enigmatic Stephanie.
I’ll hold my hands up: I’ve never seen Saturday Night Fever in film form. To my virgin eyes, the story appeared pretty bizarre, full of drastic tonal leaps between upbeat disco routines and gritty urban gang warfare. In one scene, Tony would be breaking it down to Night Fever – in the next, he’d bear witness to a rape and a suicide. Then, he’d process his feelings through an (admittedly balletic) disco routine. No offence to any devotees of this movie classic, but it all seemed a little peculiar to me.
But the plot isn’t everything, and this production certainly looks stunning. The costumes are gorgeous, the sets are colourful, and the stage glitters with the light of a hundred disco balls. The live music is also top-notch, with disco classics sung by an eerily accurate Bee Gees tribute band in matching golden suits. Most importantly of all, though, the stage is packed with a crew of absolutely brilliant dancers. The routines they perform are wonderfully slick and energetic, teetering the joyous disco line between cool and absurd.
The acting, however, is somewhat less consistent. There are a few dubious accents and throwaway lines, which mean that the darker emotional currents of the play get lost. Richard Winsor as Tony has a certain leonine presence and top tier dance moves, but his performance was occasionally patchy. On the other hand, Olivia Fines as Stephanie was the definition of a triple threat – dancing, acting and singing with commendable poise. She made a wonderfully elegant and enigmatic foil to the brutish Tony.
It may not be perfect, but it’s great fun – besides, it’s pretty much impossible to be bored while the Bee Gees blare from the stage and this talented cast strut their stuff.
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