You know the film,
Strictly Ballroom.
Scott, a young dancer, bored by the convention and rigourous boundaries of
competitive dancing, longs to break free and dance his own steps at the
championships. When he dances with beginner Fran, he finds a kindred spirit,
and together (with the help of her Spanish family) they take on the dance
federation and win their way into the hearts of everyone. You loved the film,
you and countless millions the world over. You’re familiar, too, with Baz
Luhrmann’s ‘red curtain’ aesthetic that pervades his first three films and
which, for better or worse, continues to define his career. Now, thirty years
after beginning life as a half-hour student production at NIDA, Strictly Ballroom the Musical explodes onto Sydney’s Lyric
Theatre stage with as much colour, light, glitter and glamour as anything else
Luhrmann has devised.
Produced here in
partnership with Global Creatures
– the Melbourne-based company responsible for the King Kong musical, the How
To Train Your Dragon Arena Spectacular, and the Australian tour of War Horse
– Baz Luhrmann and his usual collaborators have brought us a musical which
wears its price-tag on its ruffled sleeve, figure-hugging sequined costumes and
elaborate sets. Yet, while the film had heart by the bucketload, something is
lost in translation here, as the story completes its circular journey from
theatre to film and back again.
