JADAR

★★★★☆

Strictly Come Dancing stars Brendan Cole, James Jordan, Pasha Kovalev, Vincent Simone and Ian Waite are back after the resounding success of their sell-out tour in 2024, offering a night of sassy stories, classy costumes, and decadent dancing. The Return of the legends is also a return to form for many of its creatives with the majority of its cast and crew having worked on theatrical and Strictly tours prior.

They fantastic five are joined by Victoria Martin, Lowri Beth, Alexandra Busheva, Julia Ruiz Fernández, and Polina Mayer – equally multi-talented and fast-footed female dancers whose spice and pizzazz help bring the show’s choreography to life.

Carol Howard’s costumes are as creative and glittering as ever. There’s everything you could imagine; glitzy strappy dresses, luxurious Latin-inspired gold embroidery, ruffling floaty champagne skirts, sumptuous silks, glittering jumpsuits and un-buttoned tops, bottomless leather pants and suede jackets. The boys’ most enduring and expressive image was simple, a set of black waistcoats and white shirts, each expressing their own quirky personalities through unfastened bow-ties, varied patterns, unkempt collars, or suspenders.

Set and lighting designer Doug Cairns’ lavish red curtains and decadently lit stairs felt very reminiscent of the Strictly ballroom, its marbled columns, and golden accents adding nice pops of colour and levelling to the stage. Additionally, his use of spotlights at the end of numbers created an gorgeously defined silhouettes.

In the centre of the stage is a large ‘LEGENDS’ sign with light up, colour-changing letters that added an extra liveliness to the set. The ‘e’ was also used as a doorway, while the rest of the letters could be turned to create a prison effect for Chicago’s ‘Cell-Block Tango’. However, the focal point also turned out to be a problem, suffering from several malfunctions that caused incorrect colours, letter “outages” and more. It was an amusing minor issue resolved by act two, but a fault, nonetheless.

Jarringly, the show opened with a frustratingly lacklustre AI voiceover introducing the gang and the photography rules for the evening, before awkwardly introducing the famous five with pre-recorded clips on tiny screens. However, most of the clunky execution and odd creative choices subside as Act one gets underway, moving from a nice introductory dance to a cliché, but well-executed, scoreless ‘Legends Come Dancing’ contest, reminiscing on their time on Strictly. While Nadiya and Kai’s tours often paid tribute to dancing legends, this show reframes the idea with a dance off, introducing us to Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly, or John Travolta and Patrick Swayze, before pitting them against each other in miniature dance-offs. Act one is then rounded off with a smooth ‘legends bar’ segment.

Act two is where Scott Coldwell and James Cutler’s varied choreography really shines, opening with a dynamic cowboy saloon routine, before a variety of thrilling movie tributes and the highlight of the show. Pasha’s The Greatest Showman routine was charming and enigmatic, Ian’s Moulin Rouge was lavish and racey. A ravishing Godfather theme by Vincent, and a tear-jerkingly elegant performance from A Star is Born. Following this was James’ glitzy high-octane rendition of I’m Still Standing from Rocketman. Its finale garnering hearty chuckles from the crowd as the remaining four step over his exhausted body into the next scene.

After a few nostalgic recollections of their Strictly days, the group move into the most surprising build, dancing with their female partners to classic swing, before reuniting in a lavish routine filled with momentum at the conclusion of ‘My Way’, earning them a premature standing ovation. One fun-filled dance hits medley later and yet another ovation before they bid adieu.

Whilst it didn’t always have the clearest of direction, the enticing topics, vague links and charismatic performances pulled the show through most turbulence.

The quintet were charming, witty and often amusing, however, I was left wishing the show felt a tad less scripted, with repeated jokes and shoe-horned sexual innuendos (some admittedly hilarious, others less so) sometimes falling flat with clunky delivery. They performed these segments best when they seemed more at ease, teasing each other playfully without it feeling over-rehearsed. Their jokes about each other’s ages and victories, and playfully butting egos were refreshing, as were their Strictly tales, but some of these sections admittedly lasted a little too long.

Despite the odd hiccup, the show was an incredible delve into legendary movies, music, and dance performances, showcased by a clearly passionate and multi-talented cast. It may not be the most genre-defying or innovative show out there, but the glamourous fashion, enchanting choreography, and playful stars make for an unforgettable evening.

The Return of the Legends tours the UK until October 17.

Photo: Ryan Howard