Saturday Night Fever at the Civic Theatre

By SHANNON HUSE

John Travolta fans can relax. This international production of Saturday Night Fever has found a worthy successor in Adam-Jon Fiorentino.

He has the strut, the Italian-American accent, the pretty boy looks, the great abs and tiny tush - and, of course, he has the white suit. The success of this show rests firmly on his shoulders and he carries it off with buckets of charm.

The story is faithful to the film, charting Tony Manero's desire to win the local dance competition and his realisation that he has to leave Brooklyn if he really wants to improve his lot.

It is a sanitised and more vanilla version, with the rape and suicide scenes downplayed to make it more family-friendly fare. While that is understandable from a box-office point of view, it means we are taken on less of a journey with Tony and some of the sad songs have less emotional impact. But the film was all about escaping reality on the dance floor so it makes sense that the dancing takes centre stage in this production.

Saturday Night Fever really belongs to the boys, with strong performances from all the male leads. Fiorentino is well supported by Darren Tyler, Sean Mulligan, Christopher Parson and Nigel Turner-Carroll as his gang.

Dale Pengelly makes the most of his role of nightclub owner Monty, hamming it up with a wolfish charm and a butt jiggle that has a life of its own.

Overall, the cast are in strong voice and belt out the Bee Gees' hits with plenty of conviction. But it is the dancing that really shines. There is plenty of spectacular footwork from both solo performers and the ensemble, with lots of leaps and lifts to keep the audience gasp-factor high. As one of the Australian producers said on opening night, "These guys really danced their arses off for you tonight."

The set and lighting work well, with set pieces flying in and out with military precision.

Lighting effects include a floor of dancing panels of colour, and the mirror-balls really transform the nightclub scenes.

Janet Hines' costumes are a standout, capturing the 1970 era in all its glory of tight shirts, ballerina tops, harem pants and flared trousers.

The wigs and hair deserve special mention for recapturing the quiffs and Farrah flicks perfectly.

The action finishes with a well-choreographed curtain call and the now familiar call for the audience to dance in the aisles. Be warned: if you remain in your seats your fellow audience members will block your view of more spectacular dancing.