Last week, the brilliant musical phenomenon, Strictly Ballroom: The Musical came to the Hall for Cornwall as part of its national tour. I had had my eye on the event, but was lucky enough to receive tickets as a Christmas present and went along with my family to watch. We were blown away by the performance. Here’s my full review of the show.

Storyline

Directed by Craig Revel Horwood – renowned dancer, choreographer, and TV personality – this musical production was destined to be fab-u-lous! With fantastic choreography, bright costumes and some cheeky humour thrown in too, Strictly Ballroom definitely hit the mark.

The musical production is based on Baz Luhrmann’s award-winning film, Strictly Ballroom: The Musical. We follow the story of talented but arrogant dancer, Scott Hastings who is shamed by the Australian Dance Federation for creating his own steps and changing the style of ballroom dancing. The show follows his struggle to convince the Federation and his family that innovation in dance is a sign of passion, and therefore something to be celebrated.

The story is beautifully crafted and expertly told through singing, acting and of course, brilliant dancing. I felt that the musical numbers were well-integrated within the plot and the whole production flowed seamlessly.

Dancing

Of course, the dancing was the highlight. From Viennese Waltz to Rumba, the cast showcased a range of Ballroom and Latin styles with grace and flair. The choreography throughout was skillfully put together and exquisitely performed by the dancers. Every move was intricate, yet looked effortless, which is a truly impressive skill to have. Their passion was obvious and to watch the dancers move with such grace and joy really brought authenticity to the performance. This truly added another layer of enjoyment as an audience member.

My favourite scene showcased the Paso Doble, a fierce and passionate dance. In this scene, the sole focus was on the dancing – with singing, bright costumes and jokes all stripped back. It was so beautifully put together and really showed off the dancers’ talent.

Casting

The lead roles – in the performance I saw – were played by Kevin Clifton and Maisie Smith. You may recognise Kevin as a professional dancer who has starred on the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing for the last 10 years. After years of watching Strictly on TV, it was exhilarating to see such an incredible dancer perform in person. Maisie, a young British actress, appeared on Strictly Come Dancing in 2020 where she reached the Final with dance partner Gorka Marques. She clearly has a natural talent for dance – her movements and musicality are simply beautiful to witness. Maisie and Kevin had great on-stage chemistry and it was difficult (at least for the untrained eye) to tell that they’re not equally trained. That she can dance so well whilst being relatively new to the craft is very impressive.

Music

With hit songs that had the audience clapping along, as well as emotive originals, the music really pulled everything together. The whole ensemble had lovely voices, but what really impressed me was the way that they broke into song during, or following, an energetic dance number!

Performed by a live band, the music added a depth of emotion to the show which was very special. Members of the band appeared on stage, integrated within the ensemble during specific scenes which I thought was a great touch. They were also all brought out to the audiences’ wild and deserving applause at the end of the show.

Costumes

The range of costumes worn by the cast were all stunning. Bright, sparkly and elegant, they really caught your eye. I think costumes are so significant in theatre as they’re a great way of showing character differentiations, as well as character development throughout the storyline. This was certainly the case in Strictly Ballroom, too.

The Hall for Cornwall

I was impressed with the Hall for Cornwall as a venue. The theatre has recently been renovated and, I have to say, it’s made a big difference. The theatre is now much more modern, but the biggest plus has to be the seating, which is comfortable and spacious, with decent leg room. There’s nothing worse than having your knees cramping up at the theatre because your legs are squished against the chair in front of you!

There were several bars with refreshments which looked well-stocked if a little pricey (mind you, everything’s pricey these days!). They seemed very popular, with long queues forming before the show started. If you want to grab a drink, make sure you allow time to queue for it!

We didn’t have any drinks, but we did have an ice-cream in the interval. It’s got to be done when you’re at the theatre!

Final thoughts

Engaging, funny and very entertaining, this is a high-quality production that will make you want to get up on the stage and dance. Heart—warming and feelgood, I highly recommend this show to any dance or musical theatre lovers.

For those interested, Strictly Ballroom: The Musical is continuing to tour the UK, with confirmed show dates until July 2023. The company is hinting, though, that more dates may be announced soon. You can find more information on their tour website.

To see what’s on at the Hall for Cornwall, visit their website.

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Enjoyed this post? Check out my review of the Miss Saigon & Ghost theatre productions.