A joyous celebration of friendship, laughter and finding your feet
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
There is something wonderfully familiar about Stepping Out. Its colourful collection of characters feels instantly recognisable – who doesn’t know a Vera or two? – and watching this unlikely group of tap dancers gradually come together is both very funny and surprisingly heartwarming.
Set almost entirely inside a church hall – and it looks exactly like the sort of church hall you imagine – the play brings together a terrific group of women, alongside Geoffrey, the sole male in the class, for their weekly tap class. The little cliques, exchanged looks, throwaway comments and jokes are beautifully observed and performed, with much of the humour coming simply from the mix of personalities within the group.
The dancing, appropriately, starts off decidedly rough. This is a group learning to tap, after all, and part of the pleasure is watching them slowly find their feet and become something resembling an ensemble.
Karen Hauer as the teacher Mavis, is perfectly placed at the helm, bringing her considerable dance pedigree to the production. A particular treat comes when she gets the opportunity to perform two short solo numbers. It is wonderful to see her really flex her dance muscles: Hauer is incredibly light on her feet and moves beautifully.
The costumes are another highlight. They do a huge amount of work in bringing the individual personalities to life, giving each member of the group an immediately distinctive identity, and the audience some laughter.
Where the production occasionally loses some momentum is in its pacing. Between scenes, the curtain repeatedly comes down, despite there being relatively little change to the church-hall setting. It begins to feel unnecessary and interrupts the flow of the piece. Some form of dance-led transition or interlude might have maintained the energy more effectively. There are also moments within the play itself where the pace dips a little, especially in act two.
But any reservations are swept away by the big finish.
Seeing the group finally perform their tap routine in full costume is an absolute delight. Having watched these characters struggle through their early classes, squabble, laugh and gradually become a team, you can’t help but feel rather proud of them as they come together to put on their show.
And perhaps that is the great charm of Stepping Out. It isn't really about tap dancing at all. It's about friendship, belonging and the joy that comes from a disparate group of people finding something they can do together.
Joyous, hilarious and utterly delightful.
Who created it?
Stepping Out is written by Richard Harris and directed by Chris Jordan, with choreography by Alan Burkitt. Set and costume design is by Julie Godfrey, lighting by Ryan Tate, and sound design by Charlie Tipler.
Verdict
A warm, funny and enormously likeable production, filled with recognisable characters and culminating in a wonderfully uplifting finale. A few pacing issues prevent it from moving quite as effortlessly as Karen Hauer does, but you leave with a smile on your face.