Strictly Come Dancing: The Professionals

Symphony Hall, Birmingham                                             Touring until May 30

Rating:

It can be a long spring and summer for Strictly Come Dancing fans awaiting the return of the hit BBC competition show, but you can always count on the professional dancers to save the day with their glitzy UK tour.

Featuring ten dancers, including Strictly’s assistant choreographer, former Italian champion Arduino Bertoncello, the live show has all the drama and glamour of the TV version.

Liberated from having to steer their celebrity partners around the dancefloor and deal with disappointing scores from the judges, the professionals take centre stage, strutting their stuff in a series of ensembles, duets and solos that show exactly why they are at the top of their game.

From a tantalising tango featuring the sassy Luba Mushtuk to a breathtaking James Bond-themed section – move over Regé-Jean Page, the hotly tipped next 007, newbie Kai Widdrington is here – this is mostly pure joy.

There are lulls when the dancers deliver their mini-biographies.

With most of the performers on social media discussing their lives in public, these seem unnecessary, and I cringed particularly when they talked about how much they love their Strictly family.

However, the dances, perfectly directed and choreographed by Jason Gilkison, are flawless, so you forgive the occasional cheesiness.

There’s a heartwarming routine when the Strictly ladies – Mushtuk, Dianne Buswell, Nadiya Bychkova, Karen Hauer and Katya Jones – dedicate a dance to all the mums in the audience, with a collage of images of them with their own mothers on a big screen as they float effortlessly across the stage.

The band is impressive, too. Singers Tara McDonald and Patrick Smyth demonstrate vocal versatility, switching from Latin ballads to 1990s dance hits and Disney tunes. If you’re looking for an uplifting evening, this really delivers. Fab-u-lous!