Get Down Tonight: The KC & The Sunshine Band Musical, directed and choreographed by Lisa Stevens (9 to 5 The Musical, Anyone Can Whistle), delivers exactly what you’d expect from a disco-era jukebox musical – high-energy performances, dazzling costumes, and infectious hits. But will you be putting on your boogie shoes to ‘get down tonight’ to London’s latest new musical?

Playing at London’s Charing Cross Theatre, this 90-minute glitzy celebration of Harry Wayne Casey’s musical legacy is based on just a few years, rather than his whole life. We see the years before he started recording and a few years into his early career. We’re told in the programme that what’s depicted is as close to the real events as could be covered in just 90 minutes.

The show boasts impressive production values. The tight band, led by Kevin Oliver Jones, captures the authentic sound of KC & The Sunshine Band’s chart-topping hits with lovely arrangements, while the performers deliver strong vocal performances throughout. The costume design, based on original designs by Tom Rogers and created by Rachel Ryan, authentically evokes the fashions of the time, from late-60s hippiedom to the disco era, and we are treated to many wonderful costume changes. The choreography, cast, and ensemble performers also keep the energy consistently high.

The set (Brette Gerecke) is on two levels – a fairly basic balcony and stairs set-up, with enough room for the band to be on the upper level. This allows the actors to use the whole space effectively, while additional props are brought on to recreate the record store, a flatshare, the local Merrie Christmas park, a nightclub, or a recording studio as needed. The set is covered with LP-sized vinyl records surrounding lights, which add to the disco feel, and is topped off with huge disco balls hanging from the ceiling over the audience to complete the vibe. The lighting (Jay Morjaria) complements the scenes very well.

However, the show’s attempt to differentiate itself from standard jukebox musical fare through fourth-wall-breaking moments, although an original approach, is not wholly successful. Less fourth wall and more story would be preferable because, as it stands, as a biographical piece, it fails to illuminate its subject in any meaningful way. Casey, who has endorsed the production, is known for being private about his personal life. This authorised version of his story perhaps reflects that reticence. We hear nothing about his co-writer Richard Finch, or the role his family played in his early career.

As a result, what we do learn feels somewhat superficial: Casey’s (Ross Harmon) early days working in a record store in Miami, his friendship circle including Dee (Paige Fenlan), Gina (Annabelle Terry), and Orly (Adam Taylor), and his desire to counter the era’s darker music with upbeat disco anthems. While the show touches on the period’s social context through glimpses of the free-love era and the Vietnam War’s impact on Orly, these potentially rich themes – including Casey’s conscious choice to create escapist music during such turbulent times – are never fully explored. Instead, we get plenty of references to marijuana use and surface-level storytelling that never reveals what truly drove Casey or shaped his artistic vision.

The cast do well with the material they’re given, and we are treated to all the hits including Shake Your Booty, That’s the Way, Get Down Tonight, Rock Your Baby, and many more. In fact, there are more than 20 songs included. A highlight was Orly’s ‘Wrap Your Arms Around Me’ and Gina’s ‘Are You in His Arms’. ‘Please Don’t Go’, sung by the cast and ensemble towards the end, was another highlight with lovely harmonies.

When compared to recent biographical musicals like Tina – The Tina Turner Musical, Get Up! Stand Up! (Bob Marley), or Beautiful (Carole King), this production lacks the emotional depth and narrative complexity that have made those shows so compelling. Yet, at a brisk 90 minutes – including the obligatory audience dance finale megamix – Get Down Tonight may well find its audience among fans seeking a light, fun evening of familiar hits.

Get Down Tonight: The KC & The Sunshine Band Musical is at Charing Cross Theatre until 15 November 2025.

Book tickets now at kcsunshinebandmusical.com/

Words by Helen Keegan

Photos by Danny Kaan