The show is presented by Lisa Riley and in part follows the story of how she got involved with the TV show. She's been in Emmerdale and presented You've Been Framed, and is no stranger to TV. She's larger than life in every way - in frame and in personality, and seems a really likeable person. Her story was a little like Hair, but without the plot twists.
I don't mean that rudely, and not just because I don't want to be lynched by her many fans! In fact, the story that unfolded is the greatest fairy story we have: the hero who wins through, against the odds, by accepting themselves and their limitations, by hard work and determination, and by having a good heart and a warm personality. It was a story to captivate the most cynical audience member. Lisa was a sort of Cinderella figure, going to the ball and dancing with the handsome prince (Artem Chigvintsev). The message was a combination of breaking some body myths (Lisa not only enjoyed dancing every bit as much as Natalie Lowe who's built more along Barbie lines, but looked great doing it) and one of simple acceptance. Lisa's large, Ian Waite is gay, so what? They can dance. The strains of I Am What I Am rang out through the auditorium.Without already knowing the show and its stars some of the asides were lost on me, but the whole-plot-of-Emmerdale-in-5-minutes was great fun. The other stars also gave some background gossip and stories from their lives, some of which were enacted in dance. The variety of dances, ballroom and latin, were great fun, and a good reminder of the skill at the heart of this whole Strictly phenomenon, and some of the jives in particular dashed along at breathtaking speed.
The costumes were, as you might expect, fabulous. Sequins, feathers, miles of chiffon, it was all there. As were the LED stairs, which changed colour, and had stationed at the top the excellent live band. As well as the four main dancers there was a corps of four more. They were young but very proficient, and I'm guessing they're the next generation of Strictly professionals in waiting.I found the blurring of the line between Characters and Real Life slightly disturbing in places, but there were also a couple of lovely unscripted moments (including Lisa putting a stiletto heel right through a chair seat!) to bring you back to earth. There was also a stir when Clive Revel Horwood, who wrote Strictly Confidential, appeared in the auditorium. Clearly anything might happen in this show.
Strictly Confidential is a must for fans of Strictly Come Dancing, but there are plenty of reasons to see it even if you're as disloyal a fan as I am.