Dancing in the Streets
It takes a strong central thrust of theatricality from Emcee Courtney Buchanan to ensure that Flying Music’s Motown tribute night goes with the pizzazz that it deserves. It might be corny to the point of creakiness as he opens the show in stagehand mode, broom in hand, mooching out from between the curtain - but it is that very element of the old-school which gives the whole evening the feel-good sense of being there that it needs.
A scene from Dancing in the Streets, currently on tour
Much of the first half is taken up by absolutely correct recreations of performances from the early 1965 UK tour of the Tamla Motown Revue. The difficulty is that while this was perfect pop for the tranny, these were also the sort of performance that doesn’t allow audience interaction. As a consequence, it sounds sterile to 21st century ears, if not the feet.
It is not until Landi Oshinowo, as Martha Reeves, takes the stage that you get any sense of these performers making the songs their own. Indeed, Asya O’Flaherty’s performances as Diana Ross just highlight how exposed a singer’s own shortcomings can be when they mimic another person’s version of a song.
This is but a quibble, however, in what is on the whole a highly polished production. The band, led by MD John Rutledge and with Andy Hunter prominent on sax, is exactly the Funk Brothers powerhouse the music needs. And as the hits move forward to the late sixties and early seventies, the whole tenor of the show gets warmer.
Production information
- Management:
- Paul Walden and Derek Nicol for Flying Music
- Cast:
- Sharn Adela, Courtney Buchanan, Ryan Chandler, Robert Grose, Divine Harrison, Adrian Hansel, Paul Hazel, Siam Hurlock, Chris Murrell, Ray Shell, Mark Vincent, Amanda Posner, Alana Maria, AJ Lewis, Earl Perkins
- Director:
- Keith Strachan
- Design:
- Sean Cavanagh
- Sound:
- Ben Harrison
- Lighting:
- Ben Cracknell
- Costumes:
- Tony Priestley
- Choreography:
- Carole Todd
- Run time:
- 2hr 45mins
Production information can change over the run of the show.
Run sheet
- Wyvern Swindon
- April 15 2005
- Hall for Cornwall Truro
- April 16 2005
- Corn Exchange Cambridge
- April 20 2005
- Hexagon Reading
- April 21 2005
- Grand Blackpool
- April 24 2005
- Ashcroft Croydon
- April 28-30 2005
- Royal Concert Hall Glasgow
- May 3- 5 2005
- Usher Hall Edinburgh
- May 6 2005
- Caird Hall Dundee
- May 7 2005
- Music Hall Aberdeen
- May 8 2005
- Orchard Dartford
- May 10-14 2005
- Hippodrome Bristol
- May 15 2005
- Opera House Manchester
- May 17-21 2005
- Embassy Skegness
- May 22 2005
- New Oxford
- May 24 2005
- Civic Darlington
- May 25 2005
- Alban Arena St Albans
- May 26 2005
- Venue Cymru Llandudno
- May 27 2005
- De Montfort Hall Leicester
- May 28 2005
- Grand Wolverhampton
- May 29 2005
- Hippodrome Birmingham
- May 31-June 4 2005
- Victoria Halifax
- June 5 2005
- Opera House Newcastle-upon-Tyne
- June 7-11 2005
- Opera House Buxton
- June 12 2005
- New Hull
- June 14-18 2005
- Swan High Wycombe
- June 19 2005
- Mayflower Southampton
- June 21-25 2005
- Theatre Royal Norwich
- June 26 2005
- Cambridge London
- July 19 2005-April 22 2006
- Aldwych London
- April 27-July 22 2006
- Playhouse London
- August 1 2006-July 14 2007
- Wales Millennium Centre, Main Room Cardiff
- August 27-September 1 2007
- Congress Eastbourne
- September 3- 5 2007
- Opera House Buxton
- September 6- 8 2007
- Music Hall Aberdeen
- September 9 2007
- Playhouse Edinburgh
- September 11-13 2007
- Auditorium Grimsby
- September 14 2007
- De Montfort Hall Leicester
- September 15 2007
- Alexandra Birmingham
- September 17-22 2007
- Journal Tyne Newcastle-upon-Tyne
- September 24-29 2007
- Royal Concert Hall Glasgow
- October 1- 2 2007
- Wyvern Swindon
- October 3 2007
- Playhouse Weston Super Mare
- October 4 2007
- Pavilion Plymouth
- October 5 2007
- Alban Arena St Albans
- October 6- 7 2007
- City Hall Salisbury
- October 9 2007
- Hawth Crawley
- October 10-11 2007
- Anvil Basingstoke
- October 12-13 2007
- Belgrade Coventry
- October 15-20 2007
- Orchard Dartford
- October 22-27 2007
- Derngate, Royal & Derngate Northampton
- October 29 2007
- Broadway Peterborough
- October 30 2007
- Southport Theatre Southport
- October 31 2007
- Victoria Halifax
- November 1 2007
- Caird Hall Dundee
- November 2 2007
- Grand Opera House York
- November 3 2007
- Victoria Hall Stoke-On-Trent
- November 4 2007
- Hexagon Reading
- November 6 2007
- Princess Torquay
- November 7 2007
- Leas Cliff Hall Folkestone
- November 8 2007
- New Oxford
- November 9-10 2007
- Opera House Manchester
- November 12-17 2007
- Civic Darlington
- February 4- 9
- Hippodrome Bristol
- February 12-16
- Empire Sunderland
- March 4- 8
- Churchill Bromley
- March 10-15
- Royal Concert Hall Nottingham
- March 24-26
- Corn Exchange Cambridge
- March 28
- Mayflower Southampton
- March 31-April 5
- Richmond Theatre Richmond-upon-Thames
- April 14-19
- Grand Blackpool
- April 21-26
- Milton Keynes Theatre Milton Keynes
- May 8-10
- Grand Theatre and Opera House Leeds
- May 26-31
- Lyceum Sheffield
- June 2
- New Victoria Woking
- June 9-14
- Theatre Royal Bath
- June 23-28
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