A strong supporting company deliver dance and musical excellence, while Anton & Giovanni fall a bit flat.
As a lifetime fan of Strictly Come Dancing, I was excited about seeing two of its most beloved stars, Anton Du Beke and Giovanni Pernice, live with “more fun, more dance, more song, and even more entertainment.” However, admittedly, my first reaction when I heard about the show, was confusion at the slightly random-seeming pairing; two cast members that are seldom seen interacting on the programme. I hoped that perhaps there would be an explanation on what had brought the professional dancer, and dancer turned judge together for this tour, or that they would have such wonderful chemistry that it wouldn’t matter. But neither of these things really happened.
The evening ran like a showcase, with a series of song and dance performances happening in no particular order, and with no kind of theme or line of cohesivity. For these performances, Anton and Giovanni were joined (and often replaced) onstage by a six person cast of dancers and singers, who, unfortunately, largely showed them up. Two standouts were, Michelle Andrews, who delivered astoundingly powerful lead vocals. And Lauren Oakley, another familiar Strictly Come Dancing face, whose energy, expression and dancing were on another level. Oakley also surprised the audience with a strong singing voice, and gave one of the most impressive performances of the night; a full, fast, perfectly executed jive to Abba’s Waterloo, while also singing the lead vocals.
In what came across as a slightly lazy attempt to pull focus back to the show’s stars, the musical numbers were interspersed with a variety of skit style talking sections between Anton and Giovanni. This was where the show started to lose its sparkle. There were jokes that landed and funny moments that were well received, such as humour based on Giovanni’s thick Italian accent, however these would be overdone until they got a bit old, and the talking sections very quickly started to drag on and feel laboured. I also felt like the chemistry between Anton and Giovanni wasn’t the most natural, and they didn’t bounce off of each other well enough to effectively carry all of these skit moments.
On a more positive note, the music featured in the show was very well selected and greatly appealed to the audience. There were a variety of musical theatre classics, old school favourites, and even a fun Eurovision medley. So truly something for everyone. The songs were flawlessly sung, and brilliantly played by the onstage band.
Overall, “Anton and Giovanni: Together” delivered on its promise to entertain. Amazing dancing, iconic music, and two famous faces meant that it was far from a wasted night at the theatre, even though I felt that more thought and effort could have been put into Anton and Giovanni’s parts in the show. I loved that the format gave lesser known, but, dare I say, stronger talents an opportunity to shine. Yet, I felt that a title such as “Anton and Giovanni present…” or “Anton and Giovanni and friends” might have been a more fitting way to describe the performance, and would have prevented me from feeling slightly mis-sold. However, despite my disappointment with certain elements of the show, there were many middle-aged women leaving the theatre absolutely tickled pink, so what do I know?!
Not sure the reviewer was at the same show as me !
This must be a critic working for someone, or been living on another planet.
This tour is one of the best ive seen in10+ years. The tour is a sell out.
Just seen this at New Brighton and think I must have seen a different show! A really memorable. excellent evening. The audience’s standing ovation said it all!
You have described exactly my sentiments. The star attractions were more like a sideline show. Overall show was a mish map of this and that. I certainly was not one of the middle aged ladies that left tickled pink. I expected more professiinal routines from the main guys, there was too much on show from the back up dancers and way too much singing. It was like a variety show.