Satin and sequins take centre-stage as disco returns in Christmas show

The Riverlea Theatre show is packed full of well-known tunes, fabulous outfits and disco dancing. Photo / Kerry Blakeney-Williams

Riverlea Theatre is pulling out all the stops with their annual Christmas Show, a musical adaptation of the 1977 film Saturday Night Fever. Packed full of well-known tunes, fabulous outfits and disco dancing, it’s one to get into your diary for the festive season.

There’s a huge amount of action in the show, with multiple scenes and a mix of large-scale dance numbers and smaller, more intimate scenes that progress the character.

Featuring the music of the Bee Gees as well as some well-known numbers by The Trammps and Kool & the Gang, it’s a total toe-tapper which also deals with universal themes of belonging, ambition, relationships and conflict. We see this primarily through the characters of Tony and Stephanie, but the subplots reinforce this. They represent anyone who has sought release in music and dance, or set their sights beyond their present circumstances.

As Tony Manero, Jonty Climo wields a swagger, head toss and easy patter reflecting his character’s youth and confidence. His voice is great, covering multiple songs, styles and moods, and when he hits falsetto, the audience shows its appreciation.

Deanna Young is a confident Stephanie and a beautiful dancer. Her strong voice is showcased well in her solos, and her character’s strength brings a change in the misogynistic ‘70s attitudes the boys exemplify.

Brooke Ottaway brings pathos to the role of Annette, and her sorrowful interpretation of If I Can’t Have You was skilfully done. Paris Eyeington had huge energy and focus in his role as Tony’s friend Joey, supported by Daniel Thomas as Double J, while Hamilton Kay as Bobby brought new sorrow in his solo, Tragedy.

The Club Singers (Carina Waines, Sophie-May Brown and Charlotte O’Reagan) were all excellent, and their Greek chorus-style vignettes bridged the action between scenes and were always a musical highlight.

Audiences will know many of the songs, but it was good to experience the different interpretations and hear them contextualised within the overall narrative. The band, led by Jonathan Hawthorn, are terrific.

Choreographer Emelia Jennings has had an enormous job bringing the era to life and taking her cast back to the heyday of the disco era. The cast are really polished on stage in their large mass dance scenes, and there’s a lot of action everywhere you look. There’s also fabulous costumes by Helena Jennings and her team, which are huge fun and reflect a good mix of styles from the era (and, of course, plenty of satin and sequins).

Some of the most effective scenes for me were when the set was simple and symbolic; a subway seat and a screen showing the passing of time on the subway, or a park bench under the Brooklyn Bridge. The Riverlea set team had a huge job on this show building a bridge, a paint shop and a Manhattan stoop. Club 2001 was the standout attraction, with its flashy bar and a giant wall of coloured disco lights. Full of lively action, it looked and felt like a vibrant and fun hangout.

Opening night is always the focus for any production, with rehearsals timed to build in intensity and the performers ready for the excitement of their first audience - so it’s not ideal when this is disrupted, as was the case here due to Covid. A few timing and noise issues with the ambitious larger pieces of the set coming on will soon be ironed out.

Kudos to the cast and production crew, who did a sterling job delivering a high-energy performance.

The details:

What: Saturday Night Fever, The Musical. Directed by Mike Williams

Where: Riverlea Theatre, Hamilton

When: November 30 to December 10

Tickets: www.iticket.co.nz/events/2022/nov/saturday-night-fever

● Suitable for mature audiences, not recommended for children under the age of 16.