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HOT SHOE SHUFFLE
Review

HOT SHOE SHUFFLE

By Bryce Hallett
July 11 2013

HOT SHOE SHUFFLE, Lyric Theatre at The Star, Sydney to August 4, 2013. Photos: the brothers and right, Jaz Flowers.

BY BRYCE HALLETT

When Hot Shoe Shuffle burst on to the scene 21 years ago only a handful of musicals displayed comparable verve let alone the disciplined, passionate and, at times, ferocious energy of a group of male tap dancers. 

Until its premiere at Her Majesty’s Theatre in Melbourne, most of the musicals doing the rounds were  popular Broadway shows, notably 42nd Street, which traded heavily on hijinks, romance, escapism and, of course, dazzling footwork.

The original production of Hot Shoe Shuffle - with a story and concept by David Atkins and Max Lambert - arguably paved the way for Dein Perry and Nigel Triffitt’s cleverly resourceful and charismatic Tap Dogs in 1995 and arrived several years before the high-kicking splendour of The Boy from Oz, starring song and dance man Todd McKenney.

My main memories of that production were of the impossibly tall and glamorous Rhonda Burchmore, the urbane and effortless Jack Webster and the joyful larrikinism and high-powered game of one-upmanship of the idiosyncratic and cartoonish “Tap Brothers” – Spring, Slap, Buck, Wing, Tip, Tap and Slide. Indeed, nothing else much mattered given the threadbare plot.

In the latest revival of Hot Shoe Shuffle the limitations and narrative weaknesses are still firmly in evidence but Atkins has turned to a new generation of musical theatre stars and a skilful troupe of young talent to masterfully re-ignite a work that is vigorous and unapologetically old-fashioned.

Conceived, produced, directed by and starring Atkins as the cajoling Dexter, Hot Shoe Shuffle tells the tale of the seven Tap Brothers who quickly learn that their long absent father has died and apparently left them a fortune. To get their inheritance they must perform their father’s legendary act called the “Hot Shoe Shuffle" on the condition that they include their long-lost sister April. No matter that she lacks grace, suffers stage-fright and has two left feet.

HOT SHOE SHUFFLE

The story is so ludicrous and contrived that it threatens to put a noose around the entire cast and production but such is its irrepressible spirit, colour, misadventure and ultimate stylishness that Hot Shoe Shuffle triumphs again.

Much of the production’s success is owing to the individual strengths of the cast, the choreography of Atkins and Perry, and the musical values, especially in the second act when the orchestra becomes an essential part of the show’s fabric and heart. The 12-piece band, led by musical director David Stratton, does wonders to reinforce the enchantment and sheer joy of the piece. Many fine songs from the big band era of Duke Ellington, including It Don’t Mean a Thing, conjure the deft elegance of Fred Astaire and the sweet thrills of Gershwin (Shall We Dance, How Long Has This Been Going On), the show business zeal of Irving Berlin (Puttin’ on the Ritz) and the sly wit of Kander & Ebb (How Lucky Can You Get).

Hot Shoe Shuffle is blessed with Bobby Fox (Spring) and Jaz Flowers (April) – surely two of the most versatile performers on the musical theatre stage in Australia. For audiences familiar with their leading roles in Jersey Boys and Hairspray respectively, Hot Shoe Shuffle may come as something of a surprise given that it reveals altogether different facets of their talents. Put it this way, there are few if any vocal traces of Fox’s Frankie Valli on show while Flower’s radiance and ultimate sure-footedness is the antithesis of the larger-than-life Tracy Turnblad.

Fox plays the eldest brother Slap and his secure and graceful dancing skills shine through in a commanding performance. Flowers comes into her own in Act Two by virtue of her warm and caressing vocals, but in terms of dancing prowess and dexterity, it is Max Patterson as Tap who all but steals the show in a brilliantly-executed solo that deserved every second of the audience’s sustained applause. All the performers playing the Tap Brothers impress and succeed in varying ways to make for a strong, mutually-supportive and joyous ensemble, notably Morgan Junor-Larwood (Slap), Alexander Kermond (Tip) Rob Mallett (Buck), Mitchell Hicks (Wing) and Mason Schaube (Slide).

Atkins himself returns to the stage to play Dexter, among other characters, and brings with him the kind of gentle authority and conviction that only a seasoned performer can. Like the songs which pay homage to many of the great composers, he and Perry’s choreography does the same by celebrating the flair, style and influence of many dance masters, including Gene Kelly, Astaire, Bill Robinson and Sammy Davis Jnr

Hot Shoe Shuffle is appealingly designed by Eamon D’Arcy and lit by Gavan Swift. With its excellent sound design by Michael Waters and blazingly colourful costumes by Janet E Hine, it not only delights long-time fans but is sure to entrance young audiences whose appetite for fearless routines, showbiz magic and competitive spectacle has been fuelled in recent years by television’s Glee, Smash and So You Think You Can Dance?

 

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