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28 - The Oakville Beaver, Friday January 4, 2008 www.oakvillebeaver.com Young cast keeps disco fever burning brightly By Rod Jerred OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Disco fever still burns with Stage West Mississauga's production of '70s Fever. The latest in a line of musical revues at Stage West, Fever features the same combination of talented young Canadian singers and a lengthy greatest hits list. This time, however, the theme is disco music, which runs the danger of polarizing the audience. But even the most strident anti-disco fanatic should be able to put aside their prejudices and enjoy this high-energy show. Fever works best when the performers have fun with the music and don't take it too seriously (the Village People's Macho Man) and falls short when it turns into a tribute show (the Bee Gees songs). The lengthy song list contains songs from the Bee Gees, ABBA, Earth, Wind and Fire, Kool and the Gang, Donna Summer, the Village People, KC and the Sunshine Band and even disco sellouts such as Rod Stewart, The Rolling Stones and Kiss. The 11-member ensemble cast includes two notable standouts -- Sonia Ndongmo and Tiffany Deriveau. Ndongmo's powerful voice shines in a memorable version of Lady Marmalade and Gloria Gaynor's disco standard I Will Survive. Deriveau grabs the spotlight in her version of Donna Summer's hits including Bad Girls, Hot Stuff and Last Dance. Troy Adams and David Lopez share the stage admirably with Ndongmo THEY'VE GOT THE FEVER: Talented ensemble cast performs in `70s Fever at Stage West Mississsauga. and Deriveau in salutes to Chic and Kool and the Gang. Lopez also steals the stage in a comical send up of The Village People's greatest hits. Rubber-faced Gerrard Everard returns to reproduce his hilarious impersonations of disco sell-outs Rod Stewart and Mick Jagger, and adds a new impersonation of Gene Simmons of Kiss. Kristen Peace has a powerful voice and uses it to her advantage on a version of Call Me that makes the original Blondie version pale in comparison. Anthony Mattina does a wonderful impression of Barry Gibb's falsetto voice, but his tribute-style performance seems out of place in this musical revue. Tying the show together is dancer Matt Carroll, who captures the spirit of the disco decade through a combination of moves from Saturday Night Fever, ballet, break dancing, Michael Jackson and even the Robot. The performers are backed by Michael Lerner's six-piece on-stage band, and the choreography of Anne Allan. An added twist with this revue is an after-show disco dance with a live D. J. following the Friday and Saturday night performances. Also on Tuesday nights, Jan. 8, 15 and 22, Stage West is holding a pre-show costume contest with prizes. Fever runs until Feb. 3 at Stage West. For bookings go online at stagewest.com or call the box office at 905-2380042. Continuing Education at Sheridan Hundreds of professional and personal development courses. · Arts and Design · Business and Management · Communications and Languages · Computer Studies · Education · Environmental Studies · Health and Wellness · Manufacturing and Trades · Recreation and Leisure MOST CLASSES START JANUARY 14, 2008! Register online today, www.sheridaninstitute.ca or call 905-845-9430 or 905-459-7533 THURS. JANUARY 10 HAMILTON PLACE THEATRE DOORS 7:30PM SHOW 8PM Reserved seat tickets available at Copps Coliseum box office, all Ticketmaster outlets or call (905) 527-7666 in Hamilton or (416) 870-8000 in Toronto to charge by phone. Order online at ticketmaster.ca & livenation.com HECFI.CA All dates, acts and ticket prices subject to change without notice. A service charge is added to each ticket C O N T I N U I N G E D U C AT I O N