Staying true to the story line, the musical retold the inspiring tale of Pittsburgh woman Alex Owens, a strong and independent welder by day and a sexy erotic dancer by night who dreams of becoming a ballet dancer.

The musical, like the film, is easily deemed for a mature audience. However, both the costumes and performances were tastefully executed.

Numbers such as “Steeltown Sky” and “It’s All in Reach” started the night with excitement. Ballet dancers tiptoed across the stage, cast members belted long notes and stage crew swiftly and discretly changed the set, signifying the end and start of a new scene and leaving no room for a dull moment in the musical.

Famous ’80s hits such as “I Love Rock ‘N’ Roll” and “Maniac” helped add to the excitement of the night.

By the end of act one, a water drenched actress Jillian Mueller, who played Alex, danced into the hearts of the East Lansing audience after flawlessly reenacting the most iconic scene from the film, the ‘splash’ scene.

The once innocent Gloria, played by Ginna Clare Mason, began act two. Mason did a convincing job of portraying a naive girl who is desperate to be famous but helplessly falls into the trap of Chameleon Club owner CC, played by Christian Whelan.

Mueller and co-star Corey Mach, who played factory owner Nick Hurley and Alex’s love interest, had warm and impressive chemistry that made the two, as a pair, very believable.

Many of the cast members were not just convincing actors, but flourished in many facets. The stage at Wharton Center was pleasantly filled with powerful singers and very talented dancers.

Mueller concluded the night’s numbers with the famous and heartening dance scene to ’80s artist Irene Cara’s “What a Feeling.”

What seemed only right for the big screen, embodied equal thrill on the live stage. The audience jumped to their feet for a standing ovation signifying what will likely be a successful week for the musical in East Lansing.