On Monday night, Adam and I headed to Darlington Hippodrome having been invited along to the opening night of Strictly Ballroom: The Musical.

Based on Baz Luhrmann’s directorial debut, Strictly Ballroom: The Musical follows rebellious ballroom dancer Scott Hastings, played by Strictly Come Dancing favourite Kevin Clifton. As his daring dance style sees him fall out of favour with the Australian Federation and fellow dancers, he decides to partner with beginner Fran, played by the incredible Maisie Smith, and together they decide to defy tradition and follow their dreams of dancing their own steps.

The show is directed and co-choreographed by Strictly Judge Craig Revel Horwood and Jason Gilkison. It’s full to the brim of glitz and glam and the costumes are stunning. So much glitter, so many feathers!

Both Kevin and Maisie stun in their main roles. Obviously I knew that they could both dance, but I couldn’t quite believe just how amazing their singing voices are. The show features some absolute classics including ‘Time After Time’ and ‘Love Is In The Air’, as well as new songs including ‘Beautiful Surprise’ which when Maisie was singing gave me goosebumps. A fantastic song that I found myself singing all the way home! Kevin really gives everything in this leading role and I was in awe of him throughout the show.

The couple are supported by a fantastic ensemble who all wow, especially Jose Agudo who plays Fran’s Dad Rico. His pasodoble at the end of Act One left us speechless! A definite stand out moment of the whole show.

Strictly Ballroom is a wonderful feel-good show that will make you leave the theatre with a smile on your face and if you’re anything like me, it’ll also make you wish you could dance! I genuinely asked Adam if we could go to lessons…

The tour is continuing its waltz across the UK into 2023 and is at Darlington Hippodrome until Saturday 19th November 2022. 

I couldn’t recommend this show enough and now I’m definitely going to have to watch the film as well. We had a fab night as Craig would say, it was FAB-U-LOUS darling! 

**Full disclosure: We were gifted tickets in exchange for this honest review.