ItвЂ™s good that the lads вЂ“ all of them вЂ“ get opportunities to sing, though the bulk of the singing is done by two singers, Jill Marie Cooper and Sam Hosier at the performance I attended (the roles are shared with Amy Diamond and Ant Brant respectively). Perhaps more could have been made of the вЂStrictlyвЂ™ thing вЂ“ not being a dance specialist, I wouldnвЂ™t know вЂcha-cha-chaвЂ™ from вЂCharlestonвЂ™, and it would have been nice to know what the many and varied dancing styles on display were. The lads had all, at one time or another, participated in BBC TelevisionвЂ™s Strictly Come Dancing, and in this production, their primary focus is very much on taking to the floor.

It may even have been a reason for some to have purchased tickets in the first place. ThereвЂ™s a common denominator that links the quartet, which I suspect practically everyone else in the theatre had realised before Cornwall announced it. A 1970s Rip it Up is apparently already in the works. Two of the four вЂallstarsвЂ™, as presenter Cavin Cornwall repeatedly called them, Olympic gymnast Louis Smith MBE and Jay McGuiness (The Wanted) had done the 1950s incarnation of Rip It Up, and for the 1960s version they are joined by Harry Judd (McFly) and Aston Merrygold (JLS). This is essentially a song-and-dance extravaganza and doesnвЂ™t pretend to be anything else. But I didnвЂ™t feel nearly as frustrated about truncated melodies as I did when I saw Motown. It would have been too handy, I suppose, for a list of songs to be included in the programme for Rip It Up вЂ“ The 60s, but they do pack them in and stack them high, higher even than Motown the Musical.

Rip It Up The 1960s вЂ“ Photo Credit Fiona Whyte for the TCB Group

Ripit reviews