If a dancing John Travolta ever made you swoon or if you can’t help but tap your toes when the Bee Gees come on, then Drayton Entertainment’s got the show for you.
Saturday Night Fever comes to the Dunfield Theatre in Cambridge for four shows only in January, as the show tours throughout Canada and the U.S.
Executive director Steve Roth says advance ticket sales are good and they expect to sell out.
“We try our damnedest to keep the venues as active we can. This was just an opportunity that came to us to present the touring of Saturday Night Fever. We thought what an awesome opportunity. When they called our theatre was dark, there was nothing going on. It was just a good marriage. The show will be a ton of fun,” Roth said.
The musical is based off the 1977 film, which saw Travolta shoot to stardom and the repertoire of disco songs become one of the best selling soundtracks of all time.
For those unfamiliar with the story, Tony Manero finds refuge from his monotonous life by dancing his Saturday nights away at a local discotheque. In amongst the singing and dancing are issues of race, abortion, suicide and love.
“When people think of Saturday Night Fever you think of the disco era. Almost all the songs from the original movie soundtrack are included in the musical. That would mean there are a lot of Bee Gees. Staying Alive, Jive Talking, You Should Be Dancing, these are some of the best songs ever written. All that music’s included and it’s a great opportunity to hear it and see it live. I think if you’re familiar with the movie you’ll certainly get the same kind of story. It’s really a homage to that great music of that time,” Roth said.
Since the film has become such a cult classic, they’re hoping this will bring in a wide range of audiences. Drayton has never produced Saturday Night Fever before. Roth says they know their audiences and what works and what doesn’t for them. But when offered the chance to present the musical, artistic director Alex Mustakas agreed it would work here.
“We’ve been talking about this for awhile here at Drayton Entertainment, we’re lucky enough to produce some great stuff and we’ve got these awesome venues, the seven venues across our umbrella of theatres. We do a pretty good job of keeping the theatres busy for a good majority of the time. The other thing we’re proud of is we’re able to provide our community with a chance to use the venues for different community choirs, concerts, productions as well,” Roth said.
The musical first hit the stage in 1998 and made its way to Broadway in 2000. Roth said it’s had a bit of a “facelift” since it was originally created, and it’s on its second coming.
“I think there is a broad appeal to this. Whether you see the movie or the stage production it’s really about the music. This music is just so great and so timeless and sometimes I know disco went through a tough phase, but now over time it’s really getting honored as some of the best music ever written,” Roth said.
Saturday Night Fever hits the Dunfield Theatre in Cambridge on Jan. 26 and 27 for four shows. Show times are 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $44 for adults, $26 for youth under 20 years, and $36 for groups of 20 or more people. You can purchase them at the box office, at www.dunfieldtheatrecambridge.com, or by calling (519) 621-8000 or toll free 1-855-DRAYTON (372-9866).
