Gotta Sing, Gotta Dance (review). Anne Cox hoofs it to a night of musicals

This is variety and entertainment at its very best. A rollicking good night out watching six hugely talented entertainers bust a gut to bring you the famous songs and routines from more than 80 years of stage musicals from both sides of the pond.

It is a huge ask but they go through 60 songs, 50 dances and even include a three-minute medley (you can watch the countdown on a digital stage clock) of every (really) musical now playing in the West End.

GSGD, which comes to Wycombe Swan on Sep 20 and 21, and Oxford New Theatre on Oct 6, also boasts 105 costumes, 26 tap shoes, four musicians, four explosions, two dustbin lids, a washboard and a watermelon. It is an eclectic list of stats.

I spent my childhood watching Saturday afternoon repeats of the big Hollywood musicals and delight in watching classic tap from the likes of 42nd Street, Top Hat, Singin’ In The Rain and more. It seems I’m not alone. The audience with me at Richmond Theatre on Thursday night enthusiastically applauded the elegant and charismatic entertainer Simon Adkins every time he hoofed the classics.

I fail to understand why producers don’t capitalise on it. There’s a huge market waiting for a new musical featuring big tap numbers (rather than the more inventive dance shows like Stomp and Tap Dogs).

So, back to GSGD. The first half wallows in the nostalgia of the great shows. White Christmas, South Pacific, Guys and Dolls, Top Hat and American In Paris to name just a few. There’s a moment of pan-American conflict with a bit of one-upmanship involving America v Britain.

While the Yanks gave us great shows by Rodgers and Hammerstein, Irving Berlin, the Bernsteins and Gershwin we, gaw’d blimey guvnor, came up with David Heneker’s Half A Sixpence. I know which country got my vote.

The second act saw how the pendulum has swung the other way, thanks almost entirely to Andrew Lloyd Webber. There were a medley of songs from his huge back catalogue of masterpieces (Phantom, Evita etc) plus music and dance from some of the latest juke box musicals like Never Forget, Viva Forever, Thriller Live and Les Mis.

Actually the list is endless. Think of your favourite musical and it’s represented in this blockbuster of a show.

Adkins is the one who captures everyone’s attention with superb renditions of Stars from Les Mis, Phantom’s Music Of The Night, sublime dance numbers in the guise of Fred Astaire and tremendous tap with Lullaby On Broadway.

He’s almost equally matched by Rebecca Lisewski who wows everyone with a Blood Brothers segment and Defying Gravity from Wicked. She’s got bags of personality and the powerful voice of a leading lady.

Also in the show are Alison Dormer, Lucinda Lawrence (who makes everyone laugh with her stalker serenade called Taylor the Latte Boy), David McMullan (who reciprocates with the hysterical Taylor’s Rebuttal), and Adam Rhys-Charles.

All six are superb dancers and singers yet are probably unknown to the general theatre-going public. All have filled choruses and played minor roles in West End and touring productions and typify the incredible talent we are nurturing in British theatre today and why our musicals are some of the best in the world.

Choreographer and co-director Nick Winston (who’s also involved in the Royal & Derngate’s To Sir With Love which I’m reviewing next week) deserves plaudits for the superb dance routines that range in styles from Saturday Night Fever to Crazy For You.

Gotta Sing, Gotta Dance, Gotta see this!

For tickets to Wycombe Swan call the box office 01494 512000 or visit www.wycombeswan.co.uk. For info about the Oxford show call 0844 871 3020 or visit www.atgtickets.com/oxford@LBOanne