★★

“glitters with disco sparkle but dig a little deeper and it loses its shine”

KC and the Sunshine Band shaped the sound of the 70s, so it was only a matter of time before their iconic repertoire became a musical. Though like the plot of ‘Get Down Tonight’, this musical needs some help finding its groove.

Disco dancers burst onto the stage as a man in a glittery jumpsuit busts out ‘Keep It Comin’ Love’ on a keyboard. This is ‘Harry’ (KC and the Sunshine Band frontman, Harry Wayne Casey) who welcomes the audience to the story of his life – except he needs a little help making it a musical. Enter Dee and other friends who keep his tale on track despite constant interruptions, charting a life filled with love and revealing a little more about this famously enigmatic man.

Written by J. F. Lawton, the text needs work. The first half is stuffed with narrative devices that don’t advance the plot: Dee’s persistent meta-commentary on structuring a musical stalls character development, reading more like a lesson than witty critique; an ominous voice interrupts without purpose, lacking a big reveal. Key plot points are glossed over, such as Harry’s progress from recording studio stock handler to international star – we segue mid-song which I find particularly confusing. Others feel underdeveloped, such as Orly disappearing before returning in the finale, and Dee hurriedly explaining the tragic reason she won’t attend their 10-year anniversary. It aims to be a tight one-act piece, but the second half needs fleshing out; currently we end on some slightly clumsy exposition followed by a megamix which doesn’t quite rescue things. There are some beautiful moments, such as Harry and Gina’s heart wrenching rendition of ‘When You’re Alone Tonight’, but the overall impression is uneven.

Harry Wayne Casey’s iconic hits still shine, cleverly remixed to serve the story by providing both upbeat and introspective moments. That said, some are loosely woven in, such as Gina’s first song, ‘Give It Up’, and others feel confusing, such as the aforementioned ‘Please Don’t Go/I Never Thought I’d Love Again’ transition to stardom. Though happily, Casey’s score never strays too far from a hit.

Lisa Stevens’ direction and choreography bring out a lot of sparkle, unleashing an energetic cast that channels 60s and 70s soul. The liberal use of dance breathes life into the show, with high-energy choreography stealing the spotlight at times. More could be done with some moments, such as the prominently featured keys on wheels lacking an impactful reappearance; ‘Who Do You Love’ could be even more heightened, though I enjoy Gina pulling the plug.

Bretta Gerecke’s set design layers levels and can conjure locations with a single standout piece. Tom Rogers’ costumes dazzle with flirty flair, mixing hippy chic with disco glitz and even blowing Bob Mackie a kiss. Jai Morjaria’s lighting design is stunning, throwing bursts of dazzling colour in amongst iconic spotlight moments, glowing records and starry night skies. Chris Whybrow’s sound design keeps that funky horn playing but suffers from fuzzy mics and the beat dropping out at one point.

The tight-knit cast tries their hardest to bring some depth to their rather thin characters. The four leads, Ross Harmon (Harry), Adam Taylor (Orly), Annabelle Terry (Gina) and Paige Fenlon (Dee) all have cracking voices, especially Fenlon’s high belt which she sadly doesn’t get to use that often. Taylor’s Orly oozes charisma, causing a palpable spike in energy even if his accent goes off-piste. Terry’s Gina gives us naïve girl next door and heartbroken hopeful. Harmon’s Harry is charming while conveying inner conflict but, like the rest of the characters, could do with more to work with.

‘Get Down Tonight’ glitters with disco sparkle but dig a little deeper and it loses its shine. The music draws you in, but the writing pulls you out. Still, fans will enjoy the hits and a rare peek into Harry Wayne Casey’s inner world.

SCISSORHANDZ

Southwark Playhouse Elephant

★★★

“The cast are superb across the board and there is an easy camaraderie that adds to the feelgood factor”

It is a bold statement to tag your show with the subtitle ‘A Musical Reinvented’. But there is nothing faint-hearted about Bradley Bredeweg’s reinterpretation of Tim Burton’s classic and gothic fairytale. Direct from Los Angeles, it bursts onto the London stage as though heading for Wembley Arena, but instead took a wrong turn and landed up in the three-hundred-seater, Southwark venue. Edward Scissorhands, the solemn and doleful outsider, has morphed into a rock legend of their own making – if only for a few fleeting seconds before retreating behind the bank of loudspeakers to await rediscovery.

