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★★★
The new musical ‘Get Down Tonight’, which is about the early days of disco and funk band KC and the Sunshine Band, has recently opened at London’s Charing Cross Theatre, fresh from a 2024 Edinburgh Fringe run. Originally titled ‘Who Do Ya Love?’ at the festival, the musical has been reworked ahead of its London transfer and centres on the friendships made and the years that led up to frontman Harry Wayne Casey beginning a career in music. Packed full of over twenty of the group’s songs, this musical certainly features hit after hit, but sitting in the saturated genre of jukebox musicals, it doesn’t feel particularly memorable.
Initial thoughts
The entire show is reminiscent of a celebration of the 1970s decade and the disco genre, with some brilliant musical performances, sparkling costumes and Lisa Stevens’ era-appropriate choreography. It goes without saying that the cast makes the most of the material that they have, but in my opinion it is the book that lets this musical down.
Thoughts on the narrative
The material lacks a detailed storyline and comes across a little disjointed in places. There are lots of jukebox musicals out there which focus on the life story of a particular group or musician and at the start of ‘Get Down Tonight’ I found myself thinking fantastic, this is following a different path to other shows. Harry/KC and friend Dee break the fourth wall as they decide what to make this musical about. Unfortunately this unique direction causes the material to feel restricted by a forced structure and makes the narrative unsure and disconnected, with the pair constantly discussing musical theatre tropes and which type of song needs to be next. It would have been stronger if the duo contemplated this at the very start and then headed straight into telling the story, making the most of the 90-minute running time.
Ensemble performances
The cast live and breathe the disco genre, especially Harry’s dancers: Aaron Archer, Eve Drysdale, Rachael Kendall Brown and Finley Oliver, with their sharp approach to the choreography and committed vocals. I also really enjoyed the friendship between Harry (Ross Harmon), Dee (Paige Fenlon), Gina (Annabelle Terry) and Orly (Adam Taylor), highlighting a bond that has lasted since childhood.
A groovy musical with potential
What the narrative lacks is made up for in the energetic renditions of KC and the Sunshine Band’s songs. It is not a jukebox musical that I’d rush back to, but I do believe with further development it could be a fun and nostalgic piece of musical theatre. You can catch ‘Get Down Tonight’ at the Charing Cross Theatre until 15th November, with tickets available via the venue’s website.
*My ticket for ‘Get Down Tonight’ was gifted in exchange for an unbiased review.
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