# Save the Last Dance for Me (musical)

Save the Last Dance for Me is a jukebox musical written by Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran. It primarily uses songs from the 1960s written by Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman such as A Teenager in Love, Sweets For My Sweet, Little Sister, Viva Las Vegas, Can't Get Used to Losing You and the title song Save the Last Dance for Me. It opened at the Churchill Theatre Bromley on 9 January 2012 before embarking on a nationwide tour. A spin-off production from Dreamboats and Petticoats, it reunited the writing team with producer Bill Kenwright and director Keith Strachan. The choreography was by Olivier Award winner, Bill Deamer. As was the case in Dreamboats and Petticoats, all of the music was played live by the actors on stage. A new production has been announced, due to open April 2016 at Windsor Theatre Royal, before touring the UK again.

## Plot

In 1963, teen sisters Jennifer and Marie go on holiday to a caravan in Lowestoft without their parents. There they meet handsome American airman Milton who is stationed at a local airbase and invites the sisters to a dance at the base. At the dance youngest sister Marie meets and eventually falls in love with Curtis, a black airman from Tennessee. The story deals with themes of racial tension both in the American military and British society, as well as Anglo-American relations in the 1960s.

## Music

The musical was advertised as featuring the hits of Doc Pomus & Mort Shuman and included many of their songs, although some songs were included that the duo did not write together and some songs, like Way Down Yonder in New Orleans, that were not written by either of them. A double CD compilation album was released in May 2012.

## Cast

| Role | Current cast (2016) | Original cast (2012) | 2013 cast | Autumn 2013 cast |
| Marie | Elizabeth Carter | Megan Jones | Elizabeth Carter | Elizabeth Carter |
| Curtis | Wayne Robinson (Jason Denton at certain performances) | Jason Denton | Kieran McGinn | Kieran McGinn |
| Milton | Antony Costa | AJ Dean | Lee Honey-Jones | Lee Honey-Jones |
| Jennifer | Lola Saunders | Hannah Frederick | Verity Jones | Verity Jones |
| Carlo | Alan Howell | Graham Weaver | Alan Howell | Alan Howell |
| Cookie | Michael Kantola | Marc McBride | Michael Kantola (Patrick Burbridge at certain performances) | Michael Kantola |
| Marvin | Chris Coxon | Robert Dalton | Chris Coxon | Patrick Burbridge (Chris Coxon at certain performances) |
| Johnny | Sheridan Lloyd | Chris Coxon | Greg Davidson | Sheldon Green |
| Elvis | Andrew Joseph | Dan Church | Stewart McCheyne | Dan Graham |
| Donnie | Josef Pitura Riley | Michael Paver | Josef Pitura Riley | Alistair Hoyle |
| Rufus | Sackie Osakonor | Tosh Wanogho-Maud | Jay Perry | Jay Perry |
| Della/Doris | Anna Campkin | Laura Emmit | Niamh Bracken | Olive Robinson |
| Cathy | Hannah Nicholas | Robyn Manning | Hannah Nicholas | Hannah Nicholas |
| Mildred | Rachel Nottingham | Christine Holman | Sally Peerless | Lauren Storer |
| Cyril | Kieran Kuypers | Harry Myers | Alex Hammond | Kieran Kuypers |
| Clyde | Joe McCourt | Richard Rolfe | Joe McCourt | Joe McCourt |
| Swing | Kate Hardisty | n/a | Emma Jayne Morton | Emma Jayne Morton |

## Reception

The critical reception was mixed, with many reviewers judging the storyline to be a weak point, while the cast and musicians' performances were often praised. It was often deemed inferior in comparison to Dreamboats and Petticoats. Catherine Jones of the Liverpool Echo described the plot as "purely a vehicle to introduce the American songwriters’ extensive back catalogue", while Phil Williams of the North Wales Pioneer called the show "unmissable", "sheer quality" with "excellent musicians". Bruce Blacklaw of The Scotsman was particularly scathing, and referred to the use of "cack-handed race and gender politics", with "all the depth of a burst paddling pool", although he conceded that the show was about the music and that the audience were dancing in the aisles.