Having never been to the Aldwych Theatre before, I was surprised by small it was, but also by the gorgeous decor, which Rachael described as "posh". We had got seats near the back of the stalls, which were the only seats I could find for the date I wanted, but the view was generally quite good due to the size of the theatre. However, I was disappointed that I had no warning of the overhang of the dress circle partially obscuring our view. Luckily it only prevented us from seeing one very short section of the show, luckily nothing too essential. The theatre also does not provide booster seats for children like other theatres do, so Rachael had to move seats to be able to see properly, but luckily for us the seats next to us were not filled! If we ever return to this theatre, I will probably book for the dress circle instead.
The show itself was fantastic. The movie translates extremely well to the stage. The musical numbers are expanded due to the fact the original movie only has five songs, so the selection of other songs were taken from the back catalogue of Irving Berlin, specifically music that fits with the 1930's. Each choice fitted well within the show and added to the already fantastic musical score. The sets and costumes were fantastic, even causing me to gasp at points by just what an amazing job they have done to bring the essence of the 1930's to the stage! It was bright and colourful, elegant and stylish!
The cast were absolutely phenomenal, performing brilliantly choreographed complicated dances, particularly the tap numbers. Gavin Lee, who played the lead character, Jerry Travers, was fantastic and they could not have chosen a better person to play a character made famous the legendary Fred Astaire. Kristen Beth Williams played the lead female, Dale Tramont and was fabulous! She looked stunning in every outfit she wore, most specifically a replica of the famous "Cheek to Cheek" dress. I am not surprised she was chosen to take over the role from Summer Strallen, just looking at her past theatre credits was enough to convince me before the show that she would be amazing.
After the show, we headed straight for the stage door. Turned out we were the only people waiting to meet the cast! We met Kristen, Gavin and also Russell-Leighton Dixon (Alberto Beddini). Russell surprised me when he came out as it turns out that while he plays an Italian, he is actually a Kiwi! His change in accent completely threw me as did Kristen with her natural hair colour, she really looks great as a blonde, despite be a natural brunette!
Sadly, the show is closing this October, so if you can GO SEE IT!
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