Stage review: You Should be Dancing- zesty, energetic, fun and funny

Stage review: You Should be Dancing- zesty, energetic, fun and funny – fabulous evening of entertainment -in Kalk Bay

What is LDF? Do you have it, ladies? You will have to go and see You Should Be Dancing at the Kalk Bay Theatre, and find out what this signifies. It is a high energy, stylish and entertaining show- signature KBT with breathtaking athletic dance (cirque magnifique), loads of laughter and spectacular production values- costumes, lighting. The cast is fabulous – eight artists on a small stage (no one falls off or stumbles) – with terrific ensemble work. The stage is looking beautiful –a runway of lights- dazzling. I loved this show.

The ebullient Vanessa Harris will give you the lowdown on the LDF Index. It is something we all need to know. It was a Thursday night and the tutorial was geared to a Thursday night in Kalk Bay. Who knows what you will get on a Saturday night in Kalk Bay? The theatre has a medical store on its premises which ties in with LDF. We saw the show on Thursday night and while we were watching, Uncle Cyril announced that South Africa has arrived at level 1 lockdown. From yesterday, Friday October 1, we went into level. That is something to be dancing about – that Rona is hopefully being tamed. Even before the announcement, walking into the KBT and there was a palpable sense of chilled out vibes. People were laughing. It is the first time since lockdown, that I have felt this – less anxiety and more smiles. I suppose it also has to do with the great title of the show, You Should Be Dancing. With that in mind, you walk in with a grin – that yes- you should be dancing – because this Rona thing is hopefully being tamed. Please get vaccinated so we can proceed to unlocking from lockdown. Just saying. Back to the show- and then the show starts and there is smoke and lights and stylishly clad artists in suits and glam dresses and okay there is a scene with the blokes in tight shiny pants which are so awful that they are fabulous. The disco medley is deliciously camp and pumped up. Kudos to the lads for rising to the challenge of tighter than tight pants.

The playlist is awesome – obviously the Bee Gee’s You Should Be Dancing, an intensely beautiful rendition of Fever (Peggy Lee), Tina Turner’s Simply The Best, Vanessa Harris’ version of I will Survive. Harris has always been funny and in this show, she is nailing it with her shtick (refer the LDF spiel] – delivering bite size bullets of mirth. The dance is breathtaking. I don’t know how they balance on the small stage and on a teensy platform, on the stage. The choreography, by Harris and Ash Searle is superlative. They have designed the dance with the space in mind and that heightens every scene.  

Way back before Rona, in 2018, the team staged a show with the same name but this incarnation is even better. It is sleeker, sexier and zips along in full thrust. That 2018 staging was in the theatre’s old venue. This venue at the Brass Bell, with the cabaret seating (with tables), heightens the experience of watching but in addition I think that the team has taken its work to new heights. All those months of lockdown and not being able to perform and they were working at their craft. Every move has been considered and each song and dance sequence is a joy. With lockdown 1, they can seat 80 . Tickets for this weekend were sold out.

I wanted to stand up and dance and we did in the last song. We should be dancing – yes – definitely. This is an evening of wonderful song, dance and laughter. Walk out with a spring in your step and a grin on your face – under your mask. Don’t forget, we still need to be cautious – don the masks, sanitise and to re-iterate – get vaccinated so that we can continue dancing at the theatre- and not go into a harder lockdown. You Should Be Dancing- a fantastic night out in this jewel of a theatre in the fishing village of Kalk Bay.

Featured image – supplied – Jessica Köhler and Liam Gillespie- cirque it up and don’t try this at home.