Dance show brings nostalgia for films of the past
Posted by Mark Smith on Tuesday, November 15, 2016
Following last year’s Broadway to the Bay, David Mahoney and the Novello Orchestra this
year stage two nights of concerts at the Wales Millennium Centre. The first is The Golden Age of Dance which was also
staged at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in London on Sunday night. Choreographed
and starring Alan Burkitt, the singer-dancer who made a name for himself as the
lead in the tour of Top Hat, and who
is currently starring in the Welsh National Opera production of Kiss Me Kate, the show brings together
the song-and-dance routines from iconic films but gives them a slightly new twist.
The routines featured in The Golden Age of Dance include the Hollywood movie magic of Top Hat, Singin’ in the Rain and Easter Parade, performed by an array of West End dancers. The choice of Strictly Come Dancing ‘favourite’ Russell Grant to host the evening is somewhat at odds with the rest of the evening, but Grant is an informed presenter and takes his role seriously, although occasionally takes a small role in some of the routines while doffing his hat to his Strictly days.
The best routines feature the experienced dancers Lucy Jane Adcock and Darren Bennett. Adcock starred in the recent revival of A Chorus Line at the London Palladium and always brings a touch of real showbiz professionalism to her performances. Adcock shines in a cat-and-mouse routine opposite Darren Bennett who seems to have been in show business for ever and has been a dancer in so many great shows. Here he reprises a routine I first saw him do many years ago in The Hot Shoe Shuffle, ‘Song & Dance Man’. Bennett is always a watchable dancer who gives his all.
Alan Burkitt also shines in his routines and is reunited briefly in a glamorous routine with Charlotte Gooch who partnered him in Top Hat. The other dancers include Marrianne Benedict, Matthew Croke and Flora Dawson – each gets a moment in the spotlight. The best moments in tonight’s show featured both song and dance – the solo numbers (‘Someone to watch over me’, ‘The man that got away) have less dance and aren’t quite as good a fit in a dance evening. However, some of the dance routines could have done with a bit more pizzazz and one always gets the feeling with these one-off events that more rehearsal time would have benefited a company who are drawn from musicals across the country. But The Golden Age of Dance was a fairly good evening’s entertainment and gave the audience a sense of nostalgia for the original films.
The routines featured in The Golden Age of Dance include the Hollywood movie magic of Top Hat, Singin’ in the Rain and Easter Parade, performed by an array of West End dancers. The choice of Strictly Come Dancing ‘favourite’ Russell Grant to host the evening is somewhat at odds with the rest of the evening, but Grant is an informed presenter and takes his role seriously, although occasionally takes a small role in some of the routines while doffing his hat to his Strictly days.
The best routines feature the experienced dancers Lucy Jane Adcock and Darren Bennett. Adcock starred in the recent revival of A Chorus Line at the London Palladium and always brings a touch of real showbiz professionalism to her performances. Adcock shines in a cat-and-mouse routine opposite Darren Bennett who seems to have been in show business for ever and has been a dancer in so many great shows. Here he reprises a routine I first saw him do many years ago in The Hot Shoe Shuffle, ‘Song & Dance Man’. Bennett is always a watchable dancer who gives his all.
Alan Burkitt also shines in his routines and is reunited briefly in a glamorous routine with Charlotte Gooch who partnered him in Top Hat. The other dancers include Marrianne Benedict, Matthew Croke and Flora Dawson – each gets a moment in the spotlight. The best moments in tonight’s show featured both song and dance – the solo numbers (‘Someone to watch over me’, ‘The man that got away) have less dance and aren’t quite as good a fit in a dance evening. However, some of the dance routines could have done with a bit more pizzazz and one always gets the feeling with these one-off events that more rehearsal time would have benefited a company who are drawn from musicals across the country. But The Golden Age of Dance was a fairly good evening’s entertainment and gave the audience a sense of nostalgia for the original films.
