Flashdance the Musical - Glasgow

Reviewed By: Cameron Lowe

You can get a feel for the cultural impact of a movie by the number of times it is copied, mimicked or lampooned in other media. With its iconic dance sequences, gritty characters and dark humour, Flashdance ticks all of the cult boxes … try typing Flashdance into "youtube" to see what I mean! So a musical version of the movie might seem almost inevitable … but a successful conversion from celluloid to live theatre is far from certain. Thankfully, the producers of Flashdance the Musical have not let us down.

At its heart, Flashdance is a story about achieving acceptance and respect. By day, Alex (Victoria Hamilton-Barritt) is a female welder in "Steel Town" Pittsburgh working hard to be respected in the male dominated culture. By night she is an exotic dancer in a ‘respectable’ joint. She has aspirations to train at a dance conservatory but fears prejudice against her background. Nick (Noel Sullivan) is the nephew of her daytime boss. He is immediately attracted to Alex but she has a rule about "dating the man who signs her pay cheques". This unlikely love affair is set against a gritty backdrop of mass unemployment, drug abuse and mobsters.

The musical avoids wallowing in its 80s roots by using down to earth costume and street language. Arlene Phillips’s choreography adds real character to the piece with dazzling break dances contrasting beautifully with ballet sequences and a stunning nightmare scene. Even the slick scene changes were augmented with a dance accompaniment. Original songs from Robbie Roth and Robert Cary added character depth and were cleverly interwoven with original movie hits like "Maniac", "Manhunt", "Gloria" and "Flashdance - What A Feeling". The sound was suitably rocky and loud but sometimes felt ‘detached’ from the onstage players.

Onstage performances were superb throughout. Noel Sullivan not only hit the high notes but proved his diverse acting ability as this straight romantic lead role contrasted impressively with his 2005 comedic tour of "Love Shack". Vocals from Ruthie Stephens (Gloria) and Bernie Nolan (Hannah Owens) were equally impressive and Bruno Langley’s (Jimmy) dramatic performance matched his admirable tenor voice. The show was deservedly headlined, though, by leading lady Victoria Hamilton-Barritt who took her combined skills in acting, singing and dance to new heights.

© UK Theatre Network, 19/8/08

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