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Dancing through a golden age
Dance ‘Til Dawn
The New Alexandra Theatre
*****
FANS of BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing
adored last night’s performance of Dance ‘Til Dawn with Vincent Simone
and Flavia Cacace. And they had every reason to. A superb show peppered
with dazzling talent from all on stage made for an enjoyable evening
with a feel good factor.
Cacace and Simone are the stars of the show,
impressing the audience with unbelievable moves and even better muscles.
For two hours, their spectacular technique and intimate chemistry never
ceased to entertain.
In a story set in the Golden age of Hollywood
Dance, Cacace and Simone play the parts of A-Listers Sadie Struss and
Tony Deluca. No words are uttered from their lips throughout the whole
performance. Indeed, their portrayal of deep and passionate emotion was
so strong through dance, that dialogue was not needed. We understood
what was conveyed perfectly as we saw gorgeous Argentine Tango’s,
roaring Charlestons and other familiar dances unfold.
The night was all about the dancing and the plot
took a step back, however the gangster-style story of the 1940s was
delivered well with narrator style acting to keep the buzz alive. Teddy
Kepner was a humorous delight as Tommy Dubrowski, the man who saw
everything. He is the charming and funny go-between from stage to
audience. Within his writing, Ed Cutis made sure that tongue-and-cheek
jokes were constant from this character.
Cacace and Simone were the rightful stars of the
show but helpful elements made Dance ‘til Dawn a truly
spectacular experience. Abbie Osmon was also a delight to watch as she
played blonde bombshell Lana Clemenza. Her high-pitched American voice
and stylised performance had the audience in fits of laughter.
The dancing alone was enough to take the
audience’s breath away. However, the added angelic voice of Oliver
Darley was a wonderful background to Cacace and Simone’s numbers. As
they danced, Darley sung with a voice that is close to unforgettable.
His sweet renditions of Moon River and Ben E. King’s Stand by
Me were particularly mesmerising. Darley gave the already beautiful
choreography an extra dazzling shine.
Dance ‘Til Dawn is a great partnership
between musical theatre and superb choreography. The chorus gave an
extra razzle-dazzle element with bundles of energy. This is a show for
lovers of popular song, a taste for dance and seekers of fun. Not
forgetting of course a view of 2013’s rear of the year winners
themselves. To 14-02=15
Elizabeth Halpin
09-02-15.
An electric follow-up
****
DURING the whole of this exhilarating
show involving film stars and gangsters, Vincent Simone and Flavia
Cacace never speak a word. They let their feet do the talking, and how!
The former Strictly Come Dancing pair are
electric in the follow-up to their hugely successful Midnight Tango,
thoroughly deserving the standing ovation received from a large section
of the first night audience.
Set in 1940s Hollywood, the storyline is fairly
lightweight, littered with tongue-in-cheek humour, a murder and the
romance between starlet Sadie Strauss (Flavia) and Tony Deluca
(Vincent).
They are able to parade a whole range of their
brilliant dancing skills, even when partially hidden under two large
cardboard boxes, and later producing a stunning routine chained together
and between the bars of a jail.
And there is a particularly moving sequence with
the excellent Oliver Darley, appropriately listed in the programme as
The Voice, singing Moon River.
He is superb with several other big numbers, too.
While the dancing is almost non-stop, how do we
grasp the story? That is thanks to the amusing Teddy Kempner, playing
the chunky, cigar-smoking private investigator Tommy Dubrowski, who is
also the compere, delivery lines like ‘Since my wife left me, I’m so
miserable it’s like she’s still here’.
Lovely performance, too, from Abbie Osmon,
playing night club singer cum gangster’s moll Lana Clemenza, while the
whole cast of cops, crooks and gorgeous girls perform with breathtaking
skill to the choreography of Simone, Cacace and director Karen Bruce. To
14-02-15
Paul Marston
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