Flashdance the Musical – The Forum Theatre

This production of Flashdance the musical is directed and choreographed by Hannah Thomas of NK Theatre Arts and a wonderful job she has done of it too, ably assisted by Jade Wilbraham. The show is set in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the USA and is based on a book by Tom Hedley and Robert Cary, music by Robbie Roth and lyrics by Roth and Cary. It has a distinctive 80’s feel about it and includes a number of well-known songs including “Maniac”, “Gloria” and “What a feeling”. it tells the story of young Alex, whose job is a welder by day and ‘flash-dancer’ by night, and her dreams of becoming a member of a dance academy and fulfilling her ambition to become a professional dancer.

It was good to see many familiar faces in the cast members who took to the stage doing improvised dancing before the show actually started. It was nice to see a full auditorium for this show as well, let’s hope that is maintained for the remainder of the run which ends on Saturday 29^th March. It is worthwhile mentioning the quality of the programme which is one of the best I have come across, congratulations to all involved in its production.

The lead role of Alex Owens is ably taken by Amy Earith whose dancing is energetic and inspirational throughout. The scene shifts variously from the Steelworks to Harry’s Bar and to auditions at the Shipley Dance Academy. Alex gets a regular spot dancing at Harry’s Bar, but this is threatened by the opening of a new lap dance club called Chameleon (complete with seedy owner) who is intent on siphoning off the loyal customers from Harry’s. Alex slowly but surely begins a relationship with Nick Hurley, the son of the mill owner and their up and down courtship is the basis of the romantic part of the storyline. 

Throughout the show, the dancers were more than ably led by dance captain Lucy Dean (sister of John who took the part of Nick Hurley), the quality of their performance was outstanding. It was good to see that the dance troop wasn’t entirely made up of females who of course made up the majority of the dancers, but I was particularly impressed with Sam Hardman whose infectious smile lit up the stage whenever he was performing.

It was good to see Tom Leonard on stage again. His comic timing is as good as it was when I first came across in about 2013 when he took on the role of the Pharaoh in NK’s production of Joseph. This time he teamed up with Callum Stretton, both of them good vocalists, and when the two of them were on stage together the sparks and interplay between them was electric.

Lauren Sanckson as Gloria and Charlotte Lavelle as Tess both delivered their respective solos superbly, but it was Megan Voss in the role of Kiki who for me absolutely stole the show. I have been privileged to watch this young lady on a number of occasions over the past few years and she just seems to get better and better every time she takes to the stage. Her lead vocals on “I love rock and roll” and “Maniac” were absolutely amazing and that is without mentioning her outstanding dancing throughout the performance. If there was ever anybody who I think should go on to become a professional musical theatre performer, then Megan would be top of my list.

The only slight disappointment for me with this production was that again there were a number of instances when individual microphones were not switched on properly and bits of the audio were missed, which became quite frustrating at times. Overall, however, I would heartily recommend a visit to see this show if you get the chance, but I would check with the box office first as I think the remaining shows are all sold out!

Reviewer: David S Clarke

Reviewed: 26th March 2025

North West End UK Rating: