Strictly Ballroom

The “Buzz” saying for 2014 was “It is what it is”, and it might have been coined for Strictly Ballroom – the Musical. So  - what exactly is it?

For me, it’s a glittering pot-pourri of kitsch campery, an overdose of sequins, amateurishly bad jokes, awful quasi ballroom dancing and choreography by John O’Connell (why oh why did they not get Jason Gilkinson…? - it’s an insult to Ballroom dancing), GREAT flamenco, mostly average and often anachronistic music (Eddie Perfect’s ‘Dance to Win’ being the only genuine  show number – and Cyndi Lauper’s ‘Time After Time’ is very nicely integrated), an interesting set, some good lighting and performances ranging from very average to superb, with a barely serviceable script.

There have been many changes since the Sydney season – including a 20 minute cut in the first act (which needs far more trimming) and a new opening number by the talented Eddie Perfect. I am told this version is far better and adds pace. Perhaps - but, as Dame Edna says…. “Colour and Movement possums.” I’m also reminded of the fabulous “Razzle Dazzle ‘Em”  lyrics from Chicago.

But let’s be honest - It’s a massive piss-take that lacks the charm and novelty value of the movie and might be best seen in a theatre restaurant where the drinks could flow freely, so close does it come to a panto or a drag show at times. Having said all that, the first act finale …  the Flamenco scene set to the music of Carmen and featuring the astonishing talents (triple threat) of Fernando Mira as Rico, Fran’s Father (he owns the stage), plus a terrific performance from Natalie Gamsu (Abuela) and some great guitar playing and singing …is absoloutely stunning theatre. And yes, by the end of the second act we had mostly overcome the mutterings under our breath and were caught up in pure, if pretentious, entertainment. We were indeed dancing in the aisles at the finale…but that had more to do with the infectious ‘Love is In The Air’ than the show.

Phoebe Panaretos is terrific, a real find with a great voice shown to most advantage in the lovely ‘Beautiful Surprise’ and she’s endearing throughout. Unfortunately her charisma swamps the very average Tom Lacey as Scott Hastings. He simply doesn’t have enough edge, charisma or chops for the role and – though clearly classically trained –  it was embarrassing when he actually stumbled out of a triple pirouette after mistiming it. Robert Grubb, Drew Forsythe and Heather Mitchell are all impressive; but although Rohan Browne has great style and certainly commands attention, he does take the drunk act too far OTT in a show that already suffers from a surfeit of the same. The young kids were truly memorable, and our triple threat dancers are all excellent in their roles, but the fact remains their centre of gravity and hip movement is totally wrong for Ballroom and it needed a ballroom choreographer to shift it and make them look worthy of even an amateur Dance Sport competition… that was the beauty of the film…it was credible. (Has Baz never seen So You Think You Can Dance?)

So, like all pot-pourris – this is a mixture of the refreshingly fragrant essences, some familiar scents and some unpalatable odours. The sumptuous programme - a great souvenir if you need one - is suitably over the top in keeping with the show and it serves a double purpose. You can throw a Strictly Ballroom party and have a quiz to guess how many times in all Mr Luhrmann’s name appears in the programme. It Is What It Is.

Coral Drouyn

Photographer: Jeff Busby