The tale of an outsider trying to ‘fit in’ is an obvious celebration of being different; yet it is hard to maintain the impact of this message when the whole ensemble are complete weirdos anyway. A delightful bunch, nonetheless. Jordan Kai Burnett’s Scissorhands is slightly pushed into the shadows as a result, eclipsed by the eccentrics that surround them. Emma Williams, as Avon Lady Peg who adopts the waif-like Scissorhands, also adopts the role of protagonist with her wonderfully kooky, mad-as-a-hatter portrayal of the American housewife. Neighbours Joyce (Tricia Adele-Turner), Esmerelda (Annabelle Terry) and Helen (Ryan O’Connor) are as maverick and flamboyant as Abby Clarke’s primary-coloured costume design; while Dionne Gipson’s striking, ethereal ‘Inventor’ holds court from on high.

We are never completely emotionally engaged, but are always sucked into the sheer energy and sense of fun with which the performers are swamping the stage. And even if the song list gratuitously breaks the continuity of the story, the numbers are delivered with a powerful virtuosity. Like many juke-box musicals, the choice is hit and miss – some forming a neat and natural segue from the dialogue, whereas others are as isolated from the plot as Scissorhands is from reality. But, boy, there are some belters in there! Annabelle Terry’s ‘Heaven is a Place on Earth’ is a standout moment, along with Tricia Adele-Turner’s ‘Bleeding Love’ and Dionne Gipson’s ‘Mad World’. Emma Williams majestically reinvents ‘Creep’ (even though we really feel the song belongs to Scissorhands), and throughout the show, the wall of sound created by musical director Arlene McNaught’s five-piece band threaten to bring the roof down.

It is quite the spectacle, but the nuances of Burton’s original are lost in the mix, just as the quirkiness is occasionally obscured by an earnestness that is shoe-horned in. Rather than reinvented, the musical is relabelled – somewhat superficially like a ‘new-and-improved’, ‘special-offer’ packaging. Overtly establishing in a throwaway line of dialogue the correct pronoun for the lead character merely scratches the surface of the essential issue, while we either want it to dig deeper, or else take it as a given (as it should be).

There is a fair amount of disarray, but we cannot mistake the sheer joyfulness of it. The cast are superb across the board and there is an easy camaraderie that adds to the feelgood factor. The audience feel part of it all, especially when the fourth wall breaks down and boundaries are overstepped. Improvised ad-libs are let loose, often as sharp as the blades of Scissorhands’ make-shift fingers.

“Scissorhandz” is a fun-loving, camp, boisterous show bursting to crash through the walls of its chosen venue. But like Scissorhands themself, is a bit of a chimera – not quite fully formed. Yet there is something special in there, and it is an extraordinary piece of musical theatre. Its message implores us to seek that ‘special something’ within ourselves. Applied to itself, this show could well be onto a winning path to completion.

GET DOWN TONIGHT

Charing Cross Theatre

★★

“glitters with disco sparkle but dig a little deeper and it loses its shine”

GET DOWN TONIGHT

Charing Cross Theatre

Reviewed on 30th September 2025

by Hannah Bothelton

Photography by Danny Kaan

Previously reviewed at this venue:

GET DOWN TONIGHT

GET DOWN TONIGHT

GET DOWN TONIGHT

SCISSORHANDZ

Southwark Playhouse Elephant

★★★

“The cast are superb across the board and there is an easy camaraderie that adds to the feelgood factor”

SCISSORHANDZ

Southwark Playhouse Elephant

Reviewed on 30th January 2025

by Jonathan Evans

Photography by Danny Kaan

Previously reviewed at Southwark Playhouse venues:

SCISSORHANDZ

SCISSORHANDZ

SCISSORHANDZ

JOIN US