Get Down Tonight – Charing Cross Theatre, Charing Cross

Book: J. F. Lawton
Music & Lyrics: Harry Wayne Casey
Director: Lisa Stevens

Reviewer: Christine Stanton

“Energetic Ensemble“

4 / 5

~This review was originally written for The Reviews Hub ~

KC and the Sunshine Band are a staple of 70s disco music, their infectiously fun, upbeat, feel-good music making listeners immediately want to put on their Boogie Shoes and Shake Shake Shake!

As with any Jukebox style musical, the narrative is considerably thin – a loose retelling of Harry Wayne Casey’s early years, including a little bit of highlighted creative license to embellish a few bits for dramatic effect. Working in a record store with the Vietnam draft looming over his potential future, Casey threw himself into his music, offering a burst of positivity during a particularly politically turbulent period in history. His close-knit friendship group stuck by him throughout, even when a romantic entanglement between himself, Orly (Adam Taylor) and Gina (Annabelle Terry) threatened to jeopardise their bond, but the sexually awakened, free love mindset managed to ease any discomfort and keep their unity strong.

Alongside the glimpse into his life, there is an element of meta reflection, as Casey (Ross Harmon) and best friend Dee (Paige Fenlon) discuss how they should deliver the musical to its full potential, stressing the importance of including an ‘I Want’ song and ensuring the format is perfectly structured to keep the critics happy. Including this element does add a humorous touch and helps to pad out the slight storyline, but ultimately feels a little bit unnecessary, often detracting from the real draw of the show, which is Casey’s life, musical achievements and incredible discography. The whole cast does a fantastic job both vocally and with the choreography, with Harmon in particular being a wonderful lead.

Having a bare bones narrative ensures that as many KC and the Sunshine Band songs as possible can get crammed into the 80-minute runtime, and the multitude of music absolutely does not disappoint. The funky feel-good nature of the majority of them ensures that it’s consistently a lively, upbeat production, contributed to massively by the talented, energetic ensemble (Rachael Kendall Brown, Aaron Archer, Finley Oliver, Eve Drysdale). The scenes that include the entire cast and ensemble in full are easily the most engaging, the brilliantly synchronised choreography (Lisa Stevens) and the array of impeccably dazzling costumes (based on original designs by Tom Rogers) creating a visually entrancing spectacle.

Please Don’t Go to Charing Cross Theatre without preparing yourself to have KC and the Sunshine Band songs stuck in your head for days later, but after hearing them all performed in this incredibly fun jukebox musical, That’s The Way (I Like It).

Runs until 15 November 2025