Kiss Me Quickstep

Posted on February 19, 2019

Ballroom drama Kiss Me Quickstep, by Amanda Whittington, opens at the Queen’s Theatre, Hornchurch, on February 22, before transferring to New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich, on March 13 and then touring to Theatr Clwyd, Mold, on March 26.

Directed by Kirstie Davis, with design by Jess Curtis, lighting by Mark Dymock, sound by James Cook and choreography by Lucie Pankhurst, Kiss Me Quickstep immerses the audience in the world of competitive ballroom dancing.

The cast includes David Birch, Michelle Bishop, Adrian Klein, Joshua Lay, Abigail Middleton, Garry Robson and Vicki Lee Taylor, who will be joined by a community chorus of eight ballroom dancers.

Writer Amanda Whittington says: “I’m delighted Kiss Me Quickstep will be dancing into the Queen’s Theatre. The show pulls back the glitter curtain on competitive dance, revealing what it takes to make a ballroom champion, on and off the floor. I can’t wait to see the new production hot-footing across the country, too.”

Adrian Klein and Abigail Middleton in Kiss Me Quickstep. Photographs by Mark Sepple

Thanks to the intimate nature of the production’s staging, there will be an additional bank of seats behind the stage. The show will be performed with a traverse stage with actors performing to all sides.

This co-production between the Queen’s Theatre and New Wolsey Theatre follows a number of collaborations including Once, Rope, The Ladykillers, Worst Wedding Ever and Made in Dagenham.

Kiss Me Quickstep runs at the Queen’s Theatre, Hornchurch, from February 22 to March 9, New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich, from March 13 to 23 and Theatr Clwyd, Mold, from March 26 to 30.

Main image from left: Garry Robson, Adrian Klein & Abigail Middleton in Kiss Me Quickstep. Photograph by Mark Sepple

Nicola Rayner

Nicola Rayner was editor of Dance Today from 2010 to 2015. She has written for a number of publications including The Guardian, The Independent and Time Out Buenos Aires, where she cut her teeth as a dance journalist working on the tango section. Today she continues to dance everything from ballroom to breakdance, with varying degrees of success. Her debut novel, The Girl Before You, was published last year in paperback, ebook and audiobook.