Review: ANTON & GIOVANNI - HIM & ME, Festival Theatre Edinburgh
What do you get when you combine two of Strictly Come Dancing’s most beloved stars with an all-singing, all-dancing company and the UK’s entire supply of sequins and glitter? Obviously, it’s Anton Du Beke and Giovanni Pernice’s firecracker of a show, Him & Me.
Anton and Giovanni may not seem like the most likely of pairings, but it’s clear from the moment they set foot on stage that their rapport and chemistry is palpable. They clearly have a wonderful friendship, and there’s a real ease and flow in their conversation that comes from utter comfort and trust. They can go off script and riff with each other while always knowing they’re in safe hands which, in turn, lets the audience know that they’re getting a unique performance – no two shows are going to be exactly the same with these two jokers at the helm.
Of course, despite some very entertaining (if somewhat slightly drawn out) anecdotes, what we’re all really here to see is the dancing – and what a treat it is. Anton and Giovanni are joined by a company of exceptional dancers, each of whom are given moments to shine, and the full cast numbers are incredibly exciting. Throughout the night, there are flashes of jive, paso doble, Fosse, Argentine tango, contemporary and Charleston, with almost every other dance style you can imagine thrown in for good measure. There is absolutely no denying the talent on the stage – when Anton and Giovanni dance with the full company, the other dancers match them beat for beat.
Their two leading ladies, Grace Cinque-White and Lauren Oakley (also a Strictly professional), stand out in their featured numbers, and there’s an excellent unaccompanied tap routine led by Creative Director/Choreographer Alan Burkitt and Sarah-Faith Brown.
Where the show falls slightly flatter is in the music. Michelle Andrews leads the vocals in most numbers admirably (while still hitting every beat of the dances), but some of the other singing is unfortunately less successful. There are some intonation issues, some harmonies are off, and there are some major balance issues at points. We also feel that a show like this would massively benefit from a live band rather than pre-recorded tracks. Music is so integral to this show and it feels like a missed opportunity to not celebrate musicians in the same way that the singers and dancers are celebrated.
Some of the choices are slightly old-fashioned for us – a drag scene is played entirely for laughs which feels a little dated and the jokes are sometimes on the ‘cheap laughs’ side, but the audience on the whole seemed to appreciate them. There’s some semblance of a storyline running through parts of the show, like the wartime segment, but that’s dropped in favour of individual vignettes later in the production. The music choices feel a little predictable on the whole – it was no real surprise that numbers like ‘Hot Honey Rag’ and ‘In the Mood’ would feature in a show like this, and it would have been interesting to hear some more unique and unusual songs featured.
Despite this, it’s certainly an entertaining night at the theatre. Anton and Giovanni are consummate showmen and they know how to hold an audience in the palms of their hands. Their jokes and charisma feed perfectly into their excellent dancing and the talents of their entire company cannot be understated. While we had some reservations, it was clear from the audience’s enthusiastic reaction that they felt it was absolutely deserving of a coveted 10!
*** Three stars
Reviewed by: Lorna Murray
Anton & Giovanni: Him & Me continues to tour until the end of July, with further information here.