I fell head over heels in love with Baz Luhrmann’s Strictly Ballroom The Musical last night. It brought a lot of nostalgia, because I watched Strictly Ballroom when I was a mere teen with my childhood BFF. Based on the film Luhrmann created back in 1992, starring Thomas Lacey as Scott Hastings, and Phoebe Panaretos as Fran, love was definitely in the air at Her Majesty’s Theatre. Hubby had to hold me back from singing and dancing in the aisles. You don’t need to have seen the film to watch the musical. If you’re clever like Hubby, you’d guess the plot after the first 10 minutes of the show. Although I’d seen the movie before, I only realized why it was called “Strictly Ballroom” after last night…

The musical was a feast for the senses. Sequins, feathers and tulle oh my! Costumes created by Catherine Martin dazzled under the disco ball and we all fell under its spell. Neon colours, leg warmers, baggy T-shirts and big hair shouldn’t be fabulous, but thanks to Martin, the electric eighties relived its glory on stage. Marianne (Esme & The Laneway) loved it too! She recently got glasses- all the better to watch the stellar performance.

What captivated me the most was Scott’s traje de luces (suit of lights), given to him by Fran’s father, who is a distinguished dancer himself. I can imagine pairing the jewel-encrusted jacket with a white shirt and jeans or throwing it over a LBD. Ironically, I’ll be heading to Spain later in the year so anything Spanish is currently extra poignant. I’ll have to hunt for one in Madrid. Hopefully they’ll have it in my size…

I’d originally wanted to wear a ruffled dress (or a flower in my hair, to that effect) in keeping with Fran’s Spanish roots, but then I saw some sneaky pics from the musical. Even my most flamboyant flamenco dress wouldn’t have stood a chance. So I opted for a minimalist look. Why compete with Catherine Martin when you can contrast with invisible tartan?

Vintage everything / YSL pumps

Aside from re-igniting my flame for dancing (albeit in the lounge room, with all curtains closed, because I too, make up my moves) and seeing the classic cliché “some rules are meant to be broken’ come to life, I learnt 3 things from Strictly Ballroom The Musical:

1. Never think you are too good for others.

2. Don’t judge based on appearance. Both fathers in the story surprised the heck out of me!

3. Dancing is always a good idea. Time after time.

As to why Coca Cola was featured so ubiquitously during the spectacular , I’m yet to figure it out…

Special thanks to Nuffnang Australia for inviting us along. We had a ball!