Based on Paramount Pictures' movie of the same name, Flashdance the Musical brings infectious dance to the Broadway stage. Celebrating its thirtieth anniversary, the film turned out to be a huge hit and grossed more than a hundred and fifty million dollars in revenue. The stage adaptation is also expected to fare well as it promises wholesome entertainments for theater lovers.
Production History
Adapted from the 1983 iconic movie of the same name, Flashdance the Musical made its theatrical debut at the Theater Royal Plymouth in July 2008. In May 2009, the production toured United Kingdom and later made a sixteen week stopover at the Shaftesbury Theater in the West End. With music by Robbie Roth and lyrics by Robert Cary and Robbie Roth, the 2010 London production was directed by Nikolai Foster and choreographed by Arlene Phillips.
The Plot
The plot of Flashdance the Musical is centered around Alex Owens, a young welder of a steel mill who wants to attend the prestigious Pittsburgh Conservatory of Dance and Repertory and desires to become a professional dancer. By receiving financial support from her boss Nick Hurley and moral support from her mother Hanna Long, Alex pursues her passion of becoming a ballet dancer.
The Flashdance tickets open a gateway to this inspiring musical which highlights the struggles and hardships people have to face in order to give shape to their dreams. However, the show is not suitable for all ages because it contains strong language, nudity and adult material.
The Music
The musical features hit songs from the movie including Flashdance – What a Feeling, Gloria, Manhunt, Maniac and I Love Rock & Roll. The song, Flashdance – What a Feeling topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart and reached a platinum status in 1983. In 1984, the hit single received an Academy Award for Best Original Song and a Golden Globe Award in the same category. Besides the five original movie songs, Robbie Roth and Robert Cary have also written sixteen new songs for the stage production.
With a flawless performance of the song, I Love Rock and Roll, Haley Hannah leaves the audience with a smile on their face and a desire for more. The energetic performances of Kelly Fethous also get the eyes of audience fixed on the stage. The musical is a mix of both happy and sad moments but it will get you cheering and dancing at the end.
Creative Team
In collaboration with the Paramount Pictures, the Broadway musical is produced by the joint efforts of Steven Baruch, Marc Routh, Terri and Timothy Childs, Tom Viertel, Richard Frankel, Transamerica and the executive producer, Tom Hedley. The producers have used innovative ways of storytelling through unique dance sequences that will draw you closer to the story. Chicago's Cadillac Palace production features Jillian Mueller as Alex, Matthew Hydzik as Nick, Jo Ann Cunningham as Hannah, Kelly Felthous as Gloria, Dequina Moore as Kiki, Matthew Henerson as Harry, David R. Gordon as Jimmy and Christian Whelan as C.C.
The Experience
Flashdance the Musical mesmerizes the audience with its breakthrough dancing techniques. Often, it happens that if you have already watched the movie, the stage version does not appeal to you. But this did not happen to Flashdance as movie fans did not return disappointed when they saw the stage adaptation. The musical captures the essence of the story in an incredible manner and that hooks the audience completely. Especially, after its world premiere in London, the directors and choreographers have revamped the rags-to-riches musical by adding fine orchestral elements to it. So you cannot afford to miss this production any more.