Ruffle your feathers, glam up with some glitter and salsa your way down to the Bristol Hippodrome during the next two weeks to join the guys and girls at the famous Copacabana nightclub!

The well known song 'Copacabana' was the result of a trip Barry Manilow and lyricist Bruce Sussmn took to Rio de Janeiro in 1978. Inspired by the 'Copacabana Palace', where they stayed, Sussman and Jack Feldman produced the catchy lyrics for the song which was to become the biggest single Manilow had ever had. Later, the tune was adapted into a musical film for television and finally, after a few added sub-plots, characters and more music, 'Copacabana' opened as a musical at the Theatre Royal, Plymouth in 1994.

 The story tells us of Lola, a pretty 'all American' chorus girl desperate to be a 'Copa Girl'. Whilst searching for her dream, she meets Tony, who works at the Copacabana. He helps her to get into the company, but complications arise when dark stranger Rico appears at the club. Twists in the storyline, suspense, blood, love and drama leave the audience wondering if there will be a happy ending in store for them..........

The curtain lifted to reveal an energetic cast bopping away to 'Copacabana'. This energy, along with UV lighting, neon colours and sparkling glitter, made me certain that I was in for a colourful evening. The first character to appear was Stephen, played by Nik Stoter, and from his first word he brought a lovely natural freshness to the part, which was sustained throughout. Louise Freeman played an expressive Lola, demonstrating her versatile, unforced voice in 'Just Arrived'. Other notable performances were from Gemma Craven, who played Conchita with sympathy and passion, Christopher Howard's comic portrayal of Sam, which raised lots of laughs and was skilfully sung and acted, Mark Faith's Rico and Aly Mcinnes' Gladys.

 The male chorus, adorned in feathers and glitter, strutted their stuff expertly, as did the female chorus. The choreography was neat and the dances very polished, although I would have liked to see some more individual style put in by the dancers, as they seemed quite limited by the choreography. The two couples who danced the 'Bolero de Amour' showed off their classical training in the well choreographed piece.  Slightly disappointing was the choreography for the final rendition of 'Copacabana' which didn't seem to have much originality or flair. 

 Impressive musical numbers were 'Who Needs To Dream', beautifully sung by Stoter and Freeman, though the male dancers seemed to be unneccesary and distracting, 'Who Am I Kidding?', 'El Bravo', and the Fosse-esque 'Dancing Fool'.

 The chorus costumes were glamorous, though I thought they could have been more imaginative in colour and style. The set unfortunately didn't add anything to the show. The symmetrical palm trees had a cardboard-like appearance and were slightly unstable. However, a very talented cast made up for the disappointing set, and the show cracked along at a buzzing pace.

 'Copacabana' will appeal to people of all ages - not just those who grew up through the 1970's and 80's when Barry Manilow realeased many of his greatest hits. For musical fans, families and those who just want a good time - 'Who Needs To Dream' when you've 'Just Arrived' at 'Copacabana'? You'll be in 'Sweet Heaven'.............l the story," he says. "But the structure has changed."

FUN FACTS & FIGURES

 Throughout the run of Copacabana…….

Conchita will kill Rico 168 times

The Copa Boys & Girls will go through 21,840 costume changes

Tony will kiss Lola on 1,344 occasions

The Copa dancers will perform 282,240 high kicks

Lola will make 1,344 costume changes

Sam will adjust his toupee 2,016 times

Gladys will fail to sell a single packet of cigarettes

2,352 pairs of tights will be ruined by the Copa Girls

Carlos will swing across the stage 672 times

 Conchita will be lifted by her Copa boys 504 times

1,000 metres of diamante trim will be used

500 feather boa’s will be seen totalling 1000 metres of plucked feathers

5,000 specially imported

The Tick List

Music


Costume


Choreography 


Story 


Set 


Overall 

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