Review: Get your groove on in Boogie Nights

The Seventies may have been the decade that good taste in fashion forgot but banging disco hits made it top of the pops.
Boogie Nights, presented by Southey Musical Theatre CompanyBoogie Nights, presented by Southey Musical Theatre Company
Boogie Nights, presented by Southey Musical Theatre Company

I’m biased, of course, as this was the soundtrack of my teenage years - as memorable as Jackie magazine, the Ford Capri car and the Pearl and Dean music which heralded adverts at the cinema.

Jukebox musical Boogie Nights is a blast of Seventies chart hits, dance moves, glittery dresses and wet-look boots woven into a timeless story of young love soured by temptation.

This week’s production by Southey Musical Theatre Company’ is as sparkling as the glitter ball which transforms Sheffield’s Montgomery Theatre into disco heaven.

The singing is sublime, the dancing is slick, the costumes are eye-catching and the gleeful audience lap it up.

Joshua Holliday and Jessica Curr head the cast as Roddy and Debs, the former a confident ladies’ man who dreams of being a rock star, the latter mouthy but vulnerable and looking for long-term love and security. Both make their characters utterly believable and shine in songs such as Play That Funky Music and I Will Survive.

Matthew Bevan brings the house down as Roddy’s hapless mate Terry, testosterone raging but never quite getting it right on the dating front. He has a superb vocal range and pulls off the high notes of Sugar Baby Love with the skill of a professional.

Laura Whitlock, playing Debs’ best friend Trish and Terry’s love interest, gives a lovely performance and her voice is suited perfectly to the girls’ duet Yesterday Once More.

Among the show’s highlights is a belting performance of Lady Marmalade from Ria Westhead, cast as singer Lorraine who is treated harshly by her drug-dealing boyfriend Spencer, played by Ben Loy who oozes a mix of sleaze and seduction as he croons You Sexy Thing.

John Crowther gives the king of rock ‘n’ roll a run for his money as Elvis-obsessed Eamon, the golden-voiced yet slovenly, uber-critical dad of Roddy.

Boogie Nights is directed by Mark Harris, with musical direction by Anna Wright and choreography by Carla Jane Wade.

If you want a realistic slice of the Seventies or just a great night out, get your groove on and head down to the D.I.S.C.O. at the Montgomery Theatre where the glitter ball spins until Saturday, May 14.