It’s been 20 years since Hot Shoe Shuffle last graced the stage of the Queensland Performing Arts Centre. Countless musicals have come and gone since 1993, when David Atkins originally presented the all-singing, all-dancing cast including Jack Webster and the incomparable Rhonda Burchmore. Clearly with 20 years comes cast changes, including David Atkins moving from playing Spring, the eldest of the Tap brothers, to his father, Dexter, and he’s in fine company with countless cringe-worthy dad jokes.
A new crew of Tap brothers have taken the reigns, led by Bobby Fox replacing Atkins as Spring. Fox is a true triple threat, acting, singing and dancing like a star, showing why he was handpicked by the man himself to play the role of Frankie Valli in Jersey Boys. Hot Shoe Shuffle, however, isn’t Jersey Boys. It’s tired, and although the crowd on opening night were assured it has been updated since its premiere, I still felt I was in 1993.
The sets are shallow and lack life until a dramatic change half way through act two when the Tap Brothers take to the Broadway Stage with their show ‘Hot Shoe Shuffle’. The all-white set focuses attention around the big band. Musical Director David Stratton and the musicians of The Brisbane Band, as they are referred to, deliver countless jazz and swing standards brilliantly, providing the perfect accompaniment to this tap show.
The response to the solo dance numbers on opening night were raucous, and justly so. The Tap Brothers, their father Dexter and April, played charmingly by Jaz Flowers, showed why this show earned the reputation it had in the early 1990s. Its high energy choreography by Drew Anthony has stood the test of time; however the story is weak, at times ridiculous, promising complications that don’t come to fruition.
Though the cast of this 2013 anniversary tour of Hot Shoe Shuffle can’t be faulted, the musical itself is extremely difficult to connect with. The Brisbane Band is incredible, filling the Lyric Theatre with gorgeous jazz standards, however nothing can save the ridiculous narrative it’s trying to support.
If you love tap dancing, buy a ticket, as you won’t be disappointed by the mesmerising footwork. If you miss the Nineties you should buy one too, as Hot Shoe Shuffle 2013 shows everything that was good – and to a greater extent, bad – about that decade in a harmless but ultimately unsatisfying night at the theatre.
Rating: 2 ½ stars out of 5
Hot Shoe Shuffle 2013
Producer/Director/Choreographer: David Atkins
Original Story, Concept and Music Production: Max Lambert
Co-choreographer: Dein Perry
Musical Director: David Stratton
Production Design: Eamon D’Arcy
Sound Designer: Michael Waters
Lighting Designer: Gavan Swift
Costume Designer: Janet Hine
Writers: Larry Buttrose & Kathryn Riding
Cast includes David Atkins, Jaz Flowers and Bobby Fox
Lyric Theatre, QPAC, Brisbane
3 – 25 May
Additional dates:
Sydney Lyric Theatre, 5 – 21 July
Her Majesty’s Theatre, Melbourne, 9 – 25 August
