Copacabana Watermill till September 4th After the first exhilarating number, I thought - how do they fit so many people on that tiny stage?
The next day, having spent hours in a darkened room recovering from Craig Revel Horwood’s latest extravaganza at the Watermill, I checked and found there were just twelve. I’m sure I counted at least 34 in the high-energy routines that left the audience gasping and ready for cocktails.
Broadway has come to Bagnor in the shape of Copacabana, and an extremely fetching shape it is. The set is all 1947 glittered glamour, with its revolving mirrored steps and double-decker staging – yes, we are talking about the compact and bijou Watermill.
Based round Barry Manilow’s iconic 80s song, the frothy plot provides the hook on which the wondrous costumes, songs and dancing are hung.
Laura Pill-Pulford is Lola, the ingénue from Tulsa with ambitions to see her name in lights on Broadway.
She has great chemistry with the sumptuous Tony (Edward Baker-Duly), who looks a bit like Jim Carrey and sounds a lot like Michael Bublé. And is there anything sassier than our own Karen Mann?
As usual, she steals the show, with her trumpet-tooting, punch-packing Gladys. As for the finale – well, we were pinned in our seats by the volume and sheer exuberance; and if you think you’ve seen camp, you ain’t seen nothing till you’ve seen the male chorus, in leather and feathers, dancing down those mirrored steps.
Get down to Broadway on Bagnor and revel (ha!) in our good luck. Marvellous fun.
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