Impressive cast bring a huge amount of energy and skill to a very outdated script, resulting in a glitzy production that glosses over some dark situations.
Coming straight from the West End, Bill Kenwright’s production of Saturday Night Fever sets off on tour this September and we caught it at the Oxford Playhouse. Saturday Night Fever follows the story of Tony Manero, as he embarks on a reckless yet thrilling road to dancing success set to the Bee Gees hits.
Jack Wilcox leads the cast in the role of Tony Manero joined by Rebekah Bryant as his
dance partner (Stephanie) accompanied by the onstage presence of the Bee Gees, played by Drew Ferry, Oliver Thomson and AJ Jenks.
From the moment the curtain rose in Act 1 the energy was high, the lighting dazzling and the music loud. The cast, from main characters to ensemble, brought a level of enthusiasm throughout the production that kept the audience engaged and in the disco mood throughout (most of) the production. Harry Goodson-Bevan (Bobby C) and Billie Hardy (Annette) stood out with their slightly more developed character stories and solos. I was, however, very disappointed that the music was slightly too loud and drowned out their voices – Goodson-Bevan, in particular, was fighting hard against the backing music whilst Hardy was hard to hear throughout.
The set and lighting were extremely professional and versatile at conjuring different locations and states quickly and effectively. Of particular note was the lighting strip around the stage, that transformed the set into different locations, whether by the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge or in an American diner. Also the use of the disco balls to envelop the audience in disco sparkles in particular songs was a particularly immersive touch.
The choreography by Bill Deamer was slick and non-stop – the cast gave it their all and the audience was often bopping along in their seats to the music. However, that brings us back to the music. The Bee Gees on stage were incredibly talented and the songs are undeniable hits, however Saturday Night Fever does come across as a musical written to be a tribute. Each song requires the full cast to dance to the full length of the song and it often felt like the script was shoehorned around the songs, rather than the songs complementing character development or the story being told. This is a common issue with musicals focusing on providing a tribute to popular songs and one of the downfalls of this type of plot focus.
The actual musical script was incredibly sexist – I understand it was based in the 70s, written in 1990’s and is indicative of the times, but some of the jokes felt a step too far in modern times. In the interval I had felt able to look over this – instead choosing to focus on the feel-good factor of the music, the disco moves and the talented cast. However, after Act 2, I was left with a really sour taste in my mouth. I was appalled that there were no trigger warnings for some fairly graphic depictions of suicide and rape/sexual assault. The direction of these incidents could also have been slightly more sensitive without requiring an alteration to the script – prolonging the time Tony consoles the woman who’s been assaulted, or even leaving his jacket with her as a comfort device. Instead as it is, the rape/sexual assault in particular are quickly glossed over and moved on from in the production to focus on Tony’s rushed anticlimactic character development as he moves away from the toxic environment to be close to a woman he’s arguably harassed in a few scenes prior.
Throughout Act 2, there were several odd decisions made, by both direction and choreography, that prevented me from engaging with the characters, and arguably the characters from demonstrating any real emotional depth. As you may have guessed, Act 2 left me sorely wanting and was a true disappointment following the first Act’s lightness and gaiety. Thankfully there was a slight uplift in energy when the ending scenes were a full rendition of some of the rather impressive choreography against a mash-up of the more well-known Bee Gees songs. I would like to end however, with noting that the audience, generally individuals who could remember the disco era and the film, seemed to love the show and perhaps didn’t have the same reservations me and my companion did. It was undeniably a smooth production but there were several scratches that could do with a good polish before I’d see it again.
Saturday Night Fever’s tour continues with Regent Theatre in Stoke-on-Trent, The Playhouse in Edinburgh, The Alhambra in Bradford, Princess Theatre in Torquay and The Alexandra in Birmingham.