A feast of retro in Oxford: not only 30 songs from the late 70s (and I knew every one) but also a star from that era, Hazel Payne, lead vocalist with 70s chart toppers A Taste of Honey, wearing very well indeed 25 years on and bringing a touch of class to the singing.

Oh, What A Night is a vibrant and high-energy discofest. The dancing barely falters from start to finish, and the hard-working five-piece backing band led by Chris Taylor on keyboards underpin the footwork with a tremendously authentic soundtrack.

We started off watching silhouetted shapes behind lighted screens making themselves ready to party. The strobe lights razed the audience and it was Route One to a 70s disco revival.

The plot is uncomplicated (and heavily derivative - anyone not remember Saturday Night Fever?). New York youth cruise down to the Disco Inferno aiming to look cool and impress. Local girl made good walks in and sets up an audition for dancers for her forthcoming movie. This skeleton plot, MCed by Kid Creole, is the excuse for a continuous flow of hi-velocity soul and disco classics - Love Train, We Are Family, Ladies Night, Car Wash ….. I could go on.

We watched the contestants strut their stuff in preparation for their main chance. They wore the clothes, danced the steps and spouted the clichés which showed us we were back in 1970s New York. The songs flowed seamlessly around the dialogue and the characters concentrated on their steps and singing: these are predominantly dancing roles with a bit of acting thrown in. The dancing was spectacular and well-staged and became ever sleeker as the evening progressed. The choreography was varied and never short of ideas, and if the dancing was not always faultless, well, it wouldn't have been in a New York disco either. The high energy and movement carried it through.

Then Hazel Payne started warming up her vocal chords around a scatty jazz ballad and the songs really began to hot up. Anyone who remembers the disco classic Boogie Oogie Oogie knows that this lady can sing. Luckily there was more to come. Hazel adds vocal prowess and sang with increasing conviction the excellent Lost In Music and then the ever popular I Will Survive as a closer.

Meanwhile, hot and hectic disco numbers continue to trip over each other as the actors reel from one song to the next. As the evening wore on, Kid Creole himself took on more vocal duties, especially for Play That Funky Music and Disco Inferno. The highlight is a duet with Kid and Hazel sharing the work on Celebration.

Character-wise the strongest comic performance is from Neal Wright as Stretch Mulligan; he also gets to sing lead on the crowd-pleasing YMCA, that song which for some reason unknown to me always brings the house down.

The audience loved it and took all available opportunities to sing along, clap and dance. Oh, What A Night comes highly recommended for a night of pure soul and John Travolta-style dance moves. But you need to love the music and dancing, because, bottom line, that's all there is to it.

Kathryn Karakaya, 28.10.03