Come Dancing, Reviews and Previews September 21, 2008
Posted by Linda in : Musicals, come dancing, reviews , trackbackCome Dancing is a new musical by Ray Davies of the Kinks.
Come Dancing reviews
We really enjoyed our evening at Come Dancing, the new Ray Davies musical, at the Theatre Royal Stratford East on Friday. I thought the show was perfect for the theatre and for the Stratford audience. I can’t really give a fair Come Dancing review, as it was still in preview, so these are just my impressions.
The Come Dancing Set
The first thing I noticed on going into the theatre was that a few rows of seats had been replaced by tables and chairs and some people were seated at tables on the stage. There was also a bar on stage which the audience were encouraged to use during the interval.
The set is designed to give the illusion that most of the time we were actually in the Ilford Palais dance hall in the mid ’50s. Lighting changes were skillfully used to convey set changes.
I’m usually wary of this kind of thing in traditional theatres but I think it worked very well. We were in the first row of theatre seats (row D) and had a good view of the production. The tables looked like great fun and I’d be sorely tempted if I went again!
The Cast of Come Dancing
Ray Davies
Ray looked quite nervous at first, in his role as narrator but he soon settled into it. I thought he was in good voice and gave an excellent and at times very touching performance.
Gemma Salter was fantastic as Ray’s youngest sister Julie. She has a great voice and a strong stage presence. This is her first major role and I am sure it is just a glimpse of things to come. She looked frail and delicate, as the role required, but she gave the part just the edge of steel it needed. (I couldn’t help but think what a wonderful Nancy she might have made!)
I thought Alasdair Harvey’s portrayal of the fading band leader Frankie was superb but it’s not really fair to single people out as the rest of the cast were terrific too.
The Story of Come Dancing
I’m not going to spoil it by saying anything much about the plot. It is a really genuine, touching human story. Ray Davies has done his best to show us a moment of transition, the birth of the teenager, the start of rock and roll and what it meant to that post war generation. I think he’s done a good job of capturing the raw, sometimes dangerous, energy of the time as the new generation began to emerge.
The Future for the Musical of Come Dancing
I really hope that Come Dancing gets a West End transfer, or perhaps a regional tour. It was still in previews when we went so it would not be fair for anybody to write full Come Dancing reviews just yet. Still, I’m happy to give an initial thumbs up because I feel so positive about the show. The audience were on their feet clapping and dancing by the end. It was a great night out, full of excellent music, wonderful dancing, laughter and tears.
If you get the chance to see Come Dancing, even if you are not a Kinks fan, go!
There are one or two less favourable Come Dancing reviews around already but the vast majority of the audience on Friday night seemed to share my positive opinion of the production. Hopefully it will soon be everyone’s favourite new musical. We’ll be watching Come Dancing’s progress with the highest of hopes for all involved.
Other Views and reviews
- LondonTheatreGoer “I still don’t like musicals“
- Lyn Gardner, The Guardian “not theatrical rock’n'roll“
- Wharf “sure-fire hit“
- Tim Walker, The Independent
- Fiona Mountford, Evening Standard
- Londonist
- British Theatre Guide “I have rarely been more touched“
- Kate Kellaway – Observer “hackneyed”, “embarrassing“
- Financial Times “a comfy evening
- Sunday Times – “wide-eyed fun and tension”, “mostly sweet and sometimes memorable”
Open Comments
Agree or disagree with our review, have you seen Come Dancing yet or hoping to? Ray Davies fan or not, what do you think of the issues and ideas behind bringing this musical to London?
Update
The show is almost over now so will it make a transfer to the West End? Make up your own mind and thanks to our commentor Frank for this video:
Tagged: Alasdair Harvey, come dancing, come dancing reviews, gemma salter, ray davies, the kinks
I whole-heartedly agree with the impression given in Linda’s thumbnail. I saw Come Dancing on the first preview night and I was fully taken in by the experience. I too thought that Ray was nervous – but why wouldn’t he be because the story line is an almagamation of his sister’s lives, the changing popular culture of the time, his creations and himself. He had invested a great deal in this production.
The cast were solid, believable and the songs transcended the usual musical experience. They threaded and weaved their connection to the plot effortlessly and seamlessly. So much so that on reflection I do not recall the songs individually but as a vital part of the story telling.
Likewise, at the end of the performance on Sat 13th, the audience was on its feet and I had felt as though I had been on an emotional roller-coaster. A fantastic journey. Thank you, Ray.
I especially enjoyed the new song about New Town Stevenage sung completely straight by Arthur (Bradley Clarkson). It totally cracked me up! Another brilliant moment was when Frankie tried to keep on singing the same old song as everything changed around him. That reminded me of Michael Caine’s character in the film “Little Voice”.
The moment at which the old and the new are at the highest point of conflict is very intense, both dramatically and musically,
so as Allan says above, the music and songs thread into the dialogue and plot with reprises and changed context just as a proper musical demands. There may still be room for couple of new big numbers to be inserted as Come Dancing develops further but this early incarnation is entirely satisfying.
