Dawn and Lucy head to the opening night of the musical Club Tropicana at Norwich Theatre Royal. It was a night filled with leg-warmers, perms and classic 80s hits. What’s not to like?
As expected, Club Tropicana was a vibrant and lycra-clad trip back to the 1980s. It was loaded with catchy tunes we all know and love, including Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, Take On Me, Addicted to Love and Olivia Newton-John’s Physical.
Opening night was buzzing, with a packed audience ready to get into the swing of things – even joining in with an dance number led by Joe McElderry.
The story, albeit predictable, is of a young bride jilting her husband-to-be at the altar and jetting off to Club Tropicana in Spain with her girlfriends.
Naturally, the boys decide to take their heart-broken mate on holiday too and yes, you’ve guessed it, to the same hotel.
Set predominantly in the hotel, we follow two love stories set to a soundtrack of iconic 80s pop acts and a script packed with witty one-liners and endless innuendo. I particularly enjoyed the scene using cocktail names to fill in the gaps of a story!
The staging was clever and the scenery quickly changed to reflect different locations and times of day. By and large, it reminded me of Barbie’s Dream House. All bright colours, neon signs and swagged velvet curtains. It’s was a lot more flashy than my memories of the 80s!
Retro tunes at Club Tropicana
There was plenty of nostalgia throughout the show, with knowing references to Woolworths, Bullseye and Blind Date. Oh, and how could I forget? There was a special rendition of the Bucks Fizz’s hit, Making Your Mind Up. What made is special? Well, you’ll have to watch it to find out.
Joe McElderry (X-Factor winner, 2009) led the cast as hotel host Garry. Flamboyant and full of energy he relished in this role. As expected, his voice was great and did justice to many of our favourite hits.
A special mention must also go to Kate Robbins, playing hotel cleaner Consuela. She had a few surprises up her sleeves and received the majority of the laughs and applause.
Overall, the main cast did a great job. However, it was the music that stole the show for me – and I often found myself drawn to the dancers instead of the leading characters.
Nick Winston’s choreography was delivered with such passion and energy that it was hard to not get caught up in the atmosphere.
Producer Mark Goucher said: “We tried to make a fun show with some great music and to give you a good night out.”
And deliver that they did.
Club Tropicana is a feel-good show, full of fun and it definitely kick-started my week.
Club Tropicana plays at Norwich Theatre Royal until Saturday 2 March 2019. Tickets are available online here or by calling the box office on 01603 630000.
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