REVIEW: Burn the Floor, Victoria Theatre, Halifax

Clearly those producers have never been to Halifax on a Tuesday night...

Because a sold-out Victoria Theatre nearly had its roof blown off by an audience which could barely contain itself during the show this week.

Although when the cast includes the current holder of the Strictly Come Dancing Glitterball trophy it's hardly surprising - never, ever underestimate the pulling power of TV's most popular show.

Burn the Floor is very much an ensemble piece, with a company of some of the finest talent Latin and ballroom dance has to offer, performing to music (played live by an incredible bunch of singers and musicians) ranging wildly from Led Zeppelin to Leonard Cohen via Bizet's Carmen.

But at the head of that ensemble is Mr Kevin Clifton from Grimsby, who is ably supported by two of Strictly's fastest rising stars, Graziano di Prima and Johannes Radebe, and it's these guys most of the audience have come to see.

Despite coming dangerously close to being upstaged by Graziano's abs (so I'm told, I wasn't looking myself...) the undisputed star of the show is most definitely our Kev, who proves he's way more than "just" a dancer.

It might come as a bit of a surprise to some (I won't lie, me included) that he sings just as well as he moves, which he proves on some great vocal numbers, and his genuine wit and warmth never fail to shine through as he chats to the audience, cracking jokes and sharing anecdotes, between the set pieces.

But it's not just the Kevin Clifton show and Graziano and Johannes both deservedly get their moments in the spotlight.

Johannes is just so ridiculously adorable that I'm guessing the majority of the audience wanted to adopt him on the spot. When (surely not if) he gets promoted to being paired with a celebrity partner on Strictly he may give Kevin a run for his money as the viewers' favourite.

Graziano's already won a big fan base after his debut on the show last year and Burn the Floor really gives him a chance to show off the incredible talent that got him the job. He really needs to do something about his memory though. When he came out to speak to the audience he'd inexplicably forgotten to put his shirt on, a carry-on which put some members of the audience on the verge of needing medical attention.

The biggest cheer of the night is saved for Kevin when he tells us that he will most definitely be back on Strictly this year - and as someone who became invested to the point of obsession in spending my Saturday nights voting for Kevin and Stacey last year I might have joined in the cheering just a little bit.

Burn the Floor is a great show in itself but with the added sparkle of plenty of Strictly glitter it just can't go wrong. It's on tour until the end of June (finishing with two nights in, where else, Grimsby) so there's still a chance to see it for yourself.

For the full list of remaining tour dates and ticket details go to www.burnthefloor.com