John Travolta’s Tony Manero is one of cinema’s great lords of the dance, sinuous and sexy as hell. While his machismo and pride are matched by his grace and suppleness on the floor, he can be a real jerk off it, misogynistic and casually cruel. He’s both a suave ladies man and a kind of awkward novice, possibly virginal under all the fidgety braggadocio. It’s a performance for the ages, and extremely hard to imitate. Without Travolta, Saturday Night Fever is almost unthinkable.
Any stage adaptation has to grapple with this absence, even if you can find a performer with the charisma and physical skill to fill the role. This production of the jukebox musical – which debuted in 1998 on the West End featuring Australia’s Adam Garcia, and draws heavily from the film’s phenomenal soundtrack album by the Bee Gees – stars relative newcomer Ethan Churchill.
