Review | Strictly Ballroom The Musical at The Kings Theatre, Southsea: 'Earns a deserved standing ovation'

Strictly Ballroom the musical has graced the Kings Theatre, Southsea, with its presence as it begins it’s tour around the country over the next few months.

The show, which has been directed and choreographed by Craig Revel Horwood, is a musical adaptation of Baz Luhrmann’s 1992 film, which explores a love story that blossoms from two dancer’s need to break free, artistically, from the pressures of ballroom.

Scott Hastings, played by Strictly’s Kevin Clifton, struggles with the confinements of the sparkly world of ballroom, when he comes across Fran, played by Maisie Smith, who depicts the tale of the ugly duckling who blossoms into a swan.

Not one step missed a beat and, although there was a slight mishap in the first few minutes when the lighting and music took slightly longer to start, leaving the room in silence, Kevin remained flawless as he opened the first scene.

Maisie’s vocals were fantastic as she held the audience captivated with a number of solos as her character seamlessly transitioned from the underdog to the star of the show.

The entire show, from the costumes, to the music, to the acting and singing fit perfectly together to form an impressive musical which saw everyone leave feeling joyous.

The paso doble section was phenomenal, as Rico, played by Jose Agudo, stole the show with a cleverly choreographed routine that stunned the audience from start to finish.

The atmosphere in the theatre was overwhelming as the audience gave the actors a deserved standing ovation as the show came to an end.