Staying Alive (1983)
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A former disco king seeks a Broadway breakthrough while navigating a complicated romantic triangle.
The story
Tony Manero, a former disco king, lives in a Manhattan flophouse while working as a dance instructor and waiter, seeking a major break in Broadway dance productions. Though he has matured since his days in Brooklyn, he remains in a complicated relationship with his girlfriend Jackie, a dancer and rock singer. When Tony pursues a lead dancer named Laura, it causes a rift with Jackie. The three find themselves auditioning for a Broadway production called Satan's Alley, where Tony must navigate his professional ambitions and personal loyalties.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Tony Manero, a former disco king, lives in a Manhattan flophouse working as a dance instructor and waiter, seeking a Broadway break. He has matured since his Brooklyn days, though he maintains some macho double standards regarding his girlfriend, Jackie. After Tony pursues and spends the night with a lead dancer named Laura, Jackie breaks up with him. All three audition for the Broadway production 'Satan's Alley.' Jackie and Tony land small roles, while Laura is cast as the lead. Feeling guilty for his callousness, Tony returns to Brooklyn to apologize to his mother, Flo, before returning to Manhattan to reconcile with Jackie. As the production progresses, Tony's hostility toward the arrogant Laura grows. Tony decides to audition for the male lead, Butler, and asks Jackie to help him practice. Laura is disgusted by his success but they display undeniable chemistry on stage. During the sold-out opening, Tony ignores the script to kiss Laura, leading to a backstage confrontation with the director. In the second act, Tony abandons the script for a solo dance of frustration before finally holding Laura in a climactic finish. Tony celebrates with his castmates, reconciles with Jackie, and struts through Times Square.
- First release year
- 1983
- Runtime (minutes)
- 96
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Sylvester Stallone
- Writers
- Sylvester Stallone · screenplay; Norman Wexler · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- John Travolta · Tony Manero; Cynthia Rhodes; Finola Hughes; Joyce Hyser; Julie Bovasso; Viktor Manoel; Kevyn Morrow
- Genres
- dance drama; musical; romantic drama
- Themes
- ambition; maturity; reconciliation; artistic success
- Tone and mood
- dramatic; musical; melodramatic
- Setting
- Manhattan and Brooklyn, New York City during the early 1980s.
- Premise and plot tags
- sequel; musical; dance; romance; Broadway
- Source material / true-story basis
- Saturday Night Fever by Norman Wexler and Tribal Rites of the New Saturday Night by Nik Cohn
- Franchise connections
- Saturday Night Fever
- Content notes
- profanity
- Reception
- The film was a commercial success but was universally panned by critics for its lack of realism compared to the original.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 23 · scale: 100 · review count: 7
- Production trivia
- The title comes from a Bee Gees song used as the theme for the first film.; Sylvester Stallone made an uncredited cameo appearance as a man on the street.; John Travolta spent five months doing rigorous training to develop a dancer's physique.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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