For longer than anyone can remember, summer dance has been dominated by popular shows and visiting Russians, which is just as it should be. July and August are no time for po-faces. All we want is lovely dancing to familiar tunes with nice costumes and proper curtseys. And so it is this summer, with the Kirov/Mariinsky at the Opera House and Adam Cooper with a new show based around Richard Rodgers’ unmatched melodies.
The American songsmith penned so many good songs (My Funny Valentine, Oklahoma, Nothing Like a Dame, Shall We Dance) that you’d think it a winner, especially as Cooper’s dancing charms are as potent today as they were when he made his name in 1995 in Matthew Bourne’s all-male swan Swan Lake.
Cooper directs, choreographs and stars in Shall We Dance, which tells the story of a bar tender wanting more than the girl next door. He ups and offs for a round-the-world search for Miss Better, which involves a lot of international loving and leaving before he realises that the girl he’s got is quite a lot.
The problem for Cooper is that despite assembling an able cast, and creating some nice dances, other elements of the show work against him. The main problem is the orchestra, which manages the almost impossible of making Rodgers sound unremarkable. Other problems are narrative imprecision, so-so use of the revolving stage, and some of the costumes — the corps are brightly dressed but Cooper is black-clad, meaning he disappears against the inky backdrop.
Cooper himself looks a little under-prepared for the role, as does Sarah Wildor, although Emma Samms, best known as a Dynasty regular, is a nicely poised glamour gal.
With tighter direction and better orchestration, Shall We Dance would top the summer slot. As it is, you’d never know the zing of Rodgers, nor the zip of Cooper.
Until 30 August. Information 0844 412 4300, www.sadlerswells.com.
Shall We Dance
Sadler's Wells
Rosebery Avenue, EC1R 4TN
