PREPARE to bask in the glow of one of the world’s biggest disco balls.
Strictly Ballroom the Musical is coming to Melbourne and will open at Her Majesty’s Theatre in January.
The glitzy stage version of Baz Luhrmann’s feel-good film will transfer from Sydney’s Lyric Theatre, where the world premiere in April evoked an instant standing ovation.
The date for Melbourne’s opening night is yet to be confirmed, but it will likely be mid-January before the show runs for a limited season.
Producer Carmen Pavlovic, of Global Creatures, said she hoped the show would follow the well-worn musical path of a national tour and then a stint in Asia.
Opening night of “Strictly Ballroom the Musical” in Sydney. Picture: James Morgan Source: Supplied
“There’s no doubt audiences are loving the show. It feels like a rock concert most nights I go in,” Pavlovic said. “I think the comment we’re most hearing is that it makes you feel good and just really puts a smile on your face.”
The stage show unites Strictly Ballroom’s original creative team, with Luhrmann as director and his Academy Award-winning wife Catherine Martin the creative brains behind the dazzling sets and costumes.
Two previously little-known performers, Thomas Lacey and Phoebe Panaretos, lead of cast of 43 which includes Bob Baines, Drew Forsythe, Natalie Gamsu and Robert Grubb.
The musical’s Sydney opening received mixed reviews from critics, some of whom praised the visual spectacle but were less impressed with the show’s emotional engagement.
Pavlovic — whose company also brought us King Kong and How to Train Your Dragon: Live Spectacular — said Strictly Ballroom got off to a solid start.
“I thought the reviews overall were good. They were mixed in some ways; some of that’s fair, some of it we’re working on as we go along,” she said.
“But that’s all part and parcel of creating a new show. It’s a very dynamic process. You have to remember that we’re creating new work here, unlike a lot of shows that come from the West End or Broadway, have been mounted several times and have all their kinks ironed out.”
Strictly Ballroom combines Broadway dazzle and kitch Aussie fun to tell the inspiring story of a champion dancer who breaks the rules to follow his heart.
There is no doubting the show’s eye-popping design, which extends to bright, sparkly covers on all the chairs in the theatre.
“The idea of Catherine’s design is that it really draws the audience into the performance and that ethos will be carried over into Melbourne,” Pavlovic said.
“Something the show does very well is invite the audience in and permit them to really feel part of it. I think that invitation is extended to audiences from the minute they step into the auditorium, right through to the end of show when the last people to take a bow at the end of the night are the audience.”
Tickets for the Melbourne season will go on sale on July 21 from Ticketek.
Source: http://www.heraldsun.com.au/entertainment/arts/strictly-ballroom-the-musical-to-blitz-melbourne/story-fni0fcgk-1226955888143
Coming to Melbourne for Strictly Ballroom the Musical?
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