REVIEW
✭✭✭✭✭ 5/5
Strictly Stars Janette & Aljaž
Remembering The Movies UK Tour
Cliffs Pavilion, Southend
28th April 2019
✭✭✭✭✭ 5/5
Strictly Stars Janette & Aljaž
Remembering The Movies UK Tour
Cliffs Pavilion, Southend
28th April 2019
Strictly Come Dancing has now been a favourite fixture of our Saturday night telly since it first burst onto our screens in 2004. It has made stars of many of the professional dancers who perform with the actual celebrities they train. Some of the dancers are real life couples, and a number of them have developed and toured their own shows through the year, packing out houses wherever they go, such is the enthusiasm to see them perform live.
The latest of these shows is Remembering The Movies, which hit the Cliffs Pavilion for two shows on Sunday evening, starring real life husband and wife, Aljaz Skorjanec and Janette Manrara. It is a sequel to their previous show, Remembering Fred, a tribute to Fred Astaire, which they toured with for two years.
The purpose of this latest show is to broaden the canvas, and pay tribute to some of the greatest leading ladies, leading men, and the movies they made through the years. The show takes off with a medley from a recent movie which has become a phenomenon: The Greatest Showman, before rewinding for a sexy slant on Singing In The Rain, danced by Janette in the Gene Kelly role, followed by Cheek to Cheek, danced by Aljaz.
Janette and Aljaz enjoy a chat with their audience …. it does give them a chance to catch their breath between routines too! But it is interesting to find out some background information about them along the way. For instance, Janette, trained in all the musical theatre disciplines in her native Cuba, loves ballet, jazz, and contemporary dance. She also reveals a fine singing voice too!
Their banter is very funny, and charming. They have been together for nine years, and married for nearly two. It is clear for all to see that they adore each other and encourage each other along through this very hectic show.
One of the main incentives of Remembering The Movies is to showcase so many more styles, and variety, and take us beyond Ballroom and Latin. One of my favourite routines was a beautiful contemporary ballet version of Time of My Life from Dirty Dancing, with the iconic lift. It was tender and reflective, and really brought a tear to my eye. This was followed by an equally lovely Moon River, in tribute to Audrey Hepburn.
Another highlight of the first half was a very clever medley on A Star Is Born, with music from all three films, featuring Garland, Streisand, and Gaga. A vast multi-media screen at the back of the stage constantly enhances a lot of these numbers, with images from the movies, the stars, and filmed extracts with Janette and Aljaz too.
By the time the first half comes to a crescendo with West Side Story, Saturday Night Fever, (Aljaz looking fabulous in the famous Travolta White Suit…) and a rip-roaring Disco Inferno, you are left breathless with wonder at the stamina of the cast, and how many movies they have managed to pack in so far, with the second half still to go!
There are just too many routines to mention, but highlights of the second half include a Bond section, Romeo and Juliet, a beautiful waltz from Casablanca, and coming full circle with a very rousing This Is Me from The Greatest Showman.
Janette reveals a little of the logistics of touring: 258 costumes, a different venue every day, sometimes two shows, as was the case in Southend, and they sweat a great deal!! This must make some of the lightning costume changes (I lost count how many) a nightmare, but it was clearly worth it for them, as they seemed to have a ball.
Of course, Janette and Aljaz don’t do this alone. They are supported by a fantastic company of ten dancers, and two amazingly versatile, and tireless vocalists who sing their hearts out throughout the show. Sadly at £10 for a programme I decided not to buy, so cannot give you names, but they were both top notch. Versions of Sting’s Roxanne, and This Is Me were outstanding.
This really was a very special evening, which left me feeling emotional at how much love and sheer panache this special group of performers gave to their audience, and how grateful they are to have appeared on Strictly. I’m sure the thunderous standing ovation they received from their very happy audience made their hard work worth while. Poor Aljaz kept saying that all he wanted was a Sunday roast dinner. I really hope someone somewhere made him one….even at 10.45pm on a Sunday!!
Great evening of top class entertainment.
Review: Andrew Walters
The latest of these shows is Remembering The Movies, which hit the Cliffs Pavilion for two shows on Sunday evening, starring real life husband and wife, Aljaz Skorjanec and Janette Manrara. It is a sequel to their previous show, Remembering Fred, a tribute to Fred Astaire, which they toured with for two years.
