2 April 2013, London Palladium
Makes you really appreciate and respect the hard life of artists. Auditioning relentlessly, putting themselves on the line…
It was a fun show. One and I Hope I Get It were two of the songs I first learnt full dances to, so when they performed these two songs, I sat there with a great big silly grin on my face. Great memories.
What I really liked about the show were the formations. I loved how the choreography made use of the large group of dancers to weave in and out of each other in cannon style and to create interesting movement. The lighting was great too. I particularly liked the section where each dancer had their own red/yellow/blue light box and performed within it.
However, there was something that just wasn’t quite right about this show. A couple of my friends didn’t realize it was set in the 80s, so maybe they should’ve played up that? The costumes, way of talking, references and choreography were definitely dated. I understand it’s a classic (and actually directed by original co-choreographer Bob Avian) but I wish they updated it (esp the choreography) to make it relevant.
The dancing wasn’t very consistent either… the men were generally quite good but some of the women looked awkward at times and had poor extensions and unfinished movements – but not all the time though. It was a bit odd. Were they playing the part of an auditionee who was only ‘good enough’ for a chorus? It looked like they weren’t able to fully embrace the steps. Couldn’t tell if they hired them based on their acting or singing instead? Have to give credit to the singing though – some of the songs definitely weren’t easy to sing.
Great energy though! My takeaway – choreograph so your dancers look good, and when possible/suitable, relevance to the audience helps. Also, a bathroom break would’ve been good too! Sure, there wasn’t a natural break in the storyline for an interval and it would’ve interrupted the flow, but the audience got a bit restless after two hours!
Eat Your Art Out 