★★★★

“The night is Nikita’s, and it is a joy to see him on stage.”

Nikita Kuzmin’s dancing dream came true tonight as he opened his own dance show Midnight Dancer at the Peacock Theatre, which will be dancing its way round the UK.

Nikita thanks his Strictly Come Dancing family several times during the evening, as without that TV show, this show may not have been possible. As one of Strictly’s professional dancers, he wows millions of viewers with his passionate dance, youthfulness and delightful personality. And it is all of that which his fans will be coming to see, and why they won’t be disappointed.

The story of Midnight Dancer, as much is made that there is one, there isn’t one, but it doesn’t matter: nice guy Nikita meets film star (Andrea Toma) with a jealous agent (Seamus McIntosh). There follows as invite to a ball where the handsome Nikita wins the day, and they all live happily ever after.

The music choices and songs are great with Shakira, Moulin Rouge, sing along hits and LaLa Land with the whole cast keeping the energy flowing, working very hard throughout the show with very little time to draw breath as the dancing keeps coming, as do the quick costume changes in between.

The end of the first half is the ball, with a twenty-four-hour electric clock ticking away on the backcloth. It has a feel of Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo and Juliet, an obvious waltz builds up to a tango sequence, and blackout as Nikita is separated from his love, by the baddy agent.

The second act is more lyrical, with contemporary choreography which suits Nikita well, and indeed the other dancers are more in sync in this style, with bare feet. There is a point in the show where usually he brings a random member of the audience on stage to dance with him. Tonight though, he chose his best friend and fellow Strictly professional dancer Vito who was in the audience saying, “Vito will kill me for this”!

The eight supporting dancers all have very different personalities with different dance styles which is wholly intentional but, when they dance as a group, they need to be totally together with equal and tight spacing between them. The leading lady, Andrea Toma, is an international ballroom and Latin dancer with slick and tight moves, which when dancing with the other girls does show up some of their lack of ballroom technique.

Seamus McIntosh, as the baddy, has an extraordinary and beautiful dance technique with a touch of hip hop style as a bonus. Rebecca Lisewski is the only singer in the show and performs and sings very strongly throughout, even holding the audience’s attention when she sings a solo power ballad, as the cast are off stage doing another quick change.

The costumes (Rachael Ryan) are a mishmash often with trench coats on top, to enable an on-stage reveal of the next costume change. As expected, there is a lot of sparkle especially on Nikita, who ends up in delicious slashed to the navel sequined purple two piece.

Nikita is listed as both creator and choreographer of Midnight Dancer and possibly could have done with a bit more support from creative director and choreographer Tom Jackson Greaves to give a little more variety, not in choreographic styles, but by adding height and dimension with more lifts, jumps and jetés to the routines.

The night is Nikita’s, and it is a joy to see him on stage.

RETROGRADE

Apollo Theatre

★★★★

“the tension is expertly paced, punctuated with sharp quips and well-timed barbs that keep the drama crackling”

Ryan Calais Cameron’s Retrograde is a taut and electrifying drama that captures a pivotal moment in Sidney Poitier’s career and moral journey. It’s the mid-1950s, and Poitier is on the cusp of stardom. But, his breakout performance in Blackboard Jungle has brought him not only industry attention, but an altogether more sinister political attention. Now, on the verge of signing with New York-based TV network NBC, he faces a career-defining choice: sign a loyalty oath and make a public statement denouncing civil rights activist Paul Robeson or risk blacklisting.

This gripping three-hander, based in truth, stars Ivanno Jeremiah as Sidney Poitier, Oliver Johnstone as his friend Bobby, a white liberal screenwriter who has written a role for him, and Stanley Townsend as Parks, NBC’s ruthless lawyer who demands Poitier sign the oath. As Bobby and Poitier’s friendship is tested, both men must confront how much they are willing to sacrifice for career advancement. Self-interest begins to outweigh principles, and the stakes for all three characters become ever more apparent.

The play runs for 90 minutes without an interval, unfolding in real time as Poitier arrives for what he believes will be a straightforward contract signing. Bobby has been singing Poitier’s praises to Parks, but when Poitier enters, it quickly becomes clear that this is no ordinary meeting. When Bobby is asked to leave, and Parks and Poitier are left alone, the pressure intensifies. Parks reveals that this is not merely about a contract, Poitier must prove that this “Black-Black” actor from the Caribbean upholds “American values.” Their exchange is a harrowing power play, laying bare the racial and political tensions of the era.

Under Amit Sharma’s direction, the tension is expertly paced, punctuated with sharp quips and well-timed barbs that keep the drama crackling. Sharma ensures the psychological and moral dilemmas remain at the forefront. Moments of stillness land as powerfully as the play’s most charged exchanges, often lingering just long enough to make the next verbal moment of levity or cutting blow hit even harder.

Jeremiah delivers a magnetic performance, shifting from an unemployed actor forced to entertain white gatekeepers to a principled man refusing to compromise. Johnstone’s Bobby, brimming with nervous charm, subtly unravels as the tension escalates, his affability giving way to desperation. Townsend, on stage for most of the play, dominates as Parks, embodying cold, relentless pragmatism.

Frankie Bradshaw’s set design enhances the claustrophobic atmosphere. The single setting (a stark, mid-century NBC studio office) is both period-accurate and symbolically oppressive. A subtle but telling touch is a Notorious (1946) film poster on the office wall. Hitchcock’s thriller, centred on espionage and moral compromise, quietly reflects Poitier’s predicament. A prominent clock runs in real time, its ticking growing louder at key moments, reinforcing the inescapable pressure on Poitier, a subtle but effective auditory cue from sound designer Beth Duke. The play opens with period jazz and sound bites referencing Poitier’s growing reputation – significantly, voices of others commenting on him – making the final audio recording, in his own voice, all the more poignant.

Bradshaw’s costume design is equally thoughtful. Poitier’s outfit, a somewhat garish, ill-fitting mix of burgundy and burnt orange, feels out of place, making him appear exoticised beside the grey-suited establishment figures of Parks and Bobby, visually reinforcing the power imbalance. Lighting by Amy Mae plays a crucial role in shaping the mood. Stark, interrogative lighting casts deep shadows, reinforcing the feeling of entrapment. Subtle shifts in lighting reflect the evolving power struggle.

With Retrograde, Ryan Calais Cameron has crafted a play that not only honours Sidney Poitier’s legacy but also speaks powerfully to the present day. The dilemmas Poitier faced – navigating a system that demanded assimilation at the cost of authenticity – still ring true for many actors of colour today.

MIDNIGHT DANCER

Peacock Theatre

★★★★

“The night is Nikita’s, and it is a joy to see him on stage.”

MIDNIGHT DANCER

Peacock Theatre

Reviewed for thespyinthestalls on 21st March 2025

Photography by Danny Kaan

Previously reviewed at Sadler’s Wells venues:

MIDNIGHT DANCER

MIDNIGHT DANCER

MIDNIGHT DANCER

RETROGRADE

Apollo Theatre

★★★★

“the tension is expertly paced, punctuated with sharp quips and well-timed barbs that keep the drama crackling”

RETROGRADE

Apollo Theatre

Reviewed on 20th March 2025

by Ellen Cheshire

Photography by Marc Brenner

Previously reviewed at this venue:

RETROGRADE

RETROGRADE

RETROGRADE