The purpose of this latest show is to broaden the canvas, and pay tribute to some of the greatest leading ladies, leading men, and the movies they made through the years. The show takes off with a medley from a recent movie which has become a phenomenon: The Greatest Showman, before rewinding for a sexy slant on Singing In The Rain, danced by Janette in the Gene Kelly role, followed by Cheek to Cheek, danced by Aljaz.
Janette and Aljaz enjoy a chat with their audience …. it does give them a chance to catch their breath between routines too! But it is interesting to find out some background information about them along the way. For instance, Janette, trained in all the musical theatre disciplines in her native Cuba, loves ballet, jazz, and contemporary dance. She also reveals a fine singing voice too!
Their banter is very funny, and charming. They have been together for nine years, and married for nearly two. It is clear for all to see that they adore each other and encourage each other along through this very hectic show.
One of the main incentives of Remembering The Movies is to showcase so many more styles, and variety, and take us beyond Ballroom and Latin. One of my favourite routines was a beautiful contemporary ballet version of Time of My Life from Dirty Dancing, with the iconic lift. It was tender and reflective, and really brought a tear to my eye. This was followed by an equally lovely Moon River, in tribute to Audrey Hepburn.
Another highlight of the first half was a very clever medley on A Star Is Born, with music from all three films, featuring Garland, Streisand, and Gaga. A vast multi-media screen at the back of the stage constantly enhances a lot of these numbers, with images from the movies, the stars, and filmed extracts with Janette and Aljaz too.
By the time the first half comes to a crescendo with West Side Story, Saturday Night Fever, (Aljaz looking fabulous in the famous Travolta White Suit…) and a rip-roaring Disco Inferno, you are left breathless with wonder at the stamina of the cast, and how many movies they have managed to pack in so far, with the second half still to go!
There are just too many routines to mention, but highlights of the second half include a Bond section, Romeo and Juliet, a beautiful waltz from Casablanca, and coming full circle with a very rousing This Is Me from The Greatest Showman.
Janette reveals a little of the logistics of touring: 258 costumes, a different venue every day, sometimes two shows, as was the case in Southend, and they sweat a great deal!! This must make some of the lightning costume changes (I lost count how many) a nightmare, but it was clearly worth it for them, as they seemed to have a ball.
Of course, Janette and Aljaz don’t do this alone. They are supported by a fantastic company of ten dancers, and two amazingly versatile, and tireless vocalists who sing their hearts out throughout the show. Sadly at £10 for a programme I decided not to buy, so cannot give you names, but they were both top notch. Versions of Sting’s Roxanne, and This Is Me were outstanding.
This really was a very special evening, which left me feeling emotional at how much love and sheer panache this special group of performers gave to their audience, and how grateful they are to have appeared on Strictly. I’m sure the thunderous standing ovation they received from their very happy audience made their hard work worth while. Poor Aljaz kept saying that all he wanted was a Sunday roast dinner. I really hope someone somewhere made him one….even at 10.45pm on a Sunday!!
Great evening of top class entertainment.
Review: Andrew Walters
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April
Tue 2 Aberdeen His Majesties Thu 4 Inverness Eden Court Fri 5 Perth Concert Hall Sun 7 Glasgow Royal Concert Hall Mon 8 Gateshead Sage Tue 9 York Barbican Wed 10 Sheffield City Hall Thu 11 Scunthorpe Baths Hall Fri 12 Leicester De Montfort Hall Sat 13 Reading The Hexagon Sun 14 Portsmouth Guildhall Tue 16 Guildford G Live Wed 17 Shrewsbury Theatre Severn Thu 18 Northampton Royal & Derngate Fri 19 Bournemouth Pavilion Theatre Sat 20 London London Palladium Sun 21 Worthing Pavilion Tue 23 Liverpool Philharmonic Hall Wed 24 Watford Colosseum Thu 25 High Wycombe The Swan Fri 26 Cambridge Corn Exchange Sat 27 Swindon Wyvern Theatre* Sun 28 Southend Cliffs Pavilion* Tue 30 Manchester Bridgewater Hall |
May
Wed 1 Bath Forum Theatre Thu 2 Buxton Opera House Fri 3 Wrexham Aston Hall Sat 4 Cardiff St David’s Hall Sun 5 Aylesbury Waterside Theatre Tue 7 Ipswich Regent Theatre Wed 8 St Albans Alban Arena Thu 9 Richmond Richmond Theatre |
www.ticketmaster.co.uk/rememberingthemovies
For further information go to: www.rememberingthemovies.com
For further information go to: www.rememberingthemovies.com