Strictly Tap Dance Fever, The Mayflower (From Daily Echo)

Strictly Tap Dance Fever, The Mayflower

8:28am Tuesday 13th July 2010 in

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IT WAS undoubtedly the kind of show that made you want to stomp your feet and make a great deal of noise.

I knew that from my own tendency to dance in my seat and tap my toes even before I saw the most unlikely people sashaying their way out of The Mayflower last night.

The ensemble numbers in this show in particular were rousing affairs, but Strictly Tap Dance Fever failed to deliver on its promise to bring the audience a step-by- step guide to the history of tap dancing – its rise and fall and rise again.

We were given a peek at the styles and costumes of vaudeville, Broadway revues, Hollywood musicals, right through to rock ’n’ roll, but the show felt dragged out at just under two hours long.

The dancers, particularly the two male leads, were undoubtedly impressive, but there were too many mistakes, too many wardrobe malfunctions and too many attempts at audience participation and hilarity.

I enjoyed the solo drumming sequence and the boys against girls street dance element of the production, but the moment when four members of the audience were invited to make exhibitionists of themselves on stage descended into farce.

I have seen the man considered the best tap dancer of his generation in action at The Mayflower in recent years and I’m afraid this did not nearly live up to the piano top toe tapping of Tim Flavin.

In a brilliant dance season that has brought us the incredible Riverdance and Strictly Come Dancing The Professionals, it just didn’t live up to expectations.

Lorelei Reddin • Strictly Tap Dance Fever runs until Saturday. Box office: 023 8071 1811.