Brendan Cole: All Night Long, Wolverhampton Grand Theatre - review with pictures
He may have had the boot (or ballroom shoe!) from Strictly Come Dancing, but Brendan Cole still knows how to set the dancefloor alight, as he clearly displayed to an audience of adoring fans at the Wolverhampton Grand Theatre last night with his current UK tour of his outstanding dance spectacular, All Night Long.
After all, he is one of the remaining two original dancers from the very first series of the hit BBC TV show and is certainly a star in his own right, not only in the world of dance, but as a TV celebrity too. All the girls love a bad boy, and yet the Brendan we saw at this performance has certainly mellowed since becoming a husband and daddy. Interacting with the audience, meeting fans and handing out birthday wishes galore made me warm to him. I went expecting to love the dancing but dislike him, but actually I came away just a little bit in love.
Directed, choreographed and performed by Brendan and his team of outstanding dancers, All Night Long perfectly blends his talents (and they are many!) with an exceptional cast, who work seamlessly together to present a full-on variety show.
There’s a taste of Brendan’s unique personality too as he compares between the numbers, connecting warmly with his audience, whilst teasing them with little snippets of gossip from behind the scenes at Strictly.
And that’s not all; there are spectacular stage effects and some astonishing surprises along the way too, resulting in a completely unforgettable evening for dance divas and ballroom buffs alike.
To open the show, the dancers hit the floor hard with a stunning Samba, spiralling across the stage setting the scene for an evening of exceptional dance moves.
A breath-taking acrobatic solo by Sallyrose Beardall followed to I Can’t Stand the Rain, and then a smooth Viennese Waltz combination from the eight-strong team.
The soaring vocals of West End star Jenna Lee-James perfectly complimented the smooth tones of her companion Iain Mackenzie and together they whipped through hit after hit faultlessly. Highlights included Jenna’s version of Defying Gravity from hit musical Wicked, which brought the house down and the pair’s outstanding harmonies on Ed Sheeran’s ballad Evergreen which accompanied a romantic rumba.
There was a very touching tribute to Bruce Forsyth, who Brendan describes as the ultimate professional whom he aspires to be.
Act two opened with a smoking hot Paso Dobles with pyrotechnics to which Brendan’s cape came dangerously close!
Leading lady and Brendan’s resident dance partner on this tour, Faye Huddleston, lit up the stage at every entrance and stunned the audience with an extraordinary Argentine Tango to the James Bond theme, Skyfall together with all four male dancers. You wouldn’t see better in Buenos Aires itself!
The ten-piece live band of world-class musicians, under the instruction of Barry Robinson, created a wonderful atmosphere, whilst even stealing the limelight a little with their comic antics.
The dances came thick and fast with too many to mention, but all of an outstanding standard, as you would expect from the TV star and his team.
A rip-roaring jive ended the show, but then of course the dancers came back to repeat the opening number, just to send us on our way Sambaing home.
The aim of the game is pure entertainment. It’s two hours of sheer indulgence where you can simply sit back, watch and relax; a bit like a Saturday night in front of Strictly really.
Brendan Cole’s UK tour continues across the country, but if you missed this one, don’t worry, he assures us he will be back at the Grand Theatre next year. Book now!
