Cast of “Rip It Up,” from left: Aston Merrygold, Harry Judd, Louis Smith and Jay McGuiness
LONDON—The audience was happily singing along to the themes from “Hawaii Five-O,” “Flipper” and “The Flintstones” long before “Rip It Up–The ’60s” officially began.
But things got busier, livelier and crazier as soon as the curtains were raised, following an announcement from a voice-over assuring viewers that, while it was a big no-no in most West End productions, it was all right to take photos of the dance-heavy scenes from “Rip It Up” and tweet about it. Talk about keeping up with the times.
The high-octane song-and-dance spectacle, which began its 16-week run at the Garrick Theatre last month, features four of the most well-loved contestants of the long-running British dance tilt, “Strictly Come Dancing.”
The show’s frontliners include McFly drummer Harry Judd (Season 9 winner), The Wanted member Jay McGuiness (Season 13 winner), former JLS star Aston Merrygold (Season 15 contestant) and Olympic gymnast Louis Smith (Season 10 winner).
“Rip It Up,” helmed and choreographed by Gareth Walker, doesn’t just show off its stars’ terpsichorean skills. It also takes viewers on a musical trip down memory lane, with the special participation of ’60s icons, each of them already in their 70s, providing generation-bridging context for the show’s 10 production numbers.
The musical plays out like a hybrid of documentary and variety shows.
Consider its impressive lineup of ’60s “experts”: Dionne Warwick (“I Say a Little Prayer,” “Walk on By”), Lulu (“Shout,” “To Sir with Love”), The Who lead singer Roger Daltrey (“Love, Reign O’er Me,” “The Kids are Alright”), as well as veteran disc jockey Tony Blackburn (the first DJ to broadcast on BBC Radio 1) and fashion designer Zandra Rhodes.
The two-hour-plus set benefits from the gravity-defying stunts Louis incorporates into the show, while Aston and “The Voice UK” alumna Jill Marie Cooper figure in numbers requiring prodigious singing.
But it’s the winsome and charismatic Harry Judd who gets the lion’s share of praise and attention for making his flawless, training-required dance routines look fun (they do) and easy (they’re not).
Unlike many jukebox musicals on Broadway or in the West End, the show plays out like a hybrid of documentary and variety programs as it pays tribute to the Swinging ’60s—a decade defined by revolutionary changes in film, fashion, politics and music.
Song-and-dance spectacle takes viewers on a trip down memory lane.
The show enumerates a lot of historical trivia associated with the ’60s, from the way fashion designer Mary Quant “revolutionized” the miniskirt and the ascent of supermodels (like Twiggy) and style icons (like Audrey Hepburn), to the rise of the popular counterculture movement and the sociopolitical upheavals espoused and inspired by John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King.
Culturally, the ’60s jump-started a musical revolution that boosted the chart-topping and game-changing stocks of The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who, The Kinks, The Beach Boys, Lulu, Pink Floyd, The Animals, Dusty Springfield, The Doors, The Mamas & The Papas, Burt Bacharach, Bob Dylan, Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross and the Supremes, Tom Jones, Engelbert Humperdinck and, of course, Elvis Presley. A treasure-trove of musical riches, indeed!
This is likely the reason why the show chose not to rely on a single story to string its glorious songs and dance numbers together—which somehow makes it less cohesive, and its attention-hooking appeal episodic at best.
Be that as it may, when the singing and dancing begin, “Rip It Up’s” lack of unifying focus and disjointed bits hardly matter—and conveniently fly out the stage door!