Disco Inferno

The Show

‘Disco Inferno’ is a jukebox musical by Jai Sepple. It had its London premiere in 2004, a London revival in 2006, and a UK-wide tour in 2012.

Set in the 1970s, the musical features several popular music hits from the era. The plot that accompanies the music is a shallow one: Jack, who desperately wants to be a music sensation, strikes a deal with a representative of Satan, Lady Marmalade, which results in his dreams of musical fame and fortune coming true. However, his pact with Lady Marmalade results in Jack losing a great deal, including his love interest Jane and best friend Tom. But fear not, because just as we think all is lost for Jack, his redemption revokes the deal with the Devil giving him a second crack of the whip that is life.

Whilst the plot, for me, was a little tepid and uninspired, ‘Disco Inferno’ does have a very important central message: ‘be careful what you wish for.’ The script is, however, littered with moments of great humour and contrasting painful sadness. In total, the storyline, when interwoven with pop-culture hits like ‘Space Oddity’, ‘Waterloo’, ‘I will Survive’ and ‘Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word’ and ‘The YMCA’ offers an enjoyable evening of entertainment.

Creatives                                                                    

The direction by Caroline Young was of a very good standard. Caroline managed her large cast extremely well and created rich blocking – especially in full company numbers – which resulted in much visual stimulation for the audience. Caroline also fully embraced the space on offer at the Core Theatre, avoiding imbalanced blocking and bunched of principals or the company: in so doing, she addressed observations I made concerning Panto 2022. Caroline also clearly worked the principals and company very hard, with everyone on stage presenting clearly defined characters which were retained throughout the production.

Musical direction by Barbra Hockey was of a high standard. The cast was very well practised in vocals, with company numbers producing extremely rich sound with very accomplished harmonies. The principal cast was musically talented, which Barbra clearly utilised in her direction. I enjoyed very much the vocal offerings created by the lead characters played by Daniel Fortune (Jack), Keely James (Jane), Sam Leach (Tom), and Katie Proctor (Maggie). The band that accompanied the production must also be congratulated on providing the upbeat music against which the plot unfolded.

Choreography, by Marcia Mitchell, was outstanding. Marcia did a brilliant job of managing the range of abilities within the cast; she created extremely rich and dynamic company numbers that fully embraced the dance styles of the era. The skill demonstrated by the dance core – Daisy DeBell, Olivia Eaton, Shelby Fox, Lacey Smith, and Jack Jenkins – must also be acknowledged. Marcia’s work was, for me, the triumph of the production.

Cast

The principals were well cast, creating a very strong line-up of main characters to carry the plot. Whilst all the cast contributed greatly to the overall success of the show, I want to note the work of the following.

First, I think Keeley James’s portrayal of Jane was excellent. I saw real depth and development in Keeley’s acting work: she handled both the light and dark of the character very well. Keeley also produced some of the show’s strongest vocals.

Second, Sam Leach’s characterisation was outstanding. In creating the socially awkward Tom, he produced a believable character that interjected humour in all the right places. His interplay with the talented Katie Proctor (Maggie) had us all cheering for the pair and the kiss they, finally, shared! 

Third, Daniel Fortune – as one would expect given his vast experience – offered a brilliant and accomplished performance as Jack. Daniel’s vocals were the strongest on offer and gave the production some of its best numbers.

Finally, I was captured – from start to finish – by the stage presence, dance abilities, and camp humour of Jack Jenkins (Lily). His portrayal of the flamboyant barman was excellent.  

I must also make some honourable mentions, all of whom did tremendously: Heidi Coleman (Lady Marmalade), Ashley Malcolmson (Heathcliffe), Phil Mills (Duke), and Kayleigh Tucker (Kathy).

Congratulations to the rest of the company on the contribution that each member made to the production. The characterisation was strong and the interaction with the cast was enthusiastically sustained throughout, adding greatly to the overall quality of the production.  

Production

The staging was simple but appropriate for the nature of the production. The Costumes were well-sourced and in keeping with the show.

The sound was of a reasonable standard with the technical team clearly experiencing some difficulties with the personal microphones, which resulted in some inconsistent sound levels. The lighting design was excellent and very in keeping with the disco era. In all, the production team did a good job.

Well done to the backstage crew, who managed scene transitions with ease. I, however, will reiterate my observation from Panto 2022: I would encourage and challenge CATS to explore using the adult company to assist with the transition of scenes – for example, removing staging. Alternatively, costume the backstage crew if they are to be visible to the audience. My suggested approach prevents prolonged blackouts, which can bring down the tempo of the production and atmosphere in the audience.

The poster and other promotional materials that marketed the show were of a high standard. I encourage CATS to continue to promote its shows in such a professional way.

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