JADAR

★★★★★

Strictly shows often follow a set routine with a gorgeous variety of dance numbers and glitzy costumes slightly weighed down by corny jokes and awkwardly staged interactions. However, Anton’s musical extravaganza is the full package, with toe-tapping routines, eye-watering gags, and heaps of charismatic flair.

Opening with the classy ‘There’s No Business Like Show Business’, a stunning soirée of shimmering ballroom dresses swayed elegantly across the stage as Anton, in his elegant grey tailcoat, and Lance Ellington duetted the number before joining the dance routine.

The set was fairly simplistic yet perfectly effective, with a raised platform for the band, and cute dressing room vibe during the first number. Most other numbers brought on the odd prop or changed the lighting or dancer costuming – a nice way to keep the limited staging constantly lively.

Suffice to say, with 20 years on Strictly, I knew Anton was an incredible dancer, but I was pleasantly surprised by his smooth vocals, fairly reminiscent of classy, golden age musical performers. While Ellington was an incredible powerhouse, Anton impressively held his own despite hilarious jabs at the “competent” review he had after his stint in Glasgow (and becoming the best ongoing joke of the night). His perfect posture, charismatic swagger, mischievous grins, and palpable chemistry with the ensemble made his performances all the more enigmatic. One could call him “The Greatest Showman”!

Anton’s spontaneous gags were another welcome twist to the Strictly formula, with several tongue-in-cheek innuendos, silly faces, and a The Sound of Music gag had the audience laughing uproariously. The segment was entertainment gold, from his goofy physical dance with Lauren Oakley to ‘The Lonely Goatherd’, to his and Ellington’s parodic “60 going on 70” retirement home gag, and the quick-witted audience interactions and absurd bobbing during ‘Do-Re-Mi’.

Their later “Karaoke” session with the audience’s favourite numbers (not included in the show) had them both wearing glasses, amusingly attempting musical numbers they barely knew with their talented band, a googled lyric sheet, and a giggling audience backing them up. My personal favourite of the bunch was ‘Hakuna Matata’- what a wonderful phrase that Anton struggled to even pronounce, but ‘Fame’ or Joseph’s ‘Any Dream Will Do’ were close seconds. Their stumbling around, mispronunciations, falsettos, out-of-time dances, and loud “AAAAAAs” made it such a memorable dad-joke moment!

Outside of the comedy, Ellington had several shining moments, his standout-performance being a goosebump inducing cover of Wicked’s ‘Defying Gravity’ as he effortlessly hit every note in the song’s demanding finale. His mellifluous vocals constantly charmed the audience, as did his playful “love-hate” relationship with Anton.

Lucy Nolan was astonishing as both a dancer and singer, her vocal prowess particularly earning her spotlight during the Dreamgirls ‘One Night Only’ finale.

Lauren Oakley also surprised audiences with her hidden singing abilities after a dreamy performance of ‘Loverly’ from My Fair Lady. While I’d been wowed by Lauren in Giovanni’s Let Me Entertain You tour, this time she blew away all expectations performing with such poise and precision. Her Latin numbers were fierce and punchy, her ballroom posture ethereal and serene. She took on each personality with ease, her poised movements and physicality, stealing the stage and enchanting the audience at every turn. She may well be the best female dancer of her generation.

The company is rounded off with Kelly Chow, Ellie O’Gorman, Luke Field-Wright, and Billy Lawrence. The band is made up of Musical Director Clive Dunstall, Pete Callard, Mike Smith, Howard McGill, Pat Hartley, Sam Burgess, and Andy Greenwood.

Chatter was kept to a minimum, mainly having moments for Anton to introduce the next numbers, or a cute interaction with Lauren about her time on Strictly this year. While I didn’t learn loads about Anton, it was a nicely paced and refreshing interlude unlike some of the lengthy chats I’d seen at Nadiya & Kai’s last two shows.

Now for the dance! The choreography by Bill Deamer (with assistant choreography by Ashleigh Graham) was simply masterful with a fascinating variety of dance styles (and costumes), all perfectly complimenting their musical numbers. There was an entrancing tango to ‘Roxanne’, burlesque and cabaret inspired routines to ‘Razzle Dazzle ‘Em’ and ‘Willkommen’, a mesmerising nautical tap to ‘Anything Goes’, an astonishing “unrehearsed” feathery ballroom dance to ‘Moonriver’, and a vibrant and lively 60’s tossing and twirling routine for Hairspray.

Ultimately, Anton Du Beke At The Musicals is the grandest love letter to musicals I’ve ever seen. The creative team’s passion for musical theatre is astoundingly translated into every fibre of the show. Each musical aesthetic and dance genre are flawlessly paired together, each song is passionately performed, and each comedy routine has the audience in hysterics. It’s a magical musical menagerie, with a unique premise, and led by a fab-u-lous and fascinating Strictly frontman.