Tuesday 14 October 2025
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.theguardian - 13 hours ago

Get Down Tonight review – KC and the Sunshine Band’s story dimmed in drearily meta musical

Charing Cross theatre, London
Featuring 20 of the band’s disco-funk songs, this jukebox musical has sparkle but comes with an infuriating concept and little depth of characterisationFifty years after the release of the hit that gives this jukebox musical its name, KC and the Sunshine Band are on tour in North America, such is the undimmed love for their radiant disco-funk. Most of the audience getting down this afternoon – it’s one of the show’s four weekly matinees – probably know these songs from first time round. The 12in records used to frame the stage, their centre labels glowing in candy colours, are a testament to the discography at director-choreographer Lisa Stevens’ disposal.Twenty numbers arranged by Mark Crossland are spread across an 80-minute production which doesn’t give much space for character development. So it is maddening to discover that this is also another one of those shows in which the question of how to tell the story becomes an ongoing discussion for the characters on stage rather than a matter for the writers’ room. The band’s leader Harry Wayne Casey (“KC”), played by Ross Harmon, has barely been introduced before his pal Dee (Paige Fenlon) is schooling him on 11 o’clock numbers and musical-theatre trends.At Charing Cross theatre, London, until 15 November Continue reading...


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