Oscar season has just finished, when the eyes of the movie world were focused on LA and the annual glitzy award ceremony. But if there were an award for the best Oscar celebration show it would go to… drum roll… Janette Manrara And Aljaž Škorjanec for their Remembering The Oscars tour 2020
Yes! Strictly Come Dancing favourites Janette and Aljaž are back with a brand new tour that promises to take you from the Golden Age of Hollywood through to Disney family favourites and beyond, featuring many classic and contemporary songs. The show features a cast of some of the best dancers based in the UK, a brand new stunning stage design, wonderful costumes and a huge LED screen, with specially filmed content. The 37-date tour begins in March and visits Edinburgh, Glasgow, Perth, Inverness and Aberdeen during April.
Remembering The Oscars builds on the success of Janette and Aljaž’s previous show tours Remembering Fred and the sell-out Remembering The Movies.
“While we were touring the UK with Remembering The Movies, Janette and I were constantly talking about how we could evolve the show, taking it to the next level and into the West End,” explained Aljaž Škorjanec. “Inspired by Hollywood excellence, our amazing cast will combine with outstanding production values to give our incredible audiences exactly
what they deserve: the very best! We can’t wait, we are red carpet ready!”
“I can tell you right now that Remembering The Oscars will be our biggest and most ambitious production to date,” Janette Manrara added. “We have hand-picked an incredible cast, we have some great material to work with and quite a few surprises. The Oscar-winning movies, songs, and actors that have inspired us will take this tour to another level,
one that we know our audiences are going to love. To say Aljaž and I are excited about this tour is a huge understatement.”
They couldn’t be more enthusiastic about this latest venture, though. “You’re going to get a night at the Oscars,” says Aljaž. “There’s going to be all styles of dancing that even includes a little bit of Bollywood courtesy of Slumdog Millionaire.”
Says Janette: “We’ll also be reflecting some of the amazing choreography featured in films like La La Land, Flashdance and Chorus Line. It can’t be long, in our opinion, until an Oscar is awarded for best choreography.”
One of her favourite parts of the show is when she’ll get to do the slow, romantic numbers with her husband. Whichever way you slice it, Aljaž is something of a heartthrob. Is she comfortable with that?
“Absolutely. In fact, I find it quite complimentary. I’m very proud of him. The way I see it, I pick up some of the kudos. Other women might lust after him but I’m the one who’s got him!”
Janette and Aljaž both joined the cast of Strictly Come Dancing in 2013 and married four years later. This is turning into a busy year for Janette as, before rehearsals begin for the tour, she is partnering 2019 Strictly champion Kelvin Fletcher on the Strictly live tour, standing in for his champion partner Oti Mabuse who has other TV commitments.
Aljaž didn’t take part in the Strictly pro-celeb tour this time round. Why not? “Simple,” he says. “Last year, incredible as it was, was so relentless. I went from tour to tour, I also was part of the Here Come The Boys tour, and then straight in to Strictly. Not counting the TV show, I did over a hundred performances in 2019. I don’t say I was heading for burn-out but I definitely needed a break.”
Does it ever occur to either Aljaž or Janette that the Strictly bubble might one day burst?
“Every single day,” says Aljaž. “Our faces may not fit any more or our bodies will start objecting to the demands we make on them. But it’s great while it lasts.”
Janette agrees. “I’d had some success in Miami where I was raised but Strictly changed our lives, no question. People talk about the Strictly Curse. Well, we see it more as a blessing. It’s why we met, it’s where we fell in love and now we’re married. I think the public likes the fact that we’re a real-life couple.”
Remembering The Oscars tours Scotland throughout April:
Sun 12 Apr – Edinburgh Festival Theatre
Thu 23 Apr – Glasgow Royal Concert Hall
Sat 25 Apr – Perth Concert Hall
Mon 27 Apr – Inverness Eden Court
Tue 28 Apr – Aberdeen Music Hall