Saturday Night Fever Milton Keynes Theatre
24th -28th February 2015

I never realised how dark a story Saturday Night Fever really was.  This stage production of the iconic Bee Gees 1977 film that starred the legendary John Travolta as Tony, is not all glitter balls and funky music unfortunately.

The dance sequences are there thanks to the talents of Choreographer Andrew Wright, this production has all the classic moves but sadly are not really executed with enough gusto at times and the songs are sung with a twist, so not very recognisable as the fabulous original Bee Gees score until the encore.

This has all of the music but it won't be what you would expect, Ryan McBryde has decided obviously against the jukebox musical option and put he's own interpretation on this classic.  

The story centres around Tony Manero (Danny Bayne) who lives for the weekends where he can showcase his dancing abilities to gain some respect that is lacking in his mind numbingly mundane job and life.

Tony, who is desperate to win a dance competition, drops his usual partner like a stone in favour of a stunning dancer called Stephanie (Naomi Slights) - however, Stephanie's long term plans don't include Tony.

The production portrays the two distinct parts to this story very well, the bright disco life that offers a fantasy refuge and a way out against the dark, bleak and hostile environment that is the reality of Tony's life.  There are so many dark moments with quite a lot of profanities flying about, it's a really gritty tale of the struggles with religion, sexuality and staying alive...

Simon Kenny's exceptionally clever set, comprising of revolving cubes that switch from graffiti strewn buildings to a dirty paint shop to a disco inferno.  It allows slick scene changes that keep pace with the musical brilliantly.  I did miss the neon lit disco, however, it is well replicated in the walls of the cubes.

Danny Bayne is a superb dancer and stands out from the rest with Bethany Linsdell (Annette) giving a fantastic vocal performance.

Don't leave before the encore or you will miss the best performances of the night.  If you do, you will miss the more "film" versions of the songs.  The encore seemed to bring the cast to life, they really seemed to enjoy it. The audience who were itching to get out of their seats throughout the show had a chance to do so, and you could see they thoroughly enjoyed it! 

You will get the grit of the story, the moves and the songs - just don't leave until the final curtain falls!

Lily B x