Western Morning News (Saturday)
Strictly musical to waltz onto Westcountry stages next year
Better known as a searing judge on Strictly Come Dancing, Craig Revel Horwood has turned to directing for a musical which is coming to the Westcountry in the new year
STRICTLY Ballroom The Musical steps out on its first-ever UK tour – including dates in Plymouth and Truro – and the show’s director and co-choreographer Craig Revel Horwood promises that “audiences are in for a night of laughter and comedy, with an insight into the ballroom world”.
“It’s a glimpse backstage, which is very different to the smiles when dancers are performing,” said Craig.
“Most people see this happy, smiley world of people dancing together, but when they come off stage they maybe have family issues to deal with or issues with each other.
“Strictly Ballroom lifts the curtain on all that whilst also being really funny and having such a strong central love story, plus there’s lots of glitz and glamour and beautiful costumes.”
Adapted for the stage from the 1992 film by Baz Luhrmann and Craig Pearce, the musical revolves around rebellious Australian dancer Scott Hastings, who causes a commotion with his radical moves and raises eyebrows when he opts to dance with absolute beginner Fran.
Craig feels audiences are drawn to the story because of the insight it offers into the world of ballroom dancing and how passionate the dancers are. “You’ve got all this fantastic dancing and the characters are sometimes dark and twisted, which makes for good comedy.
“It’s about two people who are at the same point in their lives when they meet and it’s almost a Romeo and Juliet-style tale of two people from different gangs, without the tragic ending, of course.
“Fran is from a very religious Spanish family whose dance tradition is flamenco and Scott is from the ballroom world. He’s trying to break out from the constrictions of that and Fran is trying to break out from her regime. They’re a young couple who want to do dance in their own way.”
Co-choreographer Jason Gilkison, who is creative director on Strictly Come Dancing, agrees: “It’s about two people coming together to achieve something incredible. They find a common denominator and a common ground, and eventually they fall in love.
“The world of competitive ballroom dancing can be quite vicious and cut-throat, which you also see in the show, but we see Scott and Fran rising above all that.”
Strictly Ballroom originated as a short stage play that Luhrmann devised with a group of classmates at Sydney’s National Institute of the Dramatic Arts in 1984. Eight years later, he made his big-screen directorial debut with a feature-length version, which went on to become one of the most successful Australian films of all time. It earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best
Picture and bagged three BAFTA awards for its costumes, production design and music score. It also inspired the phenomenally successful Strictly Come Dancing TV show, which goes out to more than 60 countries worldwide.
The first film in the director’s Red Curtain Trilogy (Romeo and Juliet and Moulin Rouge! are the others), Strictly Ballroom remained dear to Luhrmann’s heart – so much so that he and co-writer Craig Pearce eventually turned it into a dazzling stage musical which premiered at the Sydney Lyric theatre in 2014 and has since played Melbourne, Leeds, Toronto and the West End.
When he first saw the film on its release in 1992, Craig Revel Horwood felt nostalgic for his homeland. Having left Australia in 1988 to forge a career in the UK, the dancer, choreographer, actor and Strictly Come Dancing judge says: “I hadn’t really been home since leaving, and when I saw the movie it made me feel really homesick. I absolutely loved it and it’s become one of those go-to films that I watch every Christmas. It cheers me up.”
He saw the stage version, first in Sydney then later in London. “I thought ‘I’d love to get my hands on it’, so when the opportunity came up to direct it I didn’t hesitate.”
The film and show have even more resonance for Jason Gilkison. When Luhrmann was preparing to direct his first feature, he loosely based the characters of Scott and Fran on Jason and his dance partner, Peta Robey. “We were rulebreakers ourselves,” the former Australian Latin champion recalls. “Baz had lots of questions
about our attitude towards the industry, the industry’s attitude towards us, what it was like coming from dancing families.”
Jason continues: “I did loads and loads of interviews with Baz leading up to the making of the movie. It was great to see my life story inspire him as he cut his teeth in the film industry on a movie – a low-budget, little ballroom movie – that would go on to bring him great success.
“We’ve met from time to time since then and it’s fantastic seeing where his career has gone.”
Gilkison and Revel Horwood have worked together on the Strictly live tours but this is the first time they have collaborated on a fullblown musical. “It’s fantastic,” Craig says. “He’ll throw an idea on to the table and vice versa. We work harmoniously. He’s very open-minded and creative.”
Strictly Ballroom The Musical features familiar songs as Love is in the Air and Time After Time as well as new music from artists including Sia, David Foster and Eddie Perfect, with Revel Horwood saying: “You’re going to see huge dance numbers and fantastic duets, with tunes that people know and love, as well as new music written specifically for the show which is equally brilliant”
The production features a cast of more than 20 world-class performers. Gilkison says: “It was such an exciting audition process. It’s really interesting doing the show in this country. There’s this knowledge of what ballroom dancing is, so it’s important for us to do it justice.”
Strictly Ballroom The Musical is at the Theatre Royal Plymouth from January 30 to February 4, 2023, then takes to the stage at Hall for Cornwall, Truro, from
February 6-11, 2023.