I am very proud of Ray taking his dream to the stage. I will be flying fom New Jersey in the US in to London this Wednesday JUST to see this because Ray has never let me down yet. I alwasy have believed in him and knew he could do this. I hope it is a huge success and goes to the next level and ends up in NYC on Broadway where it belongs..Can Preservation and Soap Opera be far beind, hope not they should have made it there too long ago, 80 days as well, and Spring Awakening’s writer must have been a closet KinKs fan in the 70’s and a fan of Schoolboys in Disgrace, altough I was not that impressed with that. Ray always was and alwasy will be ahead of his time. The UK should be very proud and honored that Ray is one of their own and that he is truly gods gift to theatre, music and art. God Save Ray Davies, he’s not like everybody else.
Frank Lima
Montvale,New Jersey USA
a Montvale Hillbilly boy forever
Wishing RAY & his show great success. As we long-time fans know, RAY has spent his life sharing his world with us through his music. Never merely a song (although a GREAT one) “Come Dancing” carried us back to a time and place that some may remember and others only wish they could. Fast forward 25 years, and the images we’ve carried in our hearts & minds, since the song’s release, have now come to life!
Best of all, not only does RAY (at long last) have his vision realized during each performance but he has given US the opportunity to actually step with him into his world. SHEER GENIUS!
Please support the show! May it enjoy a grateful audience each performance! And RAY, please bring COME DANCING to New York. There are many here waiting for the chance to come dancing
Enjoy the show everyone & DON’T FORGET TO DANCE!
I’m really not sure about Come Dancing in New York. I mean some of the themes will cross the Atlantic OK, like the emergence of teenage music and colour prejudice, but then in 1950s America it wasn’t just prejudice but legal segregation under an apartheid system. There are cultural references to old east end London life and people that would be hard to simply transport and what about the Stevenage song?
Well, here on Broadway, we have been able to enjoy Miss Saigon, Les Mis, Caberet, The Sound of Music, Camelot, South Pacific, My Fair Lady, The King & I, Mary Poppins and The Lion King (to name only a few). A great show transcends culture. A genius writer communicates universally. And to clarify, Jim Crow laws resulting in legal segregation were passed in southern U.S. states only. We yankees in the North were impacted by a different type of segregation (de facto) which resulted in a separation of the races by custom & tradition, but not by law & not at all different from the English experience in the 1950s.
And if COME DANCING crossed the pond & anything needing revision, RAY could accomplish that handily. I’ve no doubt!
I think with only some minor changes and adaptations ” Come Dancing ” could very easily be transported to the Broadway NYC stage here in the US and I think it has the potential to be a big hit here too. As for Stevenage, you could transpose that to Levitown, Long Island, which was sort of the same idea back in the 40’s and 50’s. I saw the show a few times when I was in London several weeks ago and it was so good I wouldn’t no where to begin to wrote a review of it. It pretty much left me speechless. There is a video blog of some actual clips from the play that I will post the link to here for those of you who have not seen it…once you see this you’ll want to see it for yourself live!
I went to see Come Dancing last night (Wednesday 24th) and I loved it! The set was great and worked perfectly with the bar and tables on the stage – having a drink at the bar was a genuinely wonderful experience and really took you back to an era that is now lost. The cast were fantastic – I have no critcisms of any of them and as for Ray – what can I say – he is pure genius and his story really pulled at the heartstrings. I really admire him for telling this very personal story and it is a fitting tribute to his obviosuly much-loved and not forgotten sister. Congratulations to all involved and bring on the West End!!!!
I saw Come Dancing on the 20th, walking into the theatre was like being part of the show the music and performers were all excellent,the talent of Ray Davies is never ending well worth the trip down from Norfolk
We saw Come Dancing last night – Saturday 27th Sept – .The casting was perfect. The singing and dancing were brilliant, and Ray Davies was a great narrator. There was a great variety in the styles of the songs which is only to be expected from Ray Davies. Gemma Salter played Julie wonderfully. The dancing before the start of both parts 1 and 2 added to the atmosphere and made you feel you were at the Palais, as did the bar on the stage which the audience was invited to use during the interval.
The show was excellent and was over far too quickly. There were happy and sad bits in the story line as well as some comedy but it was a ‘feel good’ show. The audience was dancing by the end of it.
Can critics watch too many productions? I only ask because most of those listed here seem to have seen a different ‘Come Dancing’ from me. And I’m not one of the ‘Ilford crowd and all other pals of (its former) Palais’ that Ms Kellaway of the ‘Observer’ loftily declares are the ones who’ll be dim enough (she didn’t actually say that, just insinuated it) to actually like this production.
No, ‘Come Dancing’ is tight, highly professional, extremely well-performed and, most of all, highly enjoyable. Ray Davies brings an enormous sensitivity to the musical genres of the time (late 50s, moving into the 60s) – the main theme of the first act – and to the racial tensions, which form the backdrop to the unfolding storyline of the 2nd act.
