Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Review: Strictly Ballroom is one to catch ‘Time After Time’ at His Majesty’s Theatre in Aberdeen

Based on Baz Luhrmann's 1992 cult-classic of the same name, Strictly Ballroom has kicked off its run at His Majesty's Theatre as Strictly Come Dancing favourite Kevin Clifton and Dancing On Ice runner-up Faye Brookes sizzle on stage

Strictly Ballroom has sizzled its way into Aberdeen. 

Image: Aberdeen Performing Arts
Strictly Ballroom has sizzled its way into Aberdeen. Image: Aberdeen Performing Arts

It’s common practice to pocket your phones in the theatre, but we certainly wouldn’t be making a move for the device after Craig Revel Horwood threatened to have the cast “punch ya lights out” – a warm Aussie welcome indeed.

Good natured warning aside, we knew love was most definitely in the air as the audience waited with bated breath for Scott Hastings to shake and shimmy his way to centre stage.

There’s something quite magical about watching a rebellious dancer fall head over heels with the left-footed girl next door as they fight against an oppressive arts system.

Of course, many would say this trope belongs to Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey, but Paul Mercurio and Tara Morice gave them a decent run for their money in Baz Luhrmann’s 1992 feature-debut Strictly Ballroom.

Kevin Clifton as ballroom protégé Scott Hastings. Image: Aberdeen Performing Arts

And after opening night, former Strictly Come Dancing champion Kevin Clifton and Coronation Street star Faye Brookes can toss their hat in the ring too.

To say their performances were through the roof would be an understatement. The entire room would heat up from a mere glance between the two. It almost felt like we were intruding at times. Their chemistry was nothing short of intense and the entire theatre was engulfed in a blazing inferno of passion.

Fantastic together, but wait for the solos

The duo work magnificently together, but individually? Well, that’s a whole new ball(room) game.

Brookes is phenomenal. Totally charming, hilarious, often sticks her foot in her mouth and admirably confident. She plays Fran beautifully as the novice finds her footing in the world and deals with her growing feelings towards Scott.

Meanwhile, Clifton was born to play Scott Hastings. The Grimsby-born lad glides effortlessly across the stage. He feels at ease in his role, there’s no doubt about it.

Sparks were flying on and off the dance floor all night. Image: Aberdeen Performing Arts

Clifton’s execution of Scott’s turmoil is beyond impressive. His character is fed up of the same old song and dance, and Clifton manages to deliver an entirely heartfelt performance through music, moves and expression.

Flips, spins, salsas and more in Strictly Ballroom

It wasn’t just Clifton who caught an eye or two. The audience were mesmerised whenever he, Brookes and the supporting cast strutted their stuff. It was hypnotic, or maybe that was the sparkly outfits.

I applaud anyone who managed to tear their eyes away from the stage. In fact, I didn’t know where to look. The dance sequences were fantastic. There were flips, spins, salsas, rumbas, and everything more all happening at the one time. You never knew what to focus on in fear of missing something spectacular.

Who am I kidding? The whole shebang was spectacular.

Audiences watched the show-stopping production in awe. Image: Aberdeen Performing Arts

Even the creative blend of original and classic hits had the audience raring to bust a move. Everything from Time After Time to the ever catchy Happy Feet were delightful to experience live.

Nothing touched the audience quite like the show-stopping finale. This was the moment we had all been waiting for. You could feel the collective excitement grow as the intro to Love Is In The Air began to build.

It didn’t take long for theatre-goers to clamber to their feet, clapping in perfect harmony.

With one quick glance around the room, I could see everyone had heeded Shirley Hastings’ advice and plastered on their ‘Happy face’ – not that we needed much convincing to do so.

Strictly Ballroom is at HMT until Saturday May 20. Visit aberdeenperformingarts.com or call Aberdeen Box Office on 01224 641122.