I was a little sad to see yesterday that Flashdance is the latest casualty of the West End - unable to secure audiences and therefore packing up its leg warmers and heading off after only 3 months.A little sad: yes. But not surprised. I went to see it with a friend in September and the writing was already on the wall:
Firstly, and just a minor point, there were only 3 songs (out of 14/15) we recognised. This would usually not be a problem but none of the others had any sense of longevity the way songs in Wicked or Les Mis become a part of your soul the first time you hear them.
Secondly, we bought (as is customary for two 20 somethings) seats for the Balcony but found ourselves 'Upgraded' by a level - never a good sign two weeks in!
Thricely, the whole production, although enjoyable (Matt Willis from Busted is surprisingly good!) lacked something. At times it had Fame! like dance sequences that filled the stage with colour and energy and took you on a journey either of emotional or historical significance, yet the interweaving of street dance into what would otherwise be traditional musical theatre choreograhy, felt forced and disjointed.
And finally... Come on guys - the water scene at the end of Act 1? HUGELY disappointing! Its supposed to be an industrial gush not a tepid shower!
In short it just didn't have the magic, humour and emotion of Dirty Dancing, which is why its 80s counterpart is still going strong, and Flashdance, like Footloose before it, is shaking its permed hair all the way out of town.
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