Flashdance – The Musical has returned to tour the UK for the first time since 2011, starring Strictly favourite Joanne Clifton and singer-songwriter Ben Adams, and will appear at The Assembly Hall Theatre, Tunbridge Wells from Monday 13th November until Saturday 18th November.
Strictly Come Dancing Champion Joanne Clifton is no stranger to being at the top, as she is also a World and European Champion ballroom dancer, and is one of very few pro dancers to have won both the main Strictly glitter ball, with Ore Oduba last year, and the Christmas Special in 2015 with Harry Judd.
Ben Adams, who will join Joanne on stage as Nick Hurley, has been singing and performing since the age of 8. His career started as head chorister at St. Margaret’s, Westminster Abbey, singing at royal weddings, touring all over Europe, recording 2 classical albums and frequently singing for the likes of the Queen and the Pope. At 16, he became the lead singer of the band a1, who racked up 10 million record sales, 2 UK number ones, 5 studio albums and toured throughout the world, winning a Brit award among many others.
Flashdance – The Musical tells the inspiring and unforgettable story of 18-year-old Alex, a welder by day and ‘flashdancer’ by night, who dreams of going to the prestigious Shipley Dance Academy and becoming a professional dancer. When a romance complicates her ambitions, she harnesses it to drive her dream…
As they prepared to go on stage in Blackpool I gave Joanne and Ben a call to ask Joanne about taking the lead role in such an iconic musical, and to chat to Ben about his career, and today’s fantastic news…
Joanne, we all know that you’re a fabulous dancer, as we’ve seen you on television, but we get to see a lot more than just dancing in this show, don’t we?
Well, yes you do. I sing and I act as well in Flashdance. I mean, I’m not trained as in I haven’t been to a musical theatre school, but I have had private lessons for about three years now and this is my second lead role in a musical doing a UK tour because I was in Thoroughly Modern Millie before this.
It’s funny because, especially after last year when it was all about the dancing, there are still people who don’t know that I can sing or act and I kind of like that because, when I come on to the stage, the first thing I do is sing rather than dance and I like to think that some of them are really surprised.
Well, yes, I’m sure they are, because it’s a side of you that they may not have seen before.
You know, there was one week on Strictly, the year before last, it was Rememberance week and I actually sang live for one of the pro-group numbers, but it was never announced and so nobody knew that it was me – but I have actually sung live on Strictly.
Of course, the highlight in Flashdance is when you get to “that” dance routine.
Oh yes! I get to do a few really. I get to do Maniac, the audition and the water drop one but they’re not all the same as you might remember. They all have moves that are a nod to the film, but the choreographer, Matthew Cole has worked hard to form the dances around my abilities, i.e Latin and Ballroom, because, at the end of the day, most of the routines are a completely new style of dance for me.
I’ve done Waltzes and Foxtrots all my life and now I find myself rolling around on the floor doing Street Dance, Hip-Hop, Commercial and all that stuff which I’ve never done. On top of all that, in the film, that dance that Alex does at the end was actually done by four different people, it wasn’t just her. One of them was a man, he did all the spinning on his back and stuff like that so, in the musical, there are some bits you’ll recognise from the film, and some Latin American in there too.
In the audition scene, earlier in the show, do you have to try and not dance so well?
In that bit where I go into the Shipley Dance Academy, when I first try and dance with all the Ballet dancers, I don’t do so well then. But that scene is quite truthful. I do try my very best, but I’ve never done Ballet before and so I do look a bit wrong.
I’m sure you look just fine, and I can’t wait to see you in a couple of weeks. Thanks Joanne.
Now Ben, We will talk about Flashdance in just a minute but, before that, I want to talk about the
reason I have been hearing your name all over the news today!
Oh, you mean with Eugenius! Yes, that’s just been launched today. It’s a new musical that I have co-written with Chris Wilkins and it’s just been confirmed that it will have a London run right at the beginning of next year which, needless to say, I am VERY excited about.
The idea is that it will open in The Other Palace which is Andrew Lloyd Webber’s main theatre to showcase new musicals and then I think the plan is to move Eugenius! into a bigger West End theatre or possibly tour, we’ll have to see what’s available. We had a great sellout concert performance of it in The London Palladium last year and so it’s just amazing to be able to take it to The Other Palace because that was my first choice of theatres that I wanted to take it to and to know that it’s actually happening is amazing.
Just quickly, what is the show about?
Well, it’s a classic love story between two kids – Eugene and Janey. She is mad on him, but he always has his head inside a comic book – so much so that he actually writes his own comic about a superhero. Against the odds, Eugene’s creations take him to Hollywood and he becomes the unlikely hero of his own intergalactic battle! I should also mention that it’s set in the classic decade – the 80s.
Well, before that happens, you’ll also be singing and dancing your socks off in Flashdance.
Absolutely, yes. I’m loving being in the show. It’s the first musical that I’ve ever done. I’ve always turned down the ones I’ve been offered before because, to be honest, they all look like really hard work and I didn’t know how I would feel about touring around the country for such a long time but I actually love it. I am having such a great time, even if it is a lot of really hard work. It’s like being on one big holiday really.
But this is just another feather in the, very varied, collection in your cap.
Yes, I started out as a chorister and did a lot of classical stuff including two albums, then I had my time as the lead singer in a1 and then, after a1, I released my own classical piano album which went straight to number one in the classical charts and I’m also writing and producing for other artists as well.
Now there’s the UK tour with Flashdance and, as we’ve said, as soon as I finish this I’ll be working on Eugenius! Oh, and coupled with that, I’m also releasing my solo album early in 2018 as well so it’s a really busy time for me but I absolutely love it like that. I get very bored very quickly so I like to keep things as varied as possible.
Talking of varied, didn’t I see you appearing on Pointless on the BBC?
Hmmmm yes. I think it was the most pointless Pointless appearance ever. I was coupled with Tony Christie and I didn’t really know Tony too well before that, so I thought I should let him go first and he picked an answer that scored a huge number and by the time it got to my go everything good had already been taken so I couldn’t possibly save us – so we were on and off again within about 5 minutes.
Even to this day I still get texts from people who are watching repeats of Pointless and they see me and I always text back “Enjoy it while it lasts, I won’t be on long!” I was a little more successful on Strictly in Norway, where I came second, but working with Joanne on Flashdance is so much more fun, we really are having the time of our lives.
Prepare to be blown away with this astonishing musical spectacle and the phenomenal choreography to it’s iconic score, including the smash hits Maniac, Manhunt, Gloria, I Love Rock & Roll and the award-winning title track Flashdance – What a Feeling when Flashdance – The Musical appears at The Assembly Hall Theatre, Tunbridge Wells from Monday 13th November to Saturday 18th November with nightly performances at 7.30pm and Matinees on Wednesday and Saturday at 2.30pm. Tickets, priced from £15.00 are available online at www.assemblyhalltheatre.co.uk or by calling the box office on 01892 530613.
