Flashdance – The Musical
21st April 2016
The Civic, Auckland, New Zealand
Review and photography by Doug Peters.
Adapted from the movie of the same name, Flashdance (The Musical) has hit Auckland for a limited season at The Civic. With an all American cast, I was expecting great things. I was lucky enough to be there on opening night and the first thing that struck me was just how amazing the use of light was. Cory Pattak and Christopher Ash (Lighting Designer and Scenic / Projection Design respectively) have absolutely done a superlative job with the set. While it is quite basic – just one large false wall with a few sets of doors in it – it is transformed by a mixture of projections and lighting and movable platforms to create the different scenes required.
While all of the actors involved in the show were great, the lead roles of Alex and Nick (played by Julia Macchio and Ryan Neal Green respectively) were inspired choices. There seemed to be a chemistry between them that made their pairing believable, especially more so as the show continued on. I also must also make special mention to Tanisha Moore (as Kiki), her solo towards the end of act one was jaw-droppingly good – she was a perfect casting choice, and I would love to see her in more of a lead role sometime in the future.
Admittedly there were a few brief moments where there technical difficulties (mainly the sound mixing) that weren’t in line with the shows generally high standards, but these could be put down to opening show glitches. Overall Flashdance – The Musical was a brilliant night of entertainment, and judging by the people around me who were up and out of their seats on more than one occasion, clapping along and cheering at key moments – is going to be a season of sold out shows. Grab your tickets sooner rather than later and go check it out – you won’t be disappointed!
(Please note, I shot the images below of Flashdance – The Musical as a part of the media call the day before and as such aren’t images of the actual performance on opening night).
Have you seen Flashdance – The Musical before? Or are you planning to attend one of this seasons shows? Tell me about it in the comments below!
Flashdance – The Musical is playing at The Civic Auckland from Thursday 21st April 2016 until Sunday 1st May 2016. Tickets range from $65 – $119 and are available from Ticketmaster.