Based on the Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers classic film,
Top Hot tap dances its way to Woking on the latest stop of a UK tour. Recent
Olivier award recipients for choreography (amongst others) expectations were
high.
The farcical story follows the blossoming romance between Broadway
star Jerry Travers and the gorgeous Dale Tramont and the chaos of mistaken
identity that sees the story hop from the US, London and Italy.
This was a show were the movement was central to it and this
certainly didn’t disappoint. The ensemble worked tirelessly throughout,
performing with impeccable timing and enviable energy. A full throttle opening tap
number contrasted with slower, more intimate numbers ensured this long
production kept a good pace.
Lead performers Alan Burkitt (Jerry) and Charlotte Gooch
(Dale) were excellent throughout showing off an impressive array of dance
moves, strong vocals and perfect comic timing. John Conroy got plenty of laughs
as long-suffering servant Bates while Madge played by Rebecca Thornhill brought
some much needed grit and strength to the characters.
The production values were typically lavish and sumptuous as
you’d expect for a theatrical remake of a Hollywood classic but the lack of
tangible plot made this production feel overwhelmingly flat. By the end of Act
1 the audience were not really sure what was worth coming back for as there was
no drama or cliff-hanger to care about.
Characters such as Alberto were neither comedic nor nasty enough to be
an audience favourite or villain and because of this his “marriage” to Dale was
a bolt of the blue and completely unbelievable.
While performed by a talented dancer and singer, the
character of Jerry Travers was more irritating than likeable. This meant you
couldn’t root for the lead and had no real relationship or plot to invest in.
Simply, you didn’t care if Jerry and Dale got together or not.
Numbers such as “Cheek to Cheek” and “Let’s Face The Music
and Dance” aside were forgettable and similar in sound, again leaving the
overall production flat and insipid. It was a shame to waste the talent of this
large cast on a dated and boring show which never really gets going and
certainly never dazzles.
Review by Andy Edmeads
Rating: ★★★
