Review – School Dance

Enter the world of the 80s School Dance, with fluoro, lycra, leg warmers, big hair and teenage awkwardness abound! This infectiously energetic show will have you singing along to 80s classics and reliving your awkward teenage years through the misadventures of our three loser-leaders, Matt, Luke and Jonathon. To be enjoyed by teens and adults alike, discover what happens when feeling invisible becomes a reality.

Matt, our Harry Potter-esque protagonist, is a loser that dorky-dances like no-one ever before. When ignored by his high school crush on the way to the dance, Matt suddenly becomes invisible (or to our eyes, is suddenly wearing a sparkly black leotard). Supported by fantastic set and lighting that complements the slow motion and imagination sequences, School Dance welcomes the audience into its weird and wonderful world with open, gangly arms. Apart from the strangeness of the middle section of the show (when Matt is transported to the land of invisible teens and hunted by a creepy gremlin), and occasionally hollow “character-acting”, this coming of age story is joyful, powerful and relatable.

It’s so refreshing to see a show with an anti-bullying message that is empowering, rather than demonising  For Matt to become visible again he must face his up to his fear of the oversized school bully and work up the courage to actually speak to the girl he likes. The moral of the story is about being proactive and taking responsibility for your own courageousness and self-esteem. The standing ovation following the show was no surprise. Be there or be square.