Theatre Review: Save The Last Dance For Me - New Wimbledon Theatre ✭✭✭✭✭
Save The Last Dance For Me
New Wimbledon Theatre
Review by Philippa Stubbs
The moment the band strikes up, audience
members begin humming along to the catchy hits of the early sixties. With
timeless classics such as Teenager In
Love and Please Mr Postman, there
are at least one or two songs that everyone knows and the great amplification
of both vocalists and musicians ensure that every morsel of music and dialogue can
be relished.
The programme gives an interesting insight into
the song writing partnership, Leiber and Stoller, whose famous hits are the
musical inspiration for this production, whilst a short report on the holiday
fashions of The Sixties put the show’s plot into context.
Set at a holiday camp in Lowestoft, sisters
Jennifer and Marie are taking a break from their parents and with a lively base
of US servicemen nearby, a holiday romance or two is definitely not off the
cards!
Hats off to the performers. Not only was the
stage filled with incredible singers and dancers but some of these were
extremely talented instrumentalists who provided the swinging sounds of The
Sixties live on stage. There were also some lovely acapella arrangements of Sweets For My Sweet and Hushabye that were truly spectacular.
The smitten seventeen year old Marie is played
by Elizabeth Carter. She owns a cracking
set of lungs, belting out ballads such as I
Count The Tears whilst all the time reminding us that she is still only a
teenager who’s fallen in love for the first time. Her sweetheart Curtis (Kieran McGinn) is the perfect partner
with his dashing looks, charm and a voice that will make you melt.
It is difficult to give Save The Last Dance For Me any less than five stars, as with superb
principals, ensemble, choreography, sound and nostalgia, everyone will leave
with a smile on their face.
4 – 9 Mar: New Wimbledon Theatre
11 – 16 Mar: Assembly Hall Tunbridge Wells
18 – 23 Mar: Llandudno Venue Cymru
25 – 30 Mar: Mayflower Theatre Southampton
2 – 6 Apr: Grand Opera House York
8 – 13 Apr: Grand Theatre Leeds
15 – 20 Apr: Southport Theatre Southport
22 – 27 Apr: Regent Theatre Stoke
29 Apr – 4 May: Malvern Theatre Malvern
7 – 11 May: New Theatre Cardiff
20 – 25 May: Marlowe Theatre Canterbury
28 May – 1 Jun: Princess Theatre Torquay
3 June – 8 Jun: The Hawth Crawley
10 – 15 Jun: Wyvern Theatre Swindon
22 – 27 Jul: New Theatre Oxford
20 – 25 May: Marlowe Theatre Canterbury
28 May – 1 Jun: Princess Theatre Torquay
3 June – 8 Jun: The Hawth Crawley
10 – 15 Jun: Wyvern Theatre Swindon
22 – 27 Jul: New Theatre Oxford
