Kai Widdrington’s debut tour is a triumph – and a glaring reminder that a BBC Strictly benching mustn’t happen again: Review
At just 29 years old, Kai Widdrington has already ticked off a long line of bucket list objectives every ballroom dancer could dream of.
Numerous spots in global dance competition finals as a teen, tick. A World Junior Latin American title before the age of 16, tick. A spot in a Britain’s Got Talent finale, tick. Pro contracts on both the Irish and British versions of the world’s biggest dance contest, Strictly Come Dancing… a big tick.
It’s Strictly where Widdrington has become a household name with UK audiences. His meteoric rise to fame in no small part thanks to his show-stopping performances with AJ Odudu and Angela Rippon on the BBC show (perhaps less so with Kaye Adams, where less said about their Week One exit, the better).
The only thing eluding him as he prepares to return to Elstree Studios for his fifth Strictly series this year is the coveted Glitterball Trophy. Although a Strictly Christmas special win with drag queen Tayce has put him in good stead to propel on come the Autumn.
Before he reunites with his fellow Strictly pros, however, Widdrington is embarking on his first-ever live solo stage tour. Again, a self-professed pinch-me moment of any dancer’s career, let alone one still south of 30.
Evolution is currently in full swing with several dates across the UK and Ireland in the pipeline (see the full list of tour dates here). And with a handful of shows already under his belt, audiences can expect a polished debut dance show like no other.
GBNews.com was lucky enough to be invited to Poole to see how Widdrington is handling the rigours of putting on a two-hour show each night. All of it is performed at neck-breaking pace while simultaneously gearing up for another year in the Strictly ballroom – albeit with the ambition of avoiding a frankly unjust benching in 2024.
Evolution tells the story of the man himself. A Hampshire-born Billy Elliott-esque lad torn between the fleckerls and chassés of the ballroom and the mud and studs of the football pitch.
Despite being from football stock – his brother and father recently made history as the first father-son duo to lift a trophy at Wembley, thanks to Aldershot’s FA Trophy victory – Widdrington decided the allure of the dancefloor was too strong.
Evolution delves into this stage of Widdrington’s life, but not before he and his small yet step-perfect team of five kick things off whiplash-inducing, six-minute Bruno Mars medley routine.
With the audience barely – and understandably – struggling to catch their breath, Widdrington’s showmanship comes to the forefront right away, grabbing a microphone and welcoming his audience to the show.
Barely struggling for breath of his own, despite exerting enough energy and steps that most people’s Strava apps would malfunction, this is when audiences realise Widdrington’s debut show isn’t your standard dance act.
The Strictly star breaks out into a monologue packed full of sharp jokes and quick-witted audience back-and-forths befitting of a seasoned comic with years of experience on the circuit.
“Have you been dragged out tonight, sir?” he asks one middle-aged, cross-armed, male audience member sitting beside his gleeful, dance enthusiast wife. Laughs ensue as the man cracks a smile and confirms Widdrington’s suspicions.
Not a single joke falls flat, and although a modest Widdrington humbly tells me afterwards all the speaking parts are “scripted to within an inch of their life”, his team assures me Widdrington is merely downplaying his ad-libbing skills.
There’s even room for some impressions of his Strictly co-stars during the show. A usually painstaking comedic form, Widdrington pulls off Anton Du Beke and Johannes Radebe impersonations to a tee before self-deprecatingly admitting: “Thank god that’s over.”
The dancing, of course, takes centre stage – excuse the pun – with Widdrington transporting audiences back to the early noughties when he heard Jerry Jeff Walker’s Mr Bojangles for the first time and a love of Tango was born.
Football rears its head soon into the act. Elvis’s A Little Less Conversation blares through the auditorium’s speakers while Widdrington and his team somehow manage not to literally drop the ball(s) while once again moving at breakneck speeds.
The dancing is interrupted soon after by a fever-dreamish interlude in which Widdrington and Evolution dancer Luke Miller take part in a “keepy-uppy” competition. It’s a skit that can be forgiven, as inevitably it proves an apt opportunity for the team to get their much-needed breath back.
As Evolution moves on, Widdrington sheds light on how his decision to pursue dance over football began to reap its rewards.
Alongside leading lady Rebecca Scott, Widdrington takes on a Paso Doble reminiscent of his World Championship-winning routine as a teen. The performance holds extra significance as he reveals his former championship partner is in the crowd watching on.
Widdrington also draws on figures who’ve inspired his path to dancefloor stardom so far. An elegant Gene Kelly Singin’ In the Rain number wows the crowd, as well as an unexpected nod to comedic hero Jim Carrey through a Mask routine that kicks off the second act with just as much energy as the aforementioned Mars medley.
Keen to turn the spotlight on his fellow dancers who make Evolution possible, Widdrington temporarily leaves the floor and allows them to shine. Miller, Alexandra Vladimirov, Grace Cinque-White, Maciej Zięba, and Scott all have the audience on their feet as they prove why Strictly fans shouldn’t perhaps write off seeing any of them on screens soon.
All five keep up with Widdrington’s ambitious choreography without a single foot out of place, an accolade that doesn’t – and shouldn’t – go unnoticed by the crowd.
It’s Widdrington’s tributes to musical hero Michael Jackson that steal the show, however. One, a Smooth Criminal production that the King of Pop himself would’ve undoubtedly given the seal of approval himself.
The second comes as Widdrington takes a beat to thank his audience and indulge in a moment of self-reflection.
You get a real sense of what this tour means to the dancer and that this truly is Widdrington at his peak. His best ever self. In the shape of his life, admittedly finally finding “love and happiness” with his new girlfriend Chloe Wells, another Strictly stint confirmed, and raucous applause from adoring fans on his own solo tour.
It therefore seems fitting that his penultimate number is Man in the Mirror by Jackson, Widdrington once again flanked by his team, who effortlessly assist the Strictly star in the meaningful number.
Of course, it wouldn’t be fitting for Evolution not to go out with pulses sky-high and beads of sweat flying through the auditorium as Widdrington gets everyone on their feet to close out the show with Let’s Dance blaring.
Widdrington’s debut show is an undisputed and captivating triumph, reaffirming that the decision to keep him on the sidelines for last year’s Strictly was a truly baffling one.
While Evolution is an unmissable event for every dance fan out there, it’s also a glaring reminder to the Strictly gods that they’ve a real asset on their hands.
And who knows? Maybe 2025 will be rounded off with a Glitterball Trophy for the 29-year-old. The omens are certainly looking good.
Evolution continues on the following dates at the following venues:
June 5 – SHREWSBURY, Theatre SevernJune 8 – CORK, Opera HouseJune 10 – DUBLIN, The HelixJune 11 – BELFAST, Theatre at the MillJune 13 – AYR, The GaietyJune 14 – GLASGOW, Pavilion TheatreJune 18 – SOUTHPORT, The AtkinsonJune 19 – ST HELENS, Theatre RoyalJune 20 – LEAMINGTON SPA, Royal Spa CentreJune 22 – LONDON, Bloomsbury Theatre – Gala ShowJune 23 – WELLINGBOROUGH, Castle TheatreJune 24 – CARDIFF, New TheatreJune 25 – LICHFIELD, Garrick TheatreJune 27 – WORTHING, Connaught TheatreJune 28 – FAREHAM, Fareham Live
Tickets are available at: https://www.kai-tour.com/2025-tour-tickets-dates