Olivia Fines and Richard Windsor in Saturday Night Fever
(Picture: Paul Coltas )If it’s escapist fun you’re after, this high-energy, unchallenging musical adaptation of the 1977 disco movie that made John Travolta a star is just the thing. As Tony Manero, the Italian-American youth determined to shimmy his way out of dead-end Brooklyn, Richard Windsor is a powerhouse of hip-thrusting, hand-jiving motion, and he’s matched by a graceful Olivia Fines as his haughty partner Stephanie. We’ve all become more dance-savvy thanks to Strictly, and the hoofing here is top notch.
Like Dirty Dancing over at the Dominion, this is a stage version of a trusted cinematic commodity, brought in from a regional tour – the vestigial set is a giveaway - presumably in the hopes it will be a safe commercial bet. Unlike Dirty Dancing, Saturday Night Fever has a banging soundtrack and lashings of 70s moves, rather than one tune and a bicep-challenging aeroplane lift.
