Disco Inferno

This jukebox musical tells the story of ambitious singer Jack and how far he is willing to go to achieve the fame and stardom he craves – even sell his soul to the Devil!. It is set in London during August 1976 – the hottest summer on record – and contains 22 of the greatest hits of the 1970s most of which I remembered from first time around as I was in my 20s then like Jack! From the opening number “Celebration” through to the “Disco Inferno” finale the energy and enjoyment shown by the whole company was palpable and the audience were with them every step of the way – even joining in with the moves in the “YMCA” reprise! Shaun Cowan gave a tour-de-force performance as Jack. He was hardly off stage throughout the nearly 3 hour show and gave his all with excellent acting, singing and dancing skills. He sang with consummate ease numbers ranging from the full throttle “Starman” to the more reflective “Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word”. Catriona MacRae as the love of his life Jane too gave an excellent performance portraying with ease the highs and lows as Jack seems to achieve his dreams at the expense of their time together. Her rendition of Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” was magnificent and the duets “You To Me Are Everything” and “Don’t Give Up On Us Baby” with Jack were a delight. Jack’s best friend Tom, played by William MacDonald in the style of a 1970’s George Harrison, and Jane’s best friend Maggie, played by newcomer Tracy Robertson, made a good comic pairing as we followed their will they/won’t they kiss storyline with excellent singing of their solos “Some Girls” and “I Love To Love” respectively. Another strong pairing were Heathcliff a second rate club singer played by Andy Hirst, and Kathy his long suffering girlfriend, played by Lorna Baxter – I loved Heathcliff’s psychedelic orange suit! Kirsty Gordon as sultry soul seeker Lady Marmalade played the part as to the manner born – her number with the dancers certainly was “Hot Stuff”. Iain McKenzie in duel roles of night club owner Duke and the Devil gave his usual strong performance and his solo in the hell dream sequence was full of “Fire”. Strong support was given by Ruairidh Gollan (Jack’s friend Terry), Dawn Gregory (record promoter Nicky Diablo) and Alister Sutherland (camp club diva Lily - unmissable in her/his lime green knee length boots). Costuming was appropriate to the characters and era – whether principal or chorus – a lot of back of wardrobes and lofts must have been raided to fill the stage with so much colour, sparkle and flares! The set was simple, colourful and effective especially in the night club scenes with the band being set at the back of the stage. The 3 band members plus Musical Director Sharon MacLeod on the keyboard made a great 70’s sound. Although the show was full of great music and fun it always brought out the moral in the story – Be careful of what you wish for because one day that wish just might come true! Congratulations to everyone at Easter Ross Musical Theatre for a great, fun-filled evening.

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.