BRENDAN Cole, once the “bad boy” of Strictly Come Dancing, has a Licence To Thrill at York Barbican tomorrow.
His follow-up show to his debut theatre tour, Live And Unjudged, features six dancers and 14 musicians in a 48-date itinerary that runs until March 17.
The two-hour dance and big band show takes in waltzes and foxtrots; fast-paced quicksteps, tangos and American smooths; and Latin-flavoured cha-cha, samba, salsa and jive dances.
Led by musical director Barry Robinson, the band will be joined by vocalists Ian Mackenzie and Julie Maguire to perform songs through the decades from Nat King Cole to Gladys Knight and Michael Jackson to Michael Bublé.
“There’s a small nod to James Bond with the music,” says Brendan. “One of the big songs is Gladys Knight’s Licence To Kill – hence the Licence To Thrill title – and there’ll be a dance-off between the males in Live And Let Die.”
His company includes dancers from Dancing With The Stars in France, Australia and Mexico, as well as the Broadway hit Burn The Floor and Strictly Come Dancing.
Australian dancer Melanie Hooper, who joined Cole’s company for the final run of Live And Unjudged, returns in 2014, as does Patrick Helm, from Germany, and home-grown dancer Crystal Main.
Look out too for Brendan’s brother, Scott. “He always brings something very unique to the evening,” he says.
Unfortunately, Brendan’s leading lady in his 2013 shows, Fauve Hautot from France, will be missing from the 2014 tour after injuring cruciate ligaments in her knee, so Strictly Come Dancing professional Aliona Vilani is stepping into Fauve’s dance shoes.
Tickets for the 7.30pm show are still available on 0844 854 2757 or at yorkbarbican.co.uk
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