‘Strictly Ballroom’ has always had a strong connection to the stage, starting as a self-devised performance piece by Baz Luhrmann and his cohort at NIDA, soon becoming an expanded critically acclaimed play that had international success which led the way for the famous first movie of the red curtain trilogy in 1992. With such classic music such as “Love is in the Air’, ‘Time after Time’ and ‘Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps’ it was only a matter of time before it made the jump back to stage as a Musical.
And it’s easy to see why Baz Luhrmann was keen to bring it back. The glitz, the glamour! It all translates to the stage so well, and the Aussie accent just elevates the humour to that next level. Hills Musical Theatre Company have taken on a mammoth task bringing this classic to stage and like all their productions they have done it with heart, integrity and most importantly love.
For a show called ‘Strictly Ballroom’ there are a few things that are a must that any self-respecting production should have. The first being, of course, the choreography.
Choreographer Darcy Bennett has done an amazing job creating visually fantastic moments that cater to all the different levels of dance ability in the cast. There were some incredible dancers in the cast and particular highlights was the ongoing evolution of Fran and Scott’s dance. It was clear to see the time and effort that he put into their journey.
And then he pulled out his wow cards, Darcy also took to the stage as Nathan Starkey and had a jaw-dropping exhibition dance with Millie Walters who played Tina Sparkle.
Other must have’s for a good production of ‘Strictly Ballroom’ is the music. Co-Musical Director’s Emma Rose and Gemma Rolph have whipped their cast into shape. While not potentially the most vocally challenging show, it does depend on good vocal health due to the multiple long dance breaks in the middle of songs and the need to sing after them. The harmonies from the cast were on point and the band never missed a beat. Kudos to the both of them.
Director Gloria Dodds has assembled a strong cast with a mix of comedic actors, singers and dancers. But assembling a cast is not just enough. Under her direction she has allowed them all to become more than just words on a page. I do also have to applaud the clever staging of having the split stage system to delineate between competition dance and the rest of the story. It is however a shame that they weren’t able to have in a slight raise on the competition floor as I imagine sightlines at the back might have been an issue.
That being said the stage design done by her and Duncan Dodds was particularly effective with the need to change between multiple locations quickly, and a big hats off to the talented stage crew led by Stage Manager Leon Rose, that did the changes quickly and effectively.
The next important part of producing ‘Strictly Ballroom’ is the cast. All these characters are so bombastic and large, and they really depend on a wide range of skills to portray.
Leading the cast is Joseph Nalty as Scott Hastings and Gemma Pottie as Fran. Nalty had the exasperation of a creative that wants more but is held back against his will. He held himself well and danced beautifully, and just to watch his relationship develop with Fran was well worth the price of admission.
Pottie as Fran was a wonder to watch on stage. She has an incredible voice and her rendition of ‘Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps’ was beautiful as she wondered whether she was being played by Scott.
The entirety of the cast was extremely strong but I do want to mention a few particular standouts. Jake Nelson as JJ Silvers was the perfect epitome of the charming host. Coming out with some hilarious one-liners while still remaining professional and demure
Alex Pottie as Shirley Hastings perfectly embodied Dance Mum Trope. While her love and protectiveness for her son Scott was evident it was clear she was using him to reach her past dreams of glory, and she was just so damn funny about it.
It would be remiss of me to not mention Tyler Thorovsky as Luke and Olivia Keli as Kylie. The energy they had on stage was infectious and their duet of ‘Let’s Dance’ was so fun to watch. Keep your eyes on these kids.
The last person I would like to mention is Kerrilee Gaskin as Liz Holt, Scott’s jaded ex dance partner. Every time she came on stage she commanded the stage, whether it was her weariness at James Walters drunk Ken railings or her rage at being shafter by Scott. And her gravity defying hair was something else.
Every member of this show should feel incredibly proud of what they’ve created, everywhere you looked each actor/actress had created these comically large characters that just raised the stakes to extremes.
And talking about extreme, you can’t talk about ‘Strictly Ballroom’ without mentioning the costumes. Costume co-ordinator Sally Brown with a long list of special thanks have gorgeously put together that transform the stage into a blur of colour, sequins and most importantly sparkle. Trying to find just ballroom costume is a nightmare, to have to do it for an entire cast is next level.
I do also need to quickly mention the lighting design done by Victor Mrowka from Latarka. The lights looked stunning on the set and really helped elevate the costumes and the dances to that next level.
As I said there’s a lot that needs to go into putting on a good production of ‘Strictly Ballroom’ and Hills Musical Theatre Company certainly had their work cut out for them taking on such a mammoth task. But like all their productions, it’s easy to see the community love that oozes from the production and they were able to put on a show that was full of colour, sequins and bedazzled fun. So, book a ticket, and strap in for a wonderful night that is ‘Strictly Ballroom’.
That is fantatsic to hear about the right up made proud to be in the show.