Strictly Gershwin

Derek Deane's Strictly Gershwin, reshuffled and dealt for proscenium purposes, played to packed and ecstatic houses countrywide before its current run at the London Coliseum. The production adapts very happily. Round dances cleverly square off, and the on-stage orchestra (under Gareth Valentine's frisky baton) form a lively, but not unduly distracting, backdrop. Most numbers gain dramatic focus from being watched head-on, and only the overblown American in Paris loses by the change. Its central duet was smoothly danced by Esteban Berlanga and Anaïs Chalendard, but the incessant parade of mime artists and onion sellers starts to feel horribly like circular breathing after a while and makes for an overlong first half. Wednesday’s cast was a reminder of ENB’s current strength. Elena Glurdjidze’s melting torso and tremulous pas de bourrée infused the Man I Love duet with womanly warmth. The debonair James Streeter’s high shoulders and effortless partnering were a worthy homage to Astaire in Shall We Dance, and he was a fine match for the pincurl-perfect Begona Cao. Deane’s routines may not be the ideal showcase for Zdenek Konvalina and Vadim Muntagirov, but these pedigree princes give a thoroughbred classical gloss to their material, and the jazz idiom obliges them to dance brighter, louder and sexier. Who really could ask for any more?