Ironically, if there is one weakness – and I say this very reservedly – it’s Ray himself, performance-wise that is. One can see why he’s there, of course. It’s his project and it tells a very personal story. He’s also the big name draw in the cast and it genuinely felt like an honour to hear that voice which once fronted one of the great British bands. At the same time, I do feel there are actors out there who will bring more to the narrator role than Ray himself does, which, at times, felt a tad patrician.
There is room, too, I would say, as some others have observed, for a sharpening of the stand-out factor, tune-wise, of at least two or three more songs, especially preceding what will hopefully be a West End transfer. But, in my eyes, this was a thoroughly fun, high-quality, as well as intimate (as the Theatre Royal is), and surpassing all expectations theatrical experience. In, fact I’d like to shake Mr Davies by the hand. No, I already did that. I was one of those lucky punters upgraded to a seat on the stage – and he shook my hand the moment he walked on.
stephenmay1@gmail.com
I agree Stephen. I think some of the critics have been very mean spirited about this production. I do sometimes wonder if they are just so jaded they can’t enjoy much anymore.
Sadly I do slightly agree about Ray. Although charming he’s not an actor and it shows. It might be hard to cast someone else in the role and still get the impact in the press but I think it’s worth trying after the transfer I am sure it deserves.
We saw it last Saturday 4th and I have never enjoyed an evening in the theatre so much. Ray made the whole thing personal in a way a ‘professional actor’ could never do. The theams of transition, prejudice and not have ambitions above your class are still powerful today. The set was wonderful and suited the Theatre Royal, the musical itself and Ray’s ‘accessibilty’ perfectly. I will not forget buying a drink on the stage, 43 years after buying my last drink in the Ilford Palais.
He`s just your regular genius next door, inne.
not really my sot of thing. i found it slow and every time ray came on i found it unnessicery and cringing but it had a great cast and i enjoyed the brecian elements.
Please do yourself a favor and check out this amazing Utube version of the Come Dancing Video Blog…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDlc4NApv1U
please check it out and post your comments there. It all makes a difference and our continuing support of Ray and this musical might be enough to move it on to the next levels, The West End, and New York City and hopefully BROADWAY !
don’t forget the Rhythm of the dance…check out the Come Dancing video below! and the more comments from us fans the better for Ray !
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDlc4NApv1U
don’t forget the rhythm of the dance…
FranK
Hi – I’ve updated the post and added Frank’s video. Watching it really made me remember what a great night it really was! I do hope good things will come out of it for all concerned. It really deserves a wider audience.
Thanks Linda…
We all agree or at least most of us do anyway that COME DANCING is absolutley a wonderful musical and deserves the opportunity to transer to The West End and I know there has been some insider speculation that plans have been talked about to bring it to NYC for a trial run which would be the last stop before and if it were to go to Broadway which I am hoping for.
As for Ray’s role as the narrator. Yes I agree Ray is not a professionally trained actor. He’s even said..I not an actor I am a performer. But it is his talent as rough around the edges misfit kind of performer that has made his career with the Kinks a legend and all fans of Ray and the kinks pride themselves on that fact and that they are not like everybody else, a line taken from a great Kinks anthem. It is also that character trait in Ray that I found most charming in his role as the narrator in Come Dancing. It was Ray the real person that he is in juxapostion wtih these wonderfully theatre trained talented actors and actresses, and in my opinion that only added to the warmth and charm of the show. I’m sure if Come Dancng moves to the west End and to NYC and Boradway somehwhere along the line the narrator role will be taken over by someone else who is a profession theatre trained actor. The show will always be amazing but I think it will lose a little of that charm that only Ray himself could give so see it now with Ray and hopefully you will get a chance to see it later without Ray when it makes it BIG. Let’s Hope. God save Ray Davies, preserving the old ways for me and for you. – Frank Lima – Montvale New Jersey
I have heard from a reilable souce that the Final Curtain that closed the last performance of Come Dancing November 8th at its limited run at the Stratford East Theatre in London MAY? rise again. Where and when I am not certain but for me it could not happen soon enough. The air at the Ilford Palais may have stunk of alcohol and cigettettes during the ballroom danicing era, but Come Dancing was a breath of fresh air to the stage and more specifically the musical loving theatre going fan. Don’t let Come Dancing End here and now, everyone deserves a chance to see this musical and be entertained and moved like few other musicals have done before. God save Come Dancing! – Frank Lima, Montvale, New Jersey
I think Jonathan Pryce would be brilliant in the Ray Davies role but doubt very much that a) He’d be asked to do it and B) That he would accept. Nevertheless i loved the show!!
Just a reminder that on December 5th the ” Whats on Stage London ” theatre awards will be handed out. These awards are voted by the fans not critics and media people so it’s important for all of us to give Ray and his great cast our support. Please vote for Come Dancing and the cast at this link below; thanks – FranK
http://www.whatsonstage.com/surveys/fillsurvey.php?sid=16