Jazz hands at the ready, as it’s time for Strictly Come Dancing 2023 to razzle-dazzle us with its annual celebration of theatreland toe-tappers in Musicals Week!
As our remaining celebrities and their professional partners prepare to tread the boards, the BBC One sequin spectacular’s house band, conducted by musical director Dave Arch, will also be hard at work mastering the line-up of showstopping songs. Particularly skilled at channelling Broadway in the ballroom is singer Tommy Blaize, who has worked on the programme since it began in 2004.
Here, in an exclusive interview, Tommy, who is embarking on his own UK tour next year, tells What To Watch what it takes to make this special theme a hit…
Tommy, do you look forward to Musicals Week as much as we do?
"Yes, but it’s always a challenge because everything needs to sound bigger and more choral than usual. Dave Arch’s arrangements help with that, and, when the orchestra starts up, you feel you’re being transported into another world.
"But also, there are so many different types of musicals and you never know what you’re going to get. Personally, I love the older ones like [1952 rom-com film] Singin’ in the Rain. I loved singing for [presenter] Ore Oduba and professional dancer Joanne Clifton when they did their American Smooth routine to the title song for Movie Week [in 2016].
"On the other hand, I always worry about Disney songs, because they are in such a high key and I need my voice to last! Sometimes I watch clips to find the song's character, but I never want to impersonate the artist completely, I’m just giving the essence."
Is it tricky remembering countless new songs across a series?
"We learn so many tunes every week, and the only way to cope is to instantly drop the ones from last week out of your memory and replace them with the songs for the next episode. It’s a challenge! It’s particularly tough when they ask you to sing in a foreign language. We’ve done Korean for [rapper Psy’s 2012 hit] Gangnam Style, for example, and we sing in Spanish quite a lot. We always manage somehow!
"I work on songs from Monday right up until Friday rehearsals, getting them locked in my head. We rehearse the songs until we know them back to front, but you’re always nervous you might mess them up when the dancers have worked so hard.
"In rehearsals this year, I came in at the wrong place when [newsreader] Krishnan Guru-Murthy and his professional partner Lauren Oakley were practising their samba to Bamboleo [for week eight of the contest]. Obviously, it threw them a bit, but that’s what rehearsals are for, and when you go live it has to be right. It was fine on the night!"
How do you decide which singer will take on which song?
"Well, we’ve got four fabulous singers on the stage, all of whom are specialists in different areas of music. So, if it’s a power ballad, like a Whitney Houston hit, Andrea [Grant] might sing that, and, if it’s a jazz or country number, Hayley [Sanderson] will probably do it. Jesse [Smith] sings the rockier songs, and I will do the soul numbers… and everything in between!
"Everyone is able to switch hats, too. The backing vocals are sometimes much harder than the lead, you have to be able to blend and get all the colours of the song right."
The dances are often shorter than the standard versions of these songs. Is it challenging to memorise 90-second edits of familiar hits?
"Yes, sometimes they might change the ending to a really famous song you’ve grown up with, so you’ve got to concentrate and watch Dave all the time! Sometimes that’s particularly hard when you’ve got a beautiful dance happening in front of you. Bruce Forsyth [who co-hosted the show from 2004 to 2013] always used to tell me I had the best seat in the house, and he was right – when I’m not singing I really love to just enjoy the dancing."
You’ve worked on Strictly since the pilot episode – it must have changed over the years?
"Yes, me, Tess Daly, Anton Du Beke and Craig Revel Horwood are the only ones left! I didn’t have a big audition, it was just a little chat, I sang a couple of songs and I’m still here today, it’s quite amazing.
"It’s completely different now. Looking back at older episodes, they felt high-tech, but they’re nothing compared to the set and graphics we have now. I’m really proud the show still has a big live band, and I still get nervous. As soon as you know you’re going live and Dave counts you in, I start getting this little shake – I think that nervous energy helps me perform."
What are your stand-out Strictly memories to date?
"I loved singing Unchained Melody for [comedian] Pamela Stephenson and her partner James Jordan [for their Viennese waltz in 2010]. That was lovely, and straight afterwards her husband Billy Connolly came over to shake my hand, he told me he’d never heard the song sung like that before, which was a nice moment for me.
"I’ve been lucky enough to meet people I’ve idolised all my life, like Tony Bennett and Earth, Wind & Fire. I used to watch [1960s American variety extravaganza] The Andy Williams Show as a child and my mum has Gladys Knight records all over the house – now I’ve met them both through Strictly and when I show mum the photos she’s in her element!
"My children were embarrassed when they were younger, but they’re proud of me now. My son is studying sound design at university, so he is coming into Strictly to do work experience with our sound department during Musicals Week!"
Have you developed any rituals ahead of the Saturday shows?
"I try to stay as quiet as I can before the show, and I always have pineapple by the side of me when we perform, because that really helps keep my voice moving. Then, after filming, Dave and I tend to find a little corner away from everyone else in the bar – we always want a bit of peace and we don’t want to hear any more music for the night! So, we’ll have a cheeky pint together, then go home."
Strictly Come Dancing continues on Saturday on BBC One. Check our TV Guide for more information.
