It's pretty much a given that dialogue will be come second to songs in a show that reductively bills itself as "the 70s musical", but that doesn't excuse the fluffing of lines. Antony Costa's cheeky blustering would be forgivable if his voice were suited to blasting out hits such as Play That Funky Music, but it really wasn't. In fact, even his performance of Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word (a song covered by his former group, Blue) is unimpressive.
It's one thing to bring in singing celebrities to lead a cast, but it's quite another to re-work the script accordingly. Alvin Stardust gives a nice turn as Elvis-loving dad Eamon, but when he chooses to attend a fancy dress contest as Alvin Stardust, it serves to derail the character-building process somewhat.
Nick Bailey's role is thankfully free of panto-style nods and winks, but when casting a role that involves singing Barry White it just doesn't do to opt for "that guy from EastEnders". Jane Doyle, playing the character role of Trish, is the best performer on stage by an embarrassingly large margin.
Boogie Nights was never exactly Olivier Award material, but when it first toured, with Shane Richie in the lead role, it was a pretty decent evening's entertainment. Yes, the jokes are as old as the songs and there are too many scenes changes, but the otherwise by-the-numbers plot has a neat twist, and freeze frames are employed to great effect.
On this tour, however, it's downhill from the start.
