Baz Luhrmann’s Strictly Ballroom The Musical celebrated its opening night at London's Piccadilly Theatre April 24, marking the show's West End debut.
Based on Luhrmann’s film of the same name, the production stars Pop Idol winner Will Young as new character Wally Strand, Dance Dance Dance winner Jonny Labey as Scott Hastings, and Zizi Strallen (Mary Poppins in the West End) as Fran.
Strictly Ballroom The Musical—which features a book by Luhrmann and Craig Pearce and direction and choreography by Drew McOnie—follows the story of rogue championship ballroom dancer Scott, who defies the rules of competition to follow his heart and compete with left-footed partner Fran.
Performances kicked off March 28 and are scheduled to continue through October 20.
Read reviews for the London production below:
Evening Standard (Fiona Mountford)
The Independent (Holly Williams)
The Guardian (Michael Billington)
The Telegraph (Dominic Cavendish)
Completing the cast of Strictly Ballroom in London are Michelle Bishop as Pam Short, Ivan De Freitas as Merv, Gabriela Garcia as Vanessa Cronin, Charlotte Gooch as Tina Sparkle, Richard Grieve as Les Kendall, Gerard Horan as Barry Fife, Liam Marcellino as Wayne Burns, Stephen Matthews as Doug Hastings, Fernando Mira as Rico, Eve Polycarpou as Abuela, Lauren Stroud as Liz Holt, and Gary Watson as Ken Railings.
The cast also includes Chris Bennett, Chrissy Brooke, Hannah Fairclough, Selina Hamilton, Christopher D Hunt, Luke Jackson, Justin-Lee Jones, Robin Kent, Jacob Maynard, Leanne Pinder, Tinovimbanashe Sibanda, and Dale White.
The production features music from the film, including “Love is in the Air,” “Perhaps Perhaps Perhaps,” and “Time After Time,” as well as songs from a host of internationally acclaimed artists. The production originated in Australia, where it was created by Luhrmann and Catherine Martin.
Strictly Ballroom The Musical is produced by Global Creatures.
