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Jessica Caplan

Since its premiere in London in 1998, the stage version of the hit movie has been rekindling a lot of memories and the music of a magical era

The musical stage version of the iconic film Saturday Night Fever  is guaranteed to evoke nostalgia among Hong Kong audiences for the unforgettable '70s era when it opens at the Lyric Theatre at the Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts on May 20.

It was a film that encapsulated the spirit of a decade, even defined it. It was a cultural phenomenon and the vehicle that catapulted the Bee Gees and John Travolta to superstardom.

The stage show is a two-hour disco extravaganza that transports audiences to the glitter, glam and grit of New York City more than two decades ago and injects them with a dose of '70s fever.

The film tells the story of Italian-American Brooklynite Tony Manero, whose only respite from reality are the evenings he spends dancing his troubles away in light-spangled disco halls.

While the film captured the dark side of life in the urban jungle, it was above all those iconic images - John Travolta's self-assured strut during the opening credits, the whirling lights of the dance halls and the explosive music and moves - that left the most lasting impression on its viewers.

'What made the film famous were the dancing and the music,' said David Atkins, co-producer of the Australasian tour.  'These are the things people most fondly remember about the film.'

The stage version expands on the most memorable aspects of the film, taking music and dance as its centrepiece and weaving the narrative between explosive, show-stopping musical numbers.

'Music plays a much greater role in the stage version. This was part of the incentive for the show,' said Atkins.

Finding  the right balance between telling the story of Saturday Night Fever and integrating large-scale musical numbers was no easy task, said Arlene Phillips,  director and choreographer of the stage version since  it premiered in London's West End in 1998.  Adaptation for the stage required toning down the language from the original screenplay to make it more family friendly, updating the songs that had formed the underscore for the film and creating fun, catchy musical numbers without losing the story.

Fortunately for Hong Kong audience members, Phillips says that many years of fine-tuning have reached an apex with the Australian production, which arrives in Hong Kong following sell-out successes in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, New Zealand and Australia.

'The most successful show of all is the current production,' said Phillips.  'This is the show where the audience returns and returns. This is the show where the audience leaves singing the songs and enjoys the dancing, but still leaves with the story in their minds, too ... The show has really found its place and its audience.'

Featuring a cast of 30 of Australia's hottest singers and dancers, including leading man Adam Jon Fiorentino as Tony Manero and Renae Berry as Stephanie Mangano, a live band of Australia's finest musicians, and led by a top-notch creative team, the show is making its first Australasian tour  thanks to original film and stage version producer Robert Stigwood, in association with Adam Spiegel Productions, International Concert Attractions and Atkins.

The highlights are its '70s-inspired choreography and foot-tapping musical score of Bee Gees hits, which includes favourites  such as Stayin' Alive, Night Fever and Disco Inferno.

The music, which has been re-orchestrated with a more contemporary edge and is played on a high-fidelity rock 'n' roll sound system, sets the tone for Phillips' challenging choreography, which builds on the energy and excitement of disco dances and multiplies them exponentially.

'I wanted to take the audience back to the '70s, but also give them the spectacle they expect from musical theatre,' said Phillips.

Atkins describes the highly technical partner dances, which were a prominent feature of the disco period, as 'incredibly exciting and demanding'.

'The audience really responds to that,' he  said.

Since its premiere in London, Saturday Night Fever has packed theatres around the world, aided most likely by a revival of interest in the '70s within the past decade.

'The resurgence of interest in the '70s doesn't seem to have died ... We were fortunate that there was a time to do [the show] and that Robert Stigwood chose the right time to do it,' said Phillips.

With a touching story that transcends generations, and costumes, tunes and dance steps that revisit a now trendy era, the show appeals to both those who lived through the decade of disco and even those who are too young to remember the hustle.

Perhaps the most telling sign of audience appreciation of the musical was that 'the show never fails to get people up and dancing in the aisles', said Atkins.

'It doesn't matter if they're eight or 80 - at the end of the show, the older generation all comes down to the front and seeing them all dance brings joy to your heart,' said Phillips.

Some audience members even came to the theatre in afro wigs and flared suits in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.

'The audience enjoys themselves from start to finish,' said Phillips.

'And they fall in love with the principal characters. The show is enjoyable for everyone, from young to old. You just get carried away with it.'



The  '70s are Stayin' Alive!