She's a maniac! Flashdance The Musical comes to Ottawa

“She’s a maniac, maniac on the floor. And she’s dancing like she’s never danced before.”

And she’s in Ottawa.

Flashdance The Musical opened at the National Arts Centre Tuesday night. It’s based on the 1983 blockbuster movie Flashdance starring Jennifer Beals. And it features all the iconic music, including Michael Sembello’s hit song, Maniac, quoted above. Writers have also added 16 new songs for the stage version. “It gives you everything you know and love from the movie and then some,” says the show’s lead performer Jillian Mueller.  

Mueller plays Jennifer Beals' character, Alex – a young Pittsburgh steelworker and self-taught nightclub dancer who dreams of joining the ballet. It’s a challenging role for the 19-year old performer. “It’s a two and a half hour marathon. I’m literally non-stop. I don’t really leave the stage much. It’s quite the task to do it 8 times a week,” she says.

She's dancing like she's never danced before.

Flashdance The Musical runs to Sunday, Oct. 27^th at the NAC.