Who Do Ya Love? review – KC and the Sunshine Band musical should keep it comin’

There’s been a raft of solid musicals on offer at the Edinburgh Fringe this year, with this new offering from ATG Productions, Gavin Kalin Productions and LPO with Dudley Hinton, an addition to the roster.

Going a very long way in saving KC and the Sunshine Band from a purgatorial existence of TV commercial backing tracks and mid-tier wedding disco floorfillers, the cast of eight power through all manner of hits from the disco-mania group. It’s impossible not to be seduced by the collective oomph of tunes like “Give It Up,” “That’s The Way (I Like It),” and “Get Down Tonight” while the plot blasts through the early years of disco pioneer Harry Wayne Casey, known more commonly as KC.

Lisa Stevens’ direction and choreography goes the furthest distance to selling the show here, full of vim and invention, making the Assembly Studio a perfect stand-in for what could very easily become a West End stage. There are some excellent performances all round, none least from leading man Fionán O’Carroll as Harry.

This is a show that gives its audience exactly what they want and is unafraid to do so, exemplified by Tom Rogers’ set and costume designs: featuring more disco balls than a Saturday Night Fever fan forum.

Where J F Lawton’s script falls down, despite some relatively wry meta-theatrical jokes (one about Hamilton’s “I want” song is particularly on-the-money), is that it skims along the surface of Casey’s life, especially the tougher, more emotionally wrought experiences. A few extra dialogue-laden scenes to bolster character and context will make all the gut-punches land harder: a disco ball only glimmers because it has a few hard edges.

Nevertheless, it’s hard not to predict a peachy future for this flower-power infused hoot – a treat for disco fans wanting an hour of nostalgic fun.