Disco Inferno is a jukebox musical which is based loosely upon the tale of Faust. It's an opportunity to relish the retro and dive right into the delicious sounds of the seventies. Set in a 1976 Nightclub it tells the story of Jack who sells his sole to be a superstar.
David Gillett as Jack, exploded onto the stage. His voice easily coping with the many different musical numbers and also proving that he had some killer dance moves too. It’s also great credit to him that he never let the high octane energy levels dip and was still giving it everything at the very end of the show.
As his girlfriend Jane, Hannah Brent was equally impressive and I particularly liked her rendition of ‘I Will Survive’ which started softly and full of emotion and became the powerhouse ballad we all know it to be.
Jamie Fudge was Jack’s best friend Tom. Jamie squeezed every ounce of comedy out of this role but it was never at the expense of upstaging anyone else or by being over cheesy. This was a fantastic performance and I thought he was superb. His girlfriend Maggie played by Jennifer Bell worked extremely well with the other principals giving a fully rounded characterisation and Allister Smith as Jack’s other friend Terry added to the musketeers trio perfectly.
Nightclub singer, Heathcliffe and his girlfriend Kathy were played by Ben Martins and Emily Walker respectively. Again two solid performances who both sang and acted their characters well and were a strong partnership.
The Devil’s henchwoman, Lady Marmalade was seductively played by Juliet Thomas. She had great stage presence as she sashayed across the stage in a variety of revealing red costumes and in her red thigh length kinky boots.
Martin Harris as nightclub owner Duke, blew us away with his rendition of ‘Crocodile Rock’ and while his accent travelled a little, his delivery and persona were spot on for this character. One also has to mention Jon Keeler who was resplendent in drag and showed us he can also hustle with the best of the 70’s showing some great dance moves, as well as his feminine side.
Every member of the company was giving it a full on 70’s vibe and embraced the flares and platforms. The costumes were a combination of sensational seventies styles and they added a great feel to the overall show. Claire Carr as Director and Choreographer, once again gave us some great choreography and along with the great sounding band under the baton of Jamie Bell, it all combined to create a funky, far-out, fun show which had the audience tapping their feet and singing along.
Huge congratulations to all